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| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Product Strategy Lean Canvas |  Operations Change Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 an early product bet still has too many open points, it brings target group, problem, and assumptions into a single view. It condenses the idea so core risks become nameable. | 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. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 45-90 min | 45-120 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 1-6 | 2-6 | 2-6 |
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 | Lean Canvas, Core Assumptions, Experiment Backlog | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | StartupLeanAssumptionsBusiness model | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |