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Selected:Failure Scenario AnalysisArchitecture Decision RecordFishbone DiagramATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
| Criterion |  Engineering Failure Scenario Analysis |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | In critical processes, it is not enough to plan only for the normal case. Failure Scenario Analysis looks at the path into failure and shows which failures, chains, and control gaps cause the most damage. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 15-45 min | 30-60 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 1-3 | 2-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Failure Scenarios, Risk Notes, Control Gaps, Test and Response Actions | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations |
Tagsno overlap | FailureResilienceRisk | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | Root causeQualityOperations | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders |