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Criterion
Paper illustration of Working Backwards with its method-specific working model.
Product Discovery
Working Backwards
Four paper stations connect system purpose, quality goals, risk cards and focused investigation with a target and gap profile.
Architecture
LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
Paper illustration for Expectation Mapping.
Facilitation
Expectation Mapping
Purposedifferent
When the target state and benefit need to be clear first, it thinks backward from the desired outcome into the product logic. It sharpens vision, objections, and value proposition before elaboration.LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail.When roles, interfaces, or projects fail because of differing expectations, Expectation Mapping surfaces these differences. It shows what each side takes for granted and where the pictures diverge.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLow
Timedifferent
4-8 h, mehrere Iterationen3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
2-61 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people3-12
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Future Press Release, FAQ, Vision StatementLean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checksExpectation Map, Alignment Notes, Agreements
Tagsno overlap
VisionNarrativeAlignment
ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean
AlignmentStakeholdersTeam
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
Facilitation
Alignment Mapping
Architecture Communication Canvas method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Architecture Communication Canvas
Architecture Inception Canvas method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Architecture Inception Canvas