Approaching Design

By Tim Ackroyd on

Design is the process of creating a plan or blueprint for the construction or realization of something, whether it's a physical object, system, structure, or experience. It involves generating ideas, making decisions, and defining specifications to achieve a desired outcome or solve a particular problem.

Too many times, delivery stalls because teams do not start Design early enough. The key is to work in iteration: Analyze, Specify, and Validate in iterative cycles. You do not need to be an expert to start design. Use Design Approaches that work best for you and your team.

Software design is the process of conceptualizing and planning the structure, behavior, and functionality of software systems before they are built. It involves transforming requirements into a blueprint that developers can follow to create the software. Software design encompasses various activities and artifacts aimed at ensuring that the resulting software meets the desired specifications, is maintainable, scalable, and performs efficiently. 

Software design typically involves creating various design artifacts, such as diagrams, models, prototypes, and documentation, to communicate the design decisions and rationale effectively to stakeholders and development teams. Effective software design is essential for producing high-quality software that meets the needs of users, is maintainable over time, and can evolve to adapt to changing requirements and environments.

Aspects of Software Design:

  • Requirements Analysis
  • Architectural Design
  • Detailed Design
  • User Interface (UI) Design
  • Database Design
  • Algorithm Design
  • Security Design
  • Performance Optimization
  • Scalability and Extensibility
  • Testing Strategy

If we look at the aspects of Software or System Design we the same things from Requirements Engineering, Solution Design, or any start to a System/Software Delivery effort. Thus, the need to start Design as early as possible.

We touch on this in "Approaching Design" in our UML Operator Channel.

NOTE that I did not put "Software" or "System" in the title of this post because the same practices can be applied to any design effort.. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sparx EA and Open Collaboration

By Tim Ackroyd on
I get asked, quite often, "Is there a way to integrate Sparx Enterprise Architect (EA) with other tooling?" My answer is always, "Yes". There are multiple approaches, from very simple to more advanced. I have helped several shops do this over the years, and may do videos on this in the future. Integrating Sparx with Azure DevOps and other Cloud platforms, as well as other Tooling, is very possible and beneficial for managing delivery, such as requirements, problem solving, design, and development... all in a unified way.  The integration can allow companies/shops to seamlessly synchronize between Sparx EA's modeling environment and platforms, such as Azure DevOps'. Remember that one of the biggest benefits of Sparx EA over other modeling platforms, is that Sparx is based on Data-First implementation and supports open integration. Years ago, something call Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) came out and Sparx was one of the first to embrace it. ...
Read more

BPMN Diagram versus Sequence Diagram

By Tim Ackroyd on
I am getting some great questions in our  UML Operator Channel , as we are publishing  a series on Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) . Modelers see the term "Sequence" in BPMN and get a little confused...probably my fault 😏. When using BPMN, just understand the difference between Unified Modeling Language (UML) and BPMN (an extension of UML) and things should fall into place. So now let's talk about BPMN vs UML Sequence Diagrams... BPMN Diagram versus Sequence Diagram BPMN diagrams and sequence diagrams are both types of visual representations used in the field of business process modeling and software engineering, respectively. While they share some similarities, they serve different purposes and focus on different aspects of a system or process. BPMN Diagram: Purpose: BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) is used for modeling and documenting business processes. It provides a standardized way to r...
Read more

MDA vs MDD

By Tim Ackroyd on
This post kicks of a new series on UML Operator Channel  UML Operator Channel around systems and software delivery, titled "Model-Driven Anything". Subscribe, turn on notifications, follow, and most importantly...Contribute 😎 IMPORTANT NOTE: Never start a software development effort without Requirements!!! or Scope!!! However, sometimes software starts out as a means of developing scope and requirements! So what are we talking about? Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) and Model-Driven Development (MDD) are both approaches within the realm of software development that emphasize the use of models as primary artifacts in the software engineering process. However, they have distinct focuses and methodologies. Here are the key differences between the two: Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) Origin and Standardization: Origin: MDA is a software design approach proposed by the Object Management Group (OMG). Standardization: It is a well-defined framework with standardized guidelines and...
Read more