Information Technology Reference
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CHAPTER 4
SOFTWARE DESIGN METHODS
AND REPRESENTATIONS
4.1
INTRODUCTION
A software design method typically is defined as a systematic approach for carrying
out a design and describes a sequence of steps for producing a software design
(Gomaa, 1989). There are certainly several ways to design software, but a designer
must use certain types of established practices when preparing software. Different
types of approaches to software designs may be used depending on the type of problem
being encountered. Moreover, different types of software design methods each have
unique advantages and disadvantages one another. Many people think that software
engineering is a creative activity that does not need a structured approach; however,
it is important to note that an informal approach toward software development does
not build a good software system.
Dividing software design methodologies into classifications aids in the understand-
ing of software design methodologies (Khoo, 2009). The main design approaches that
will be discussed are as follows: level-oriented, data-flow-oriented, data-structure-
oriented, and object-oriented.
4.2
HISTORY OF SOFTWARE DESIGN METHODS
This section will discuss the past, present, and future of software design methods and
will consider how each software design method compares with each other. Also this
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