Object-oriented role modeling for the analysis and design of organizational information systems

Object-orientation is the dominant trend in information systems development. For systems with a socio-technical flavor, such as office information systems, a strong commitment to a strictly object-oriented structure might not be appropriate in the analysis phase. Role modeling is suggested as a technique which is closer to the organizational view, but still has a smooth transition to object-oriented design, as a means to bridge the gap between the object-oriented and the organizational view. It is argued that role modeling supports the kind of experimentation needed for enterprise analysis. The applicability of the technique is illustrated by the OOPSLA conference case