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Selected:Risk MatrixSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Fishbone DiagramFailure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion |  Decision Making Risk Matrix |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a project faces many possible disruptions, it quickly becomes unclear which risks deserve attention first. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Risk Matrix and a Top Risk List. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30-60 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Risk Matrix, Top Risk List | 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 | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | Root causeQualityOperations | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |