goettler@immd2.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (H. Goettler) (02/20/90)
I am gathering material on any kind of diagram technique being used in the software engineering process. I already have lots of information on: Nassi-Shneiderman HIPO SDL JDT ESTELLE LOTOS SD I'd appreciate very much if you could provide me with information on other visualization techniques, which you think are good and should deserve more attention. These visualization techniques need not integrate the whole software life cycle. They might be useful, say, just for requirement analysis, performance analysis, debugging, etc. Herbert Goettler
munck@chance.uucp (Robert Munck) (02/22/90)
In article <2446@medusa.informatik.uni-erlangen.de> goettler@immd2.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (H. Goettler) writes: >...I'd appreciate very much if you could provide me with information >on other visualization techniques, which you think are good and >should deserve more attention. ... >Herbert Goettler SADT is far and away the best visual language for requirements analysis and similar forms of modeling. It is also known as Structured Analysis and Design Technique, IDEF-0, and "State, Activity, Data, Transition". The best published description is "SADT" by Marca and McGowan, McGraw-Hill, 1988. The graphic language is a "constraint diagram," basically a generalization of data flow, flowchart, state-transition, etc. It is, essentially, a more powerful structuring mechanism for natural language, a kind of structured hypertext. Quite powerful CASE tools are available for it. The methodology was developed in the early 70's by Doug Ross and others at SofTech and has been used in many major commercial and military projects; it is a corporate standard for IBM, DEC, Toshiba, Phillips, ITT, and others. SADT is, in my opinion, unique in putting major emphasis on how groups of people work together well. For example, the two-week course spends the better part of a day on "courtesy," an idea rarely mentioned in other methodologies. Other topics include how to get the enthusastic cooperation of overworked experts, dealing with computer-phobes, organizing personal and group files, keeping accurate, complete, and highly-detailed project histories, and resolving controversy. Another example: the peer review procedures put as much emphasis on the understandability of the document as on the correctness of its content. An incorrect document that is understandable can be corrected; a correct document that is not understandable is useless. Questions cheerfully answered. Bob Munck Internet: munck@mitre.org UUCP: ...[backbone]!linus!munck Work: The MITRE Corporation, MS Z-666 7525 Colshire Drive McLean, VA 22102-3481 703/883-6688 703/883-5519 (fax) -- Bob <Munck@MITRE.ORG>, linus!munck.UUCP -- MS Z676, MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA 22120 -- 703/883-6688
jkenton@pinocchio.encore.com (Jeff Kenton) (02/22/90)
From article <98229@linus.UUCP>, by munck@chance.uucp (Robert Munck): > > SADT is far and away the best visual language for requirements analysis > and similar forms of modeling. It is also known as Structured Analysis > and Design Technique, IDEF-0, and "State, Activity, Data, Transition". > The best published description is "SADT" by Marca and McGowan, > McGraw-Hill, 1988. > > The graphic language is a "constraint diagram," basically a > generalization of data flow, flowchart, state-transition, etc. It is, > essentially, a more powerful structuring mechanism for natural language, > a kind of structured hypertext. . . . > > SADT is, in my opinion, unique in putting major emphasis on how groups > of people work together well. Does anyone else have any experience with this? About 8 years ago I was part of a startup which had a person who had been at Softech. He tried to promote SADT, but wound up creating friction and blocking progress in many imaginative ways. He left after 9 months without having written a single line of code, and a demo scheduled for the board of directors in two weeks. Was it him, or us, or SADT? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - jeff kenton --- temporarily at jkenton@pinocchio.encore.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
landay@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (James A Landay) (02/18/91)
I am looking for companies that make visual programming systems. If you are using some kind of system that allows you to write programs graphically please send me the name of the program and the publisher (a complete address or phone number would be nice if you have it.) Thanks, -- James A. Landay landay@cs.cmu.edu