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Criterion
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
Decision Making
Trade-off Analysis
Paper illustration of ICE Scoring with its method-specific working model.
Product Strategy
ICE Scoring
Paper illustration of a scoring table with four factor columns, a calculator and three ordered initiative cards.
Product Strategy
RICE Scoring
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.When ideas need sorting quickly, it condenses impact, confidence, and effort into one compact score. It connects customer value, product logic, and decision priorities. The result is captured as an ICE table and top-ideas list.When many initiatives compete for the same resources, it brings reach, impact, confidence, and effort into one shared ranking. It makes prioritization economically connectable.
Complexitydifferent
HighMediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope45-120 min30-60 min60-90 min
Participantsdifferent
Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting2-82-82-10
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + 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 alternativesTrade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted DownsidesICE Table, Top Idea ListRICE Scores, Ranked List, Assumption Log
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions
PrioritizationScoringGrowthDecision
PrioritizationScoringRoadmapTradeoffs
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