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Criterion
Paper illustration of RAID Log with a method-specific labelled workspace.
Delivery
RAID Log
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
Decision Making
Trade-off Analysis
Purposedifferent
Helps clarify scope, sequence, and delivery flow in concrete terms. It makes work, boundaries, and order steerable. The result is captured as a RAID Log and a source for status reporting.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.With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects.
Complexitydifferent
LowHighMedium
Timedifferent
30 min Setup, dann laufendSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope45-120 min
Participantsdifferent
1-3 maintaining, briefing for everyoneEvaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders2-8
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
RAID Log, Status Report SourcePrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigationsTrade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides
Tagsno overlap
RiskTrackingStakeholdersGovernance
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions
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Paper illustration of a decision table with criteria rows, weighted ratings, and a narrowly leading alternative.
Decision Making
Decision Matrix
Four paper stations connect system purpose, quality goals, risk cards and focused investigation with a target and gap profile.
Architecture
LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments
Architecture Communication Canvas method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Architecture Communication Canvas