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Selected:Failure Scenario AnalysisSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Pre-MortemChange Analysis
| Criterion | ![]() Engineering Failure Scenario Analysis | ![]() Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) | ![]() Decision Making Pre-Mortem | ![]() Operations Change Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 20–45 min | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | Small cross-functional group | 2-6 |
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 | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List |
Tagsno overlap | FailureResilienceRisk | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison |



