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Selected:Fishbone DiagramATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Example MappingSpecification by Example
| Criterion |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Agile Example Mapping |  Agile Specification by Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When a story carries business rules and exceptions, it brings clarity before implementation. It makes examples, open questions, and boundaries visible enough that the logic becomes jointly sound. | When business rules need to become precise, it ties language, example, and test together. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as an Example Table and Acceptance Tests. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30-60 min | 60-90 min pro Feature |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-7 | 3-6 |
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 | Example Map, Acceptance Criteria, Open Questions | Example Table, Acceptance Tests |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeQualityOperations | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Behavior-Driven DevelopmentRequirementsExamplesRefinement | AgileRequirementsExamplesBehavior-Driven Development |