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Selected:ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Riskiest Assumption TestFailure Mode and Effects AnalysisAssumption Surfacing
| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Product Discovery Riskiest Assumption Test |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When an idea hinges on one critical unknown, it prioritizes testing that exact piece of uncertainty first. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence. The result is captured as a prioritized list of assumptions, a test plan, and a result report. | 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. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-2 Wochen pro Iteration | 2-6 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-6 | 3-10 | 2-8 |
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 | Prioritized Assumption List, Test Plan, Results Report | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryAssumptions | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |