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Selected:Causal Factor AnalysisATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Risk StormingRoot Cause Analysis
| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Risk Storming |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. | 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. | Helps clarify architecture context, options, and consequences in concrete terms. It organizes technical context, alternatives, and consequences. The result is captured as an Annotated Diagram, a Prioritized Risk List, and an Action Backlog. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 60-90 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 4-12 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Annotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action Backlog | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |