The Compare-Scenarios Journey: From Alternatives to Decision Artifacts

When I have multiple well-defined scenarios and need to present their differences clearly, I want to compare them systematically with automatic delta calculation, so I can produce artifacts that survive the decision meeting.

Introduction

Decision meetings rarely fail because the right option wasn’t considered—they fail because the right option couldn’t be clearly communicated. You’ve spent two weeks modeling alternatives: a conservative budget scenario, a production-ready balanced option, and an enterprise tier with aggressive SLOs. Each configuration is sound. But when the VP of Engineering asks “show me why we shouldn’t just go with the cheapest option,” your preparation evaporates into tab-switching and mental arithmetic.

The compare-scenarios journey addresses a specific workflow breakdown that infrastructure leads face constantly: you have multiple well-defined scenarios, you need to present their differences clearly, and you need to produce artifacts that survive the meeting.

How Lattice Helps

The compare-scenarios journey provides a structured path from scenario selection to exportable decision artifact. Rather than switching between scenario details and manually tracking differences, you select your scenarios, view them side-by-side with automatic delta calculation, and export in formats ready for stakeholder consumption.

The journey is deliberately constrained: 2-4 scenarios maximum, structured comparison table with category groupings, and direct export to CSV or JSON.

The Compare-Scenarios Journey in Action

Step 1: Prepare Your Scenarios

Before comparison, ensure your scenarios are well-defined:

• Clear naming: “Production - Conservative”, “Production - Balanced”, “Production - Enterprise”
• Complete configuration: Workload type, traffic profile, risk tolerance
• Defined SLOs: P95 latency targets, throughput requirements, availability targets
• Budget constraints and compliance requirements

Step 2: Select Scenarios for Comparison

In the StudioPanel header:

1. Click the checkbox next to the first scenario
2. Continue selecting additional scenarios
3. The Compare button updates: “Compare (2)”, “Compare (3)”, etc.
4. Maximum enforcement: Once you’ve selected 4, additional checkboxes are disabled

Step 3: Read the Comparison Table

Column Headers: Scenario name, baseline badge, requirement status, budget status

Category Groupings:

• Configuration (workload type, traffic profile, model selection)
• SLOs (P95 latency, throughput, availability)
• Budget (monthly limit, estimated cost)
• Compliance (data residency, certifications)

Step 4: Interpret Delta Indicators

• Green down arrow: Lower than baseline (usually good for cost/latency)
• Red up arrow: Higher than baseline (usually caution)
• Green check: Meets stated requirements
• Red X: Exceeds constraints

Step 5: Export the Comparison

JSON Export: Full structured data for archival and automation CSV Export: Spreadsheet-ready format for stakeholder presentations

Real-World Scenarios

Quarterly Capacity Planning

A platform team runs quarterly capacity reviews with three scenarios: maintaining current capacity, 50% scale-up, and 100% scale-up. The comparison table becomes the capacity planning document.

Vendor Evaluation

An AI lead evaluating API providers creates scenarios with vendor-specific configurations, compares them with current provider as baseline, and exports JSON for the procurement team’s analysis tool.

What You’ve Accomplished

By completing the compare-scenarios journey, you can now:

• Compare 2-4 scenarios systematically with automatic delta calculation
• Produce stakeholder-ready comparison artifacts
• Export comparisons in CSV and JSON formats
• Document decisions with full audit trails

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The compare-scenarios journey is available in Lattice v0.8.11+.