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Criterion
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper illustration of Product Vision Board with its method-specific working model.
Product Strategy
Product Vision Board
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
Facilitation
Alignment Mapping
Stakeholder Mapping
Facilitation
Stakeholder Mapping
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 product needs a shared direction, it connects target audience, benefit, and business picture in a clear vision. It makes the envisioned future legible for the team.When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable.When an initiative depends on many people, interests, and power dynamics, Stakeholder Mapping systematically orders the environment. It shows who influences, who is affected, and where relationship management or safeguarding matters first.
Complexitydifferent
HighLowMediumLow
Timedifferent
Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope1-2 h1-2 h60–90 min
Participantsdifferent
Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting2-84-122-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + 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 alternativesProduct Vision Board, Vision Statement, Assumptions and Validation QuestionsAlignment Map, Open Issues, Decision QuestionsStakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
VisionCanvasStrategyAlignment
AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation
StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange
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