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Selected:Affinity DiagrammingSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Failure Mode and Effects AnalysisFishbone Diagram
| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning. | 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. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 2-6 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Domain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternatives | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | Root causeQualityOperations |