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Selected:Architecture Decision RecordLASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)Card SortingFailure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews) |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | 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 content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations. | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional | 20-45 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people | Based on research question | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Lean 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 checks | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean | Information architectureNavigationStructure | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |