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Criterion
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
Paper illustration of RAID Log with a method-specific labelled workspace.
Delivery
RAID Log
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Purposedifferent
When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer.Helps clarify scope, sequence, and delivery flow in concrete terms. It makes work, boundaries, and order steerable. The result is captured as a RAID Log and a source for status reporting.For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description.ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowLowHigh
Timedifferent
45–90 min30 min Setup, dann laufend15-30 minSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope
Participantsdifferent
3-101-3 maintaining, briefing for everyone2-6Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders
Formatdifferent
WorkshopAsyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areasRAID Log, Status Report SourceRoot cause notes, CountermeasuresPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations
Tagsno overlap
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
RiskTrackingStakeholdersGovernance
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
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