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Selected:Value Chain AnalysisSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Root Cause AnalysisChange Analysis
| Criterion | ![]() Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis | ![]() Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) | ![]() Operations Root Cause Analysis | ![]() Operations Change 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. | 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 keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | Half day | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 1-4 h | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Value Chain Map, Lever List | 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 | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List |
Tagsno overlap | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison |



