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Selected:Trade-off AnalysisATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Decision Framing WorkshopAlignment Mapping
| Criterion |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Decision Framing Workshop |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | When a decision is poorly framed, even good answers deliver little value. A Decision Framing Workshop sharpens the problem, goal, and boundaries before the actual weighing begins. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-120 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 60-120 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 4-10 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Decision Frame, Decision Question, Criteria List, Evidence Plan | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Decision framingAlignmentCriteriaOptions | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |