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Selected:ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Fault IsolationValue Chain AnalysisSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. | Value Chain Analysis shows where value is created, costs accrue, and differentiation becomes possible along the process. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a value-chain map and lever list. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | High | High |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30-180 min | Half day | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-6 | 3-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | Value Chain Map, Lever List | 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 |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality |