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Criterion
Paper illustration of two user profile cards with a goal, behavior evidence, and an open research question.
UX Research
Personas
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
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)
Purposedifferent
When target groups stay too vague and teams talk about the same people differently, personas create a shared, solid picture of usage. Condensed profiles make needs, contexts, and differences tangible enough for decisions.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.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
MediumLowHighHigh
Timedifferent
1-3 Tage15-45 min2-6 hSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope
Participantsdifferent
Internes Team1-33-10Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncAsyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Persona Profiles, Needs Summary, Scenario NotesADR File, Decision Log, RationaleFMEA 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 investigations
Tagsno overlap
ResearchCustomerSynthesis
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
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