Checkpoint

Where We've Been

• Successful software development requires that complex problems be broken down into smaller, more comprehensible and manageable tasks.

• By iteratively applying sound approaches to construct each increment, the project team manages risk while producing a quality deliverable.

• Successful projects require a sound software process model; the process model used in this book is called the Unified Process from Rational Software.

• The project team must effectively market the benefits of an iterative, incremental, risk-based approach to software development.

• The Unified Modeling Language consists of nine different, semantically rich, interlocked diagrams. These diagrams, when used in conjunction with a sound software process, enable deliverables to be traced throughout the project's lifecycle.

• Not all of the UML diagrams need to be used in every project. At a minimum, all projects will produce class, sequence, and use-case diagrams.

• Some other artifacts aren't included in UML (e.g., graphical user interface, process and data distribution), but they add additional relevance to the picture of the application domain.

• A project that uses UML in a vacuum, without a sound software process and accompanying project plan, will fail.

Where We're Going Next

In the next chapter we:

• Explore why Java is one of today's most commonly used implementation languages.

• Discuss Java's capabilities for building sound, object-oriented applications.

• Cover why Java lends itself to utilizing a sound software process in conjunction with UML to improve a project's results.