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| Criterion |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Risk Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 Reviewer | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | 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 |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
