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Criterion
Paper illustration of many question cards around one challenge
Facilitation
Question Burst
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for Root Cause Tree Analysis
Operations
Root Cause Tree Analysis
Purposedifferent
When a problem gets covered up too quickly with answers, Question Burst puts the better question at the center. The format opens the thinking space before the group commits to an interpretation.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.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.For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumHighMedium
Timedifferent
15-30 min1-4 hPreparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope1-3 h
Participantsdifferent
2-83-8Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting2-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Question List, Reframed Challenge, Learning PromptsProblem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action PlanDomain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternativesCause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures
Tagsno overlap
QuestionsReframingFacilitationSensemaking
Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
Root causeTreeIncidentQuality
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