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Criterion
Paper illustration for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Operations
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper fishbone diagram with a measurable effect at the head and six labeled cause branches.
Operations
Fishbone Diagram
Purposedifferent
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.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 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.
Complexitydifferent
HighHighLow
Timedifferent
2-6 hSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope30-60 min
Participantsdifferent
3-10Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders2-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation ActionsPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigationsFishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog
Tags1 shared
RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
Root causeQualityOperations
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Four paper stations connect system purpose, quality goals, risk cards and focused investigation with a target and gap profile.
Architecture
LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving
Architecture Communication Canvas method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Architecture Communication Canvas
Paper illustration for Fault Tree Analysis.
Operations
Fault Tree Analysis