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| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Innovation Brainstorming |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early. | When a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 30-60 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 4-12 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders |
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