The Process in a Nutshell

The basic steps that comprise the full ICONIX process and the associated milestones are presented in Figures 1-8 to 1-11. Note that the first three of these diagrams will appear again later in the text, to remind you where we are in the overall process. (We don't talk about implementation in this book, but we do have a chapter about implementation in the original book. Figure 1-11 is here for completeness.)

Figure 1-8. Requirements Analysis

Figure 1-9. Analysis and Preliminary Design

Figure 1-10. Design

Figure 1-11. Implementation

These diagrams together illustrate three key principles that underlie the process: inside-out, outside-in, and top-down, all at the same time.

1. Work inward from the user requirements.

   

2. Work outward from the key abstractions of the problem domain.

   

3. Drill down from high-level models to detailed design.

We'll reinforce these principles, in one way or another, in each subsequent chapter. We suggest that if you adopt them at the beginning of a software development project and stick with them, you will significantly increase your chances of success.