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Selected:Fishbone DiagramSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)VRIO FrameworkFailure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion | ![]() Operations Fishbone Diagram | ![]() Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) | ![]() Business Strategy VRIO Framework | ![]() Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | The VRIO Framework rates resources and capabilities on whether they are Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, and Organized. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a VRIO table and strategic actions. | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 90-180 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-6 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | 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 | VRIO Table, Strategic Actions | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeQualityOperations | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | StrategyDiagnosisBusiness modelCapability | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |



