# Architectural Approach Identification

**In short:** Architectural approach identification is Step 4 of ATAM. The architect names the approaches used in the system. The team only lists them here and analyzes them later.

## Explanation

ATAM is the Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method. It is a structured way to evaluate an architecture (see the article on ATAM).

Step 4 is where the architectural approaches are named. An approach is a way of building the system, such as an architectural style, a pattern or a tactic. See the articles on Architecture Style, Architectural Pattern and Architectural Tactic.

**Where it sits.** Step 3 is the architect's presentation of the architecture. Step 4 follows it. Step 5, the utility tree, comes after.

**What happens.** The architect names the approaches. The evaluation team presents and discusses them.

**What does not happen.** The team does not analyze the approaches in this step. It only identifies them. Risks, sensitivity points and trade-off points come out of the later analysis in Step 6. That step works on the approaches found here. See the articles on Sensitivity Point and Trade-off Point.

**Why it matters.** Step 6 needs something to examine. The list from Step 4 gives it that starting material.

## Example

A team evaluates an online shop. In Step 4 the architect says the system uses a layered structure and a message queue between order and shipping. The team writes both down and does not probe them yet. Step 6 examines each one later.

## Trade-offs

Keeping this step to identification keeps it short and focused. The cost is that problems with an approach stay hidden until Step 6. Participants may want to debate them right away, so the team has to hold those points for later.

Step 4 sits between the architecture presentation and the utility tree; analysis comes later in Step 6.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  S3[Step 3: Architecture presentation] --> S4[Step 4: Identify approaches]
  S4 --> S5[Step 5: Utility tree]
  S5 --> S6[Step 6: Analyze approaches]
```

## Checks

- The evaluation record lists the architectural approaches the architect named.
- The approaches are listed without risk or trade-off findings attached; those appear in the later analysis step.

## Related

- [Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM)](https://arc.fuet.ch/concepts/evaluation/architecture-tradeoff-analysis-method-atam.md)
- [Architecture Style](https://arc.fuet.ch/concepts/styles-patterns/architectural-style.md)
- [Architectural Pattern](https://arc.fuet.ch/concepts/styles-patterns/architectural-pattern.md)
- [Architectural Tactic](https://arc.fuet.ch/concepts/tactics/architectural-tactic.md)
- [Sensitivity Point](https://arc.fuet.ch/concepts/evaluation/sensitivity-point.md)
- [Trade-off Point](https://arc.fuet.ch/concepts/evaluation/trade-off-point.md)
- [ATAM Phase 1: Architecture-centric Analysis](https://arc.fuet.ch/concepts/evaluation/atam-phase-1-architecture-centric-analysis.md)
- [Relationship between Tactics and Architectural Styles/Patterns](https://arc.fuet.ch/concepts/tactics/tactics-vs-architectural-styles-and-patterns.md)

## Sources

- [Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method® Collection | CMU Software Engineering Institute](https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/architecture-tradeoff-analysis-method-collection/) — sei.cmu.edu, accessed 2026-11-09
- [Architecture tradeoff analysis method - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_tradeoff_analysis_method) — en.wikipedia.org, accessed 2026-11-09