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Selected:Specification by ExampleATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Fishbone DiagramFailure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion |  Agile Specification by Example |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When business rules need to become precise, it ties language, example, and test together. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as an Example Table and Acceptance Tests. | 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 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 | Medium | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 60-90 min pro Feature | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30-60 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-6 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Example Table, Acceptance Tests | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | AgileRequirementsExamplesBehavior-Driven Development | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Root causeQualityOperations | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |