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Criterion
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for Constraint Analysis.
Decision Making
Constraint Analysis
Paper illustration for Argument Mapping
Decision Making
Argument Mapping
Paper illustration for Cynefin Workshop.
Decision Making
Cynefin Workshop
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 an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped.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.When problems are unclear, chaotic, or only seemingly familiar, standard recipes fall short. A Cynefin Workshop sorts situations by the nature of their problem and connects them with matching action logic.
Complexitydifferent
HighLowMediumMedium
Timedifferent
Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope30-90 min1-3 h60-180 min
Participantsdifferent
Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting2-81-84-20
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
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 alternativesConstraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision BoundariesArgument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision RationaleCynefin Map, Domain-specific Actions, Sensemaking Notes
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions
SensemakingDecisionRationale
ComplexitySensemakingDecision
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