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Selected:Views and BeyondARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)C4 ModelATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
| Criterion | ![]() Architecture Views and Beyond | ![]() Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) | ![]() Architecture C4 Model | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | 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 | Medium | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Tage | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 1-4 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 1-5 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations |
Tags1 shared | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders |



