Object-Oriented Systems Design

Best-selling author and respected computer expert Edward Yourdon presents his latest work, Object-Oriented Systems Design: An Integrated Approach. The first part of this comprehensive volume introduces the concept of objects and concludes with a look at the popularity of the OO paradigm. Chapter 2 discusses the extent of OO usage, as of 1991-92, and the reasons many software organizations are being attracted to the approach. But equally important, Chapter 2 explains why some organizations are consciously, deliberately choosing not to implement OO software methodologies - at least, for the time being. Part II of the book discusses a number of "management" issues associated with the OO paradigm. Many software project managers are ready to embrace the technical concepts of OO analysis, design, and programming - and frankly don't care which of the dozen commercial forms of OO methodology their project team uses - but they want to make sure they can still manage the project in order to assure that it will be finished on time and within budget. Therefore, the individual chapters in Part II discuss the subjects of software life cycles: project management, configuration management, software reuse, and techniques that complement OO methodologies. Part III examines the broad area of object-oriented analysis, or OOA. There are now so many different OOA methodologies that it is important to begin with an overview of what needs to be accomplished in the OOA phase of a project. Separate chapters discuss the critical problem of object discovery, object attributes, object behavior, object structures and relationships, and object methods and services. Part IV explores object-oriented design, or OOD. The problem of design notation is discussed; while it would be impossible for this book to consolidate all of the different OOD graphical notations into a single diagramming representation, we should agree on the important issues for OOD notation. Separate chapters then discuss the topics of OOD architectures and databases, as well as the design of the human interface. The impact of programming languages on OOD is discussed, though this is not intended to be a detailed, comprehensive coverage of object-oriented programming. Guidelines and criteria for distinguishing good designs from bad designs are also discussed. A final chapter discusses the external problem of testing . Part V discusses CASE technology for OO methodologies. One lesson we have learned from the 1970s and 1980s is that any methodology, applied to a large, complex project, requires good tool support. Fortunately, we are beginning to see a number of new tools emerging. Separate chapters discuss desirable features of OO CASE tools, as well as surveying some of the more popular products in the marketplace. Finally, Part VI looks at the organizational question now being debated in software development shops around the world: How do we get started? The choices between revolution and evolution are discussed. Subsequent chapters then discuss the process of "justifying" or "selling" OO technology in a large organization, as well as training and technology transfer problems.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.