Object design methods and tools

Object technology is founded on the principle that objects identified in the problem can be represented in software in the solution. Thus object design methods involve constructing an object-oriented model of the problem and mapping this model into a software design. The goal is to build in software a richer representation of the problem than is needed to meet the immediate needs, so that the software can adapt as needs change. By contrast, traditional software design techniques have taken general analysis models and transformed them into specific solutions, thereby losing the generality and making changes harder to incorporate. Object designs can support the extra burden of generality because of the excellent structuring capabilities of objects. The object-oriented concepts of encapsulation and polymorphism are central to making this possible. Six specific OO methods are compared