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| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Product Strategy Impact Mapping |  Business Strategy McKinsey 7S |
|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | McKinsey 7S checks whether Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, and Staff fit together. Organizational misalignments become visible across multiple levers as a result. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 45-90 min | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-8 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | 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 | Impact Map, Outcome Hypotheses, Delivery Options | 7S Assessment, Alignment Gaps, Change Actions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | OutcomesStrategyBehaviorPlanning | OrganizationStrategyAlignmentChange |
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