Inherent Risks in Object-Oriented Development

摘要

The main challenges in determining inherent risk sources are the comprehension of the dynamically changing nature of object-oriented technology, and the distinction of general software development risks from the ones that are specific to object orientation. The key to meeting these challenges is the use of established, well-proven frameworks to inventory the essential attributes of object-oriented technology and project risks. This paper presents a systematic process, mapping Bertrand Meyer's key object-oriented technology concepts into Barry Boehm's top ten software risks to identify inherent object-oriented technology risks. Bertrand Meyer in his referenced book provides an excellent overview of the fundamental object-oriented concepts, and it is easy to show that recent developments in object-oriented technology, such as Java, Use Cases, or UML also fit well into his framework. Barry Boehm in his well-known risk identification checklist summarizes the top ten, "methodology-neutral" software risk sources, based on surveying experienced project managers. The systematic approach presented in this paper allows project managers to more completely understand the cost/benefit aspects of migrating to object-oriented technology, and align their project management strategies better with the organization's business goals.