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Organizations have moved beyond the pilot project stage and are now using object technology to build large-scale, mission-critical business applications. Unfortunately they are finding that the processes which proved so successful on small, proof-of-concept projects do not scale very well for real-world development. Today’s organization needs a collection of proven techniques for managing the complexities of large-scale, object-oriented software development projects, a collection of process patterns. A process pattern (see An Introduction To Process Patterns White Paper) describes a collection of general techniques, actions, and/or tasks for developing object-oriented software. An important feature of a process pattern should be that it describes what should be done but not the exact details of how it is done.

The object-oriented software process (OOSP) presented in this book is a collection of process patterns that are geared toward medium to large-size organizations that need to develop software that support their main line of business. I have chosen to describe the OOSP as a collection of process patterns that have been proven in practice: they are not the theoretical musings of an ivory-tower academic who has never built an application. The OOSP provides a framework which addresses issues such as how to:

• Successfully deliver large applications using object technology

• Develop applications that are truly easy to maintain and enhance

• Manage these projects

• Ensure that your development efforts are of high quality.