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Selected:SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Trade-off AnalysisArchitecture Inception CanvasDecision Matrix
| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 45-120 min | 1-2 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | 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 | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs |