Category Archives: Analysis

Las Vegas….gambling on agile?

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Rebecca

OK, I want a catchy title… But I also want to tell you about the upcoming Better Software Conference and Agile Development Practices in Las Vegas June 6-11 where I’ll be presenting a one-day tutorial on Writing Effective Agile Use … Continue reading →

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Really, we’re just trying to help

Posted on August 28, 2006 by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

Last Thursday evening I called my bank to report my bank card had been lost. I answered a bunch of questions and the person said they’d mail me my new card within five to seven business days. Boy was I … Continue reading →

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Can you really estimate complexity with use cases?

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

I visited with some folks last week who failed to get as much leverage from writing use cases as they’d hoped. In the spirit of being more agile, at the same time they adopted use cases, they also streamlined their … Continue reading →

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Just Enough Structured Analysis

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

Today I happened upon a notable source. Ed Yourdon is writing once again about structured analysis. According to Ed, “This is an update, condensation, and pragmatic revision of my 1989 tome, Modern Structured Analysis, which is still employed by malicious … Continue reading →

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False Dichotomies and Forced Divisions

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

Last week I received an email with this tagline: “Replacing an on-site customer with some use cases is about as effective as replacing a hug from your Mom with a friendly note.” I enjoy this person’s funny, witty, and constantly … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile, Analysis, Psychology | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Exceptional exceptions

Posted on November 28, 2005 by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

I should have known something interesting would happen today when I read my horoscope*: Chug along as planned. Circumstances might create a series of minor emergencies that interrupt your routine. Remain fluid about plans. Today I had a bizarre ATM … Continue reading →

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Fitting problem framing into everything else you do

Posted on October 11, 2005 by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

At Software Development Best Practices 2005 I presented a tutorial, Introducing Problem Frames. Problem frames are a way of thinking about software problems and approaching the task of writing descriptions of desired and expected behavior. More can be found about … Continue reading →

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Framing and Questioning

Posted on July 15, 2005 by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

As a mental exercise, two colleagues and I have been spending time uncovering and documenting the problem frames in internet email. It is nice to frame a complex, concrete example that has architecture descriptions readily available. We can compare what … Continue reading →

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Timely events in Use Cases

Posted on June 1, 2005 by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

Last week in a use case writing course I was teaching, a student presented me with a use case where he had been puzzling over how to accurately express the passage of time. His use case occurred over a period … Continue reading →

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Problem Frames and an Eager Designer

Posted on April 12, 2005 by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

The past few weeks I have been participating in a book study group on Michael Jackson’s Problem Frames: Analyzing and structuring software development problems. Problem frames are a concept that Michael Jackson (the UK software analyst, not the courtroom celebrity) … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Books | Tagged | 2 Comments