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| Criterion |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |  Decision Making Option Framing |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The TOWS Matrix connects internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats into action-oriented strategies. It goes a step further than a pure stocktaking. | In early decisions, alternatives are often still vague, incomplete, or blended together. Option Framing brings every possibility into a comparable form and makes visible which variant actually fits the question. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-120 min | 30-60 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-8 | 2-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions | Option Frames, Assumption Notes, Comparable Shortlist, Decision Inputs | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | 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 |
Tagsno overlap | StrategyAnalysisOptions | OptionsDecision framingStrategyComparison | Root causeQualityOperations | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality |