Architecture Evaluation Methods Comparison¶

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About This MicroSim¶

A radar chart comparing five architecture evaluation methods (Full ATAM, SAAM, ARID, Mini-ATAM, and Lightweight) across five dimensions. It supports selecting the right method for a given context.

How to Use¶

Toggle methods on and off with the checkboxes. Click a method in the legend to highlight its polygon and read its description. Hover an axis label for its 1-5 scale. Pick a scenario from the dropdown to get a recommended method.

Iframe Embed Code¶

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/atam/sims/evaluation-methods-comparison/main.html"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan¶

Grade Level¶

Undergraduate / Professional

Duration¶

10-15 minutes

Prerequisites¶

Awareness that more than one architecture evaluation method exists.

Bloom's Taxonomy Level¶

Analyze (L4)

Learning Objective¶

Students can compare architecture evaluation methods across dimensions of duration, stakeholder breadth, output rigor, and applicability, and select the appropriate method for a given scenario.

Activities¶

Exploration (5 min): Students freely interact with the MicroSim to discover its behavior.
Guided Practice (5 min): Working from the learning objective above, students answer 2-3 focused questions posed by the instructor.
Discussion (5 min): Students share observations and connect them back to ATAM concepts.

Assessment¶

Give students a context and ask them to defend a method choice using the radar dimensions.

References¶

Bass, L., Clements, P., & Kazman, R. (2021). Software Architecture in Practice (4th ed.). Addison-Wesley.
Kazman, R., Klein, M., & Clements, P. (2000). ATAM: Method for Architecture Evaluation (CMU/SEI-2000-TR-004).