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| Criterion |  Decision Making Risk Matrix |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Delivery Communication Plan |  Delivery Cost of Delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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 many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. | Helps clarify scope, order, and delivery flow in concrete terms. It makes work, constraints, and sequence manageable. The result is captured as a Cost of Delay table and prioritization sequence. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-90 min | 90-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Risk Matrix, Top Risk List | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence | CoD Table, Prioritization Sequence |
Tagsno overlap | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning | PrioritizationDeliveryEconomicsDecision |