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| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Business Strategy GAP Analysis |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Decision Making Option Framing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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. | In early decisions, alternatives are often still vague, incomplete, or blended together. Option Framing brings every possibility into a comparable form and makes visible which variant actually fits the question. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 1-3 h | 30-90 min | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 | 2-8 | 3-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | 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 | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Option Frames, Assumption Notes, Comparable Shortlist, Decision Inputs |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | StrategyAnalysisPlanning | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | OptionsDecision framingStrategyComparison |