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Selected:Value Chain AnalysisFishbone DiagramSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion |  Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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. | 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 | High | High |
Timedifferent | Half day | 30-60 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Value Chain Map, Lever List | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | 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 | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | Root causeQualityOperations | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |