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| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Systems Thinking Stock and Flow Diagram |  Systems Thinking Behavior Over Time Graph |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | A Stock and Flow Diagram shows how stocks, inflows, and outflows shape a system over time. It is especially suited when growth, delays, or capacity limits determine the dynamics. | A Behavior Over Time Graph shows how a metric or observation develops over time. The method makes trends, breaks, and recurring patterns visible that get lost in snapshots. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Low |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 2-6 h | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 1-6 | 1-10 |
Formatsame | 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 | Stock and Flow Model, Dynamics Notes, Simulation Hypotheses | Behavior Over Time Graph, Trend Hypotheses, Key Events |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | DynamicsSimulationFeedbackSystems thinking | Systems thinkingPatternsDynamics |
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