Problem Frames & Methods Analysing & Structuring Software Development Problems

This book is about Problem Frames - a concept developed by Michael Jackson. It is a practical book which demonstrates how to classify problems that occur during the development of software and how to recognise the correct solution to each problem

“Understanding and using problem frames will likely become an essential skill of all good software system designers. Jackson's book provides a beautifully crafted pathway into this world.” —David Garlan, Associate Professor, Computer Science Department, Carnegie Mellon University “In 'Problem Frames' I believe that Michael Jackson has taken the mysticism that surrounds design patterns and constructed a much more accessible technique utilizing a frame metaphor.” —Warren Keuffel, Senior Contributing Editor, Software Development Magazine It is tempting when approaching a software development problem to rush headlong into the trap of thinking too soon about the solution. Software development problems are about the world outside the computer — the real environment in which the system must have its effect — and demand consideration of the surrounding characteristics, relationships and context. Problem frames are a tool for classifying, analyzing and structuring such software development problems. Whereas object oriented patterns are primarily concerned with solutions, problem frames focus on the problem itself, enabling you to understand and address it clearly and directly. This book is a must-have for all IT professionals facing software development problems on a daily basis. If you are a systems analyst or requirements engineer it will provide an essential, practical guide from the task of identifying the problem to making the descriptions needed to resolve it. It will help you: decompose complex problems into simpler sub-problems and see how the subproblems fit together build up a repertoire of simple, clear and easily applicable problem classes which you can access and reuse, drawing on the experience associated with each class