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| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Product Discovery MVP Test Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | When several minimal variants compete to answer the same question, it makes comparing and choosing between them cleaner. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence. The result is captured as a Test Matrix and a Test Plan. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30-90 min | 45-60 min | 45-75 min |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 1-6 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
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 | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Test Matrix, Test Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | DecisionTreeOptions | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryOptions |