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| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Product Strategy Counter Metrics |  Product Strategy Impact Mapping |  Business Strategy GAP Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 a headline metric could mask side effects, it adds guardrail signals against unwanted outcomes. It connects customer value, product logic, and decision priorities. The result is captured as a counter-metric list and guardrail definitions. | When a goal needs to be connected to several possible paths, it shows chains of impact instead of feature lists. It connects business goal, behavior change, and measures. | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30-60 min | 45-90 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-6 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + 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 | Counter Metric List, Guardrail Definitions | Impact Map, Outcome Hypotheses, Delivery Options | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | MetricsMeasurementStrategyExperiments | OutcomesStrategyBehaviorPlanning | StrategyAnalysisPlanning |