Systems Engineering (was Re: Open source? -> Need to read source to model?)

[glen e. p. ropella]

At 03:54 PM 1/18/00 -0700, Benedikt wrote:
> This is also my experience from trying to implement the 'domain specialist
> + programmer' paradigm: It doesn't work that well. Eventually, either the
> domain specialist has to roll up his sleeves and dig into code or the
> programmer has to become a de facto domain specialist.
>
> It seems to me that this is the nature of the beast, although I'd sure hope to
> be proven wrong sometime in the not to distant future when someone comes up
> with a way to program computers without programming.

I've had alot of success getting around this problem.
Most of my recent clients really have gotten the feel
for model engineering without diving too deep into what
it takes to reify the model.  What it takes is a well-defined
and complete method for extracting well-formed requirements
from them.  It usually takes about 2 days to get them in this
mode.  (Often by hammering things at them over and over and
over again...[grin]... if they don't kick you out of their office
during the first 4 hours, you know you've got a winner.)

Some might argue that it's only because I have alot of experience
modeling different things.  But, I don't think that's the reason.
It's systems engineering that is the important discipline.  If
both the modeler and the programmer know systems engineering
techniques (like revision control, iterative requirements
definition, life-cycle analysis, quality control, verification
and validation, peer review, etc.), then it doesn't matter what
domain you happen to be an expert in.  The common language of
SysEng provides an adequate bridge.

For the interested reader ([grin]  other email lists get mad if
I don't quote other people to establish my credibility.... so
I now try to provide links for "the interested reader", as
pompous and counter to my anti-intellectual tendencies as it is...),
check out INCOSE <www.incose.org>.

glen

--
glen e. p. ropella =><= Feeding the hamster wheel.  Hail Eris!
Home: http://www.swarm.com/gepr                (505) 424-0448
Work: http://www.swarm.com                      (505) 995-0818


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