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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Systems Thinking Rich Picture | ![]() Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early. | 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 | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30-90 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-10 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |
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