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Selected:Visual ManagementContextual InquiryATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion | ![]() Operations Visual Management | ![]() UX Research Contextual Inquiry | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | With high tempo and many parallel topics, the method makes status, deviations, and priorities visible at a glance. It reduces search effort and prevents what matters from getting lost in daily work. | When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | High | High |
Timedifferent | Ongoing | 1-3 Wochen | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-20 | 4-12 Beobachtungen | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Visual Board, Status Indicators, Exception Cues | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | 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 |
Tagsno overlap | SignalsOperationsVisual management | UX researchObservationContext | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |



