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Criterion
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper illustration of Cost of Delay with its method-specific working model.
Delivery
Cost of Delay
A paper-based illustration representing arc42 with its core stages and visible working result.
Architecture
arc42
Architecture Communication Canvas method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Architecture Communication Canvas
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.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.arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes.The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design.
Complexitydifferent
HighHighLowMedium
Timedifferent
Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope90-180 min1-2 Tage60-120 min
Participantsdifferent
Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting3-81-42-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + 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 alternativesCoD Table, Prioritization SequenceArchitecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment ViewCommunication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
PrioritizationDeliveryEconomicsDecision
ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication
ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas
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