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Selected:Fishbone DiagramATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Current Reality TreeTheory of Constraints Thinking Process
| Criterion |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Systems Thinking Theory of Constraints Thinking Process |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. | The Theory of Constraints Thinking Process exposes a system's bottleneck and the logic behind it. It suits situations where many symptoms trace back to the same limiting relationship. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | High | High |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 2-6 h | 0.5-3 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-8 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | 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 | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Current Reality Logic, Conflict Cloud, Future Reality Tree, Implementation Obstacles |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeQualityOperations | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | Theory of ConstraintsConstraintsSystems thinkingCausality |