aget-assess-tradeoffs
Analyze trade-offs between competing concerns and quality attributes. Provides structured decision support for architectural choices.
Instructions
When this skill is invoked:
- •
Identify Competing Concerns
- •List quality attributes in tension
- •Document the options being considered
- •Note constraints and context
- •
Evaluate Options
- •Rate each option against each quality attribute
- •Use consistent scale (1-5 or Low/Med/High)
- •Consider both immediate and long-term effects
- •
Assess Reversibility
- •Classify decisions: One-way door vs. Two-way door
- •Note cost of changing later
- •Identify lock-in risks
- •
Formulate Recommendation
- •Provide clear recommendation
- •Explain trade-off resolution rationale
- •Document rejected alternatives
Output Format
markdown
## Trade-off Analysis: [Decision Topic] ### Context [What decision needs to be made and why] ### Competing Concerns | Quality Attribute | Option A | Option B | Option C | |-------------------|:--------:|:--------:|:--------:| | Performance | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐ | | Maintainability | ⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | | Cost | ⭐⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | | Time to Market | ⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ### Reversibility Assessment | Option | Reversibility | Cost to Change | Lock-in Risk | |--------|---------------|----------------|--------------| | A | Low | High | Significant | | B | High | Low | Minimal | | C | Medium | Medium | Moderate | ### Recommendation **Choose**: [Option X] **Rationale**: [Why this trade-off resolution is appropriate given context] **What We're Trading**: [Quality we're deprioritizing] for [Quality we're prioritizing] ### Rejected Alternatives | Option | Why Rejected | |--------|--------------| | [Option Y] | [Specific reason] | ### Conditions for Revisiting - Revisit if: [Condition that would change the analysis]
Constraints
- •C1: NEVER pretend trade-offs don't exist — architectural honesty requires acknowledging costs
- •C2: NEVER recommend without explaining trade-off resolution — recommendations need justification
- •C3: NEVER treat all quality attributes as equally important — context determines priority
Related
- •SKILL-019: aget-assess-tradeoffs specification
- •ONTOLOGY_architect.yaml: Trade_off, Quality_Attribute, Decision concepts
- •CAP-ARC-002: Trade-off Assessment capability