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Selected:Golden PathFault IsolationSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Architecture Decision Record
| Criterion |  Engineering Golden Path |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When teams need a reliable default path for frequent use, sprawl quickly emerges without any guiding logic. Golden Path bundles the preferred path so good practice becomes easy and deviation becomes deliberate. | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. | 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. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend | 30-180 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 1-6 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | 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 | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | EngineeringProductivityGovernance | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |