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Selected:Working BackwardsRoot Cause AnalysisATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion |  Product Discovery Working Backwards |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When the target state and benefit need to be clear first, it thinks backward from the desired outcome into the product logic. It sharpens vision, objections, and value proposition before elaboration. | 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. | 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 | Medium | Medium | High | High |
Timedifferent | 4-8 h, mehrere Iterationen | 1-4 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 3-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Future Press Release, FAQ, Vision Statement | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | 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 | VisionNarrativeAlignment | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |