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| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis |  Business Strategy Ansoff Matrix |  Business Strategy SWOT Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Value Chain Analysis shows where value is created, costs accrue, and differentiation becomes possible along the process. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a value-chain map and lever list. | The Ansoff Matrix organizes growth options by market and product relation. It helps weigh expansion, diversification, and adaptation cleanly against each other. | SWOT Analysis arranges strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats into a compact picture of the situation. It keeps internal capabilities and external influences separate before strategic options emerge from them. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | Half day | 45-90 min | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-8 | 2-8 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | 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 | Value Chain Map, Lever List | Ansoff Matrix, Growth Options, Risk Notes | SWOT matrix, Strategic options, Action list |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | GrowthStrategyMarketPortfolio | StrategyAnalysisMarketPositioning |