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Selected:Failure Scenario AnalysisATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Software Architecture CanvasLASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
| Criterion | ![]() Engineering Failure Scenario Analysis | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Architecture Software Architecture Canvas | ![]() Architecture LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. | LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-2 h | 3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-10 | 1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + 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 | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Lean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checks |
Tagsno overlap | FailureResilienceRisk | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean |



