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Selected:Architecture Inception CanvasATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Root Cause AnalysisFailure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. | 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 keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | 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 | High | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-4 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |