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Selected:Root Cause AnalysisATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Communication PlanFailure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Delivery Communication Plan |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | When many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. | 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 | Medium | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-90 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-6 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |