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Selected:Specification by ExampleSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Three AmigosATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
| Criterion |  Agile Specification by Example |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Agile Three Amigos |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When business rules need to become precise, it ties language, example, and test together. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as an Example Table and Acceptance Tests. | 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 story, test, and implementation could drift apart, it brings business perspective, engineering, and quality together early. It prevents a story from being read differently only late in the process. | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 60-90 min pro Feature | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 15-30 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | 3-6 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Example Table, Acceptance Tests | 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 | Clarified Story, Test Examples, Open Questions | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations |
Tagsno overlap | AgileRequirementsExamplesBehavior-Driven Development | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | CollaborationBehavior-Driven DevelopmentQualityRefinement | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders |