A Normative Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Systematic Design Methodology.
Abstract
Complex design problems are characterized by a multitude of competing requirements. System designers, finding the scope of the problem beyond their conceptual abilities, frequently cope with this difficulty by decomposing the original design problem into smaller, more manageable sub-problems. Functional requirements form a key interface between the system's users and its designers. This report proposes a systematic approach for the decomposition of the overall set of functional requirements into sub-problems to form a design structure that will exhibit the key characteristics of good design: strong coupling within sub-problems, and weak coupling between them. Recent work in the Systematic Design Methodology (SDM) project has led to certain extensions to the basic representational model. This report presents a normative cost-benefit analysis of the SDM. It is a decision support methodology for aiding a software designer in determining an optimal structuring of a system's functional requirements. A model-oriented, normative cost/benefit analysis of the SDM is presented. A set of three sub-models, pertaining to specification impact, procedural design impact, and maintenance/modification impact, are derived. These models attempt to capture, in functional form, the important quantifiable effects - both positive and negative - that ought to occur as a result of developing a system based on an optimal partitioning of requirements. A numerical example is included.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA072355
Entities
People
- S. L. Huff