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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Futures Wheel |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The Futures Wheel helps explore the consequences of a decision, a trend, or a strategic move in a structured way. It makes visible which first, second, and third-order effects could arise from an event. | 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 keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic Signals | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ForesightSystems thinkingSignals | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |
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