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Selected:Value Chain AnalysisATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Failure Mode and Effects AnalysisFishbone Diagram
| Criterion | ![]() Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis | ![]() Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Value Chain Analysis shows where value is created, costs accrue, and differentiation becomes possible along the process. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a value-chain map and lever list. | 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 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | High | Low |
Timedifferent | Half day | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 2-6 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Value Chain Map, Lever List | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | Root causeQualityOperations |



