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Selected:Nominal Group TechniqueATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Risk MatrixAlignment Mapping
| Criterion |  Facilitation Nominal Group Technique |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Risk Matrix |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When loud voices could dominate a round, Nominal Group Technique protects individual thinking time from group effects. It collects ideas separately first and only then enables shared weighting. | 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. | When a project faces many possible disruptions, it quickly becomes unclear which risks deserve attention first. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Risk Matrix and a Top Risk List. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30-60 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 5-12 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-10 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Ranked Ideas, Clarified Options, Group Priority | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Risk Matrix, Top Risk List | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationPrioritizationVotingInclusion | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |