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Selected:SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Risk MatrixPareto AnalysisFailure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion | ![]() Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) | ![]() Decision Making Risk Matrix | ![]() Decision Making Pareto Analysis | ![]() Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | In many problem situations, effect is distributed unequally across many causes. A Pareto Analysis separates the few drivers with high leverage from the long remainder and focuses attention on what measurably moves the needle. | 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 | High | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30-60 min | 30-60 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-10 | 1-6 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
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 alternatives | Risk Matrix, Top Risk List | Pareto Chart, Top Causes, Focus List | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment | PrioritizationQualityFocusRoot cause | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |



