Systematic Use of Software Development Patterns through a Multilevel and Multistage Classification

Software patterns are reusable solutions to problems that occur often throughout the software development process. This chapter formally states which sort of software patterns shall be used in which particular moment of the software development process and in the context of which Software Engineering professionals, technologies and methodologies. The way to do that is to classify those patterns according to the proposed multilevel and multistage pattern classification based on the software development process. The classification is based on the OMG modeling infrastructure or Four-Layer Architecture and also on the RUP (Rational Unified Process). It considers that patterns can be represented at different levels of the OMG modeling infrastructure and that representing patterns as metamodels is a way of turning the decisions on their application more objective. Classifying patterns according to the proposed pattern classification allows for the preservation of the original advantages of those patterns and avoids that the patterns from a specific category are handled by the inadequate professionals, technologies and methodologies. The chapter illustrates the proposed approach with the classification of some patterns.