A new plank in the platform: object-oriented extensions to platformRD

摘要

Platform R&D has been shown to be a useful technique todiversify product offerings, reduce product costs, improve time tomarket, and improve product quality. Techniques for the architecturaldesign of product platforms have evolved from industry-specific modelsto more generic approaches. Modularity is a key aspect of productplatform architecture. Object-oriented design is a proven technique fordeveloping software that is extendable, reusable, and easy to maintain,all of which positively impact quality and lifecycle costs.Object-oriented programming languages abound. Modularity is asignificant facet of object-oriented design. Given the shared focus onmodularity, it is not surprising that a comparison of object-orienteddesign and platform R&D methodologies yields several similarities.However, a contrast of these techniques suggests some principles fromthe field of object-oriented design that might be beneficially appliedto the platform R&D process. In particular, object-orientedmethodology is more explicit in characterizing module interface design.A synthesis of these two approaches is proposed