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| Criterion |  Operations PDCA Cycle |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Product Discovery Test Card |  Product Discovery Experiment Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For an improvement that still has to prove itself in everyday work, the method runs it through small learning loops. It connects planning, checking, and standardization into a repeatable learning mode. | 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. | The Test Card turns a critical assumption into a testable claim and specifies in advance which result counts as success. | When experiments become unreadable after the fact, it arranges hypothesis, signal, and learning goal on a single canvas. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence. The result is captured as a Completed Experiment Canvas and a Success Metric. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 20-35 min | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-5 | 1-5 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Test Card with a pre-set threshold | Completed Experiment Canvas, Success Metric |
Tagsno overlap | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryHypothesis | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryHypothesis |