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Selected:SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Argument MappingAssumption SurfacingArchitecture Decision Record
| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 1-8 | 2-8 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Domain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternatives | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | SensemakingDecisionRationale | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |