View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion | ![]() Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) | ![]() Facilitation Team Charter | ![]() Business Strategy McKinsey 7S | ![]() Facilitation Alignment 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 team is starting fresh or working past each other, Team Charter clarifies the shared working basis. It visibly sets out how collaboration, decision paths, and mutual conduct should work day to day. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 2-4 h | 2-4 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-12 | 3-12 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | 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 | Team Charter, Working Norms, Role Notes | 7S Assessment, Alignment Gaps, Change Actions | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | TeamAlignmentCollaboration | OrganizationStrategyAlignmentChange | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |



