An experience in deploying object-orientation for business applications

Abstract

Object-orientation is emerging as a development methodology that promises highly modular software that is easily maintainable and reusable. Object-oriented (OO) methods have been deployed in a variety of fields ranging from OLTP business systems to real-time and embedded software. Interestingly, current OO literature makes barely a passing reference to some of the most outstanding ideas of structured analysis that in fact continue to be indispensable in the OO context. Also, there are relatively few reports of real-life experiences in deploying the complete OO lifecycle from requirements specification through coding and testing for business systems, which can serve as a starting point for practical guidance on configuring and managing an OO project. The paper presents the experiences of one company in deploying a combination of structured analysis and OO design for the development of a set of client/server business applications for a large public utility firm in the US.