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Criterion
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper fishbone diagram with a measurable effect at the head and six labeled cause branches.
Operations
Fishbone Diagram
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving
Purposedifferent
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.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.For an acute quality or delivery problem, the method structures immediate protection and root cause work together. It keeps the situation stable while the actual cause is investigated cleanly.
Complexitydifferent
HighLowHighHigh
Timedifferent
Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope30-60 minSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope1-6 Wochen
Participantsdifferent
Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting2-8Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders4-10
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
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 alternativesFishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation BacklogPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations8D Report, Containment Plan, Root Cause Evidence, Corrective Action Plan
Tags1 shared
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
Root causeQualityOperations
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
QualityProblem solvingRoot cause
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