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Selected:Failure Scenario AnalysisSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Pre-MortemATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
| Criterion |  Engineering Failure Scenario Analysis |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  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. | SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning. | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | 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 | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 20–45 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | Small cross-functional group | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Failure Scenarios, Risk Notes, Control Gaps, Test and Response Actions | Domain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternatives | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | 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 | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders |