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Selected:Trade-off AnalysisSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Decision MatrixDecision Framing Workshop
| Criterion |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  Decision Making Decision Framing Workshop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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 several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-120 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 45-90 min | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | 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 | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | Decision Frame, Decision Question, Criteria List, Evidence Plan |
Tagsno overlap | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | Decision framingAlignmentCriteriaOptions |