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Selected:arc42Failure Mode and Effects AnalysisATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Fishbone Diagram
| Criterion | ![]() Architecture arc42 | ![]() Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. | 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. | 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. | 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 | 1-2 Tage | 2-6 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | 3-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Root causeQualityOperations |



