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Selected:Failure Scenario AnalysisATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Architecture Decision Record
| Criterion |  Engineering Failure Scenario Analysis |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Failure Scenarios, Risk Notes, Control Gaps, Test and Response Actions | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | FailureResilienceRisk | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |
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