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Selected:Mind MappingFishbone DiagramFailure Mode and Effects AnalysisATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High | High |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 30-60 min | 2-6 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 2-8 | 3-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | Root causeQualityOperations | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders |