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Criterion
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Decision Tree method illustration showing its working structure
Decision Making
Decision Tree
Paper illustration for Constraint Analysis.
Decision Making
Constraint Analysis
Paper illustration for Change Analysis.
Operations
Change 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.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 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.For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise.
Complexitydifferent
HighMediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope30-90 min30-90 min45-120 min
Participantsdifferent
Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting1-62-82-6
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + 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 alternativesDecision Tree, Option Map, Assumption ListConstraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision BoundariesChange Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
DecisionTreeOptions
ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions
ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison
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