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Criterion
Four paper collections for projects, responsibilities, resources and archives.
Knowledge Modeling
PARA Method
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
Facilitation
Alignment Mapping
Purposedifferent
The PARA Method organizes knowledge into Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. It creates order when digital notes, files, and tasks no longer cleanly fit current work.SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning.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
MediumHighMedium
Timedifferent
1-3 h Setup, laufendPreparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope1-2 h
Participantsdifferent
1Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting4-12
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
PARA Structure, Project Notes, Knowledge ArchiveDomain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternativesAlignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions
Tagsno overlap
KnowledgeProductivityOrganization
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of the McKinsey 7S Framework with seven connected fields
Business Strategy
McKinsey 7S
Stakeholder Mapping
Facilitation
Stakeholder Mapping
Paper illustration for 3-Circle Venn Diagram
Facilitation
3-Circle Venn Diagram
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)