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Where to start?

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  • F Offline
    F Offline
    Fernando A Gomez F
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

    A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

    J L T S B 29 Replies Last reply
    0
    • F Fernando A Gomez F

      Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

      A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

      J Offline
      J Offline
      Jeremy Falcon
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

      Where to start?

      I still haven't used UML. Maybe one day I should, but... I generally start with a pen and lots of paper or maybe a dry erase board. Writing out a document is a bit too formal for the first run IMO. I like to commit to a bit of design first before it goes down in some spec doc.

      Jeremy Falcon "It's a good thing to do and a tasty way to do it." - Wilford Brimley[^]

      1 Reply Last reply
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      • F Fernando A Gomez F

        Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

        A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

        L Offline
        L Offline
        leckey 0
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        I'm a documentation girl. I would create a formal design document and break down the user requirements into smaller sections.

        ____________________________________________________ If at first you don't succeed, skydiving might not be for you.

        1 Reply Last reply
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        • F Fernando A Gomez F

          Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

          A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

          T Offline
          T Offline
          ToddHileHoffer
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          Either penn and paper, VS Class designer, or SQL Tables? If you are writing a data driven app (which is what I do mostly) then map out all of your data / relationships. That's where I would start.

          GameFly free trial

          1 Reply Last reply
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          • F Fernando A Gomez F

            Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

            A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

            S Offline
            S Offline
            Shog9 0
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

            And I have no clue where to start.

            Write yourself some fun little stories based on the user's requirements. Then whip up some prototypes that fit into your stories. Then base your design on the prototypes. Or, i guess, draw pictures. Whatever helps you build a mental model, see?

            ---- Do you see what i see? Why do we live like this? Is it because it's true... ...That ignorance is bliss?

            G 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • F Fernando A Gomez F

              Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

              A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

              B Offline
              B Offline
              Bassam Abdul Baki
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              What's the system? :)


              "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM

              F 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • F Fernando A Gomez F

                Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

                A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                _ Offline
                _ Offline
                _Zorro_
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                If requirements are reaally done then I'll move on with Business rules, then the Actors catalog. Then a conceptual design, fisical and logical. After depending on how far you want to go you could make the test cases (don't know how to name it in English) hope you'll understand. And an important point often left apart is risk managment and risk prevision (don't know how it is exactly called in English, sorry)

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • F Fernando A Gomez F

                  Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

                  A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                  F Offline
                  F Offline
                  Fernando A Gomez F
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  Well, thanks a lot to everyone. I'll take all of your suggestions, thanks a lot! Cheers, Fernando.

                  A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • F Fernando A Gomez F

                    Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

                    A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                    B Offline
                    B Offline
                    brianwelsch
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    I'd read through the user docs, make notes and a list of questions and find someone to talk to about them. Make sure you understand what's really being asked of you before you delve too far into the nitty gritty.

                    BW


                    If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
                    -- Steven Wright

                    J 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • B Bassam Abdul Baki

                      What's the system? :)


                      "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM

                      F Offline
                      F Offline
                      Fernando A Gomez F
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      A competitor for this[^] software. It's a system for managing restaurants. :)

                      A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                      B N 2 Replies Last reply
                      0
                      • B brianwelsch

                        I'd read through the user docs, make notes and a list of questions and find someone to talk to about them. Make sure you understand what's really being asked of you before you delve too far into the nitty gritty.

                        BW


                        If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
                        -- Steven Wright

                        J Offline
                        J Offline
                        Jeremy Falcon
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        brianwelsch wrote:

                        Make sure you understand what's really being asked of you before you delve too far into the nitty gritty.

                        That's a good point.

                        Jeremy Falcon "It's a good thing to do and a tasty way to do it." - Wilford Brimley[^]

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • F Fernando A Gomez F

                          Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

                          A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                          J Offline
                          J Offline
                          Joan M
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          1. document with specs. 2. diagrams like uml. 3. divide it in several blocks. 4. document with specs for all blocks. 5. diagrams for like uml for all blocks. 6. start to program. Of course this is not as simple, but you can start with that. Of course you can even make time approximations and make a gantt chart. hope this helps...

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • F Fernando A Gomez F

                            A competitor for this[^] software. It's a system for managing restaurants. :)

                            A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                            B Offline
                            B Offline
                            Bassam Abdul Baki
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            There seems to be quite a few of those. I actually submitted my resume a while back to a similar company. Never heard from them. If you have the user requirements, come up with a couple of test scenarios to see how the system will work and create a couple of use cases for that. Seems to me that the number of use cases for that is pretty simple, even though the number of input and output parameters probably isn't.


                            "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM

                            Z 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • S Shog9 0

                              Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

                              And I have no clue where to start.

                              Write yourself some fun little stories based on the user's requirements. Then whip up some prototypes that fit into your stories. Then base your design on the prototypes. Or, i guess, draw pictures. Whatever helps you build a mental model, see?

                              ---- Do you see what i see? Why do we live like this? Is it because it's true... ...That ignorance is bliss?

                              G Offline
                              G Offline
                              Gary Wheeler
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              You sneaky, agile dog, you.


                              Software Zen: delete this;

                              1 Reply Last reply
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                              • F Fernando A Gomez F

                                Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

                                A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                                realJSOPR Offline
                                realJSOPR Offline
                                realJSOP
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                To hell with documentation - write the code and then create a document that describes it.

                                "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
                                -----
                                "...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001

                                _ J F J M 5 Replies Last reply
                                0
                                • realJSOPR realJSOP

                                  To hell with documentation - write the code and then create a document that describes it.

                                  "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
                                  -----
                                  "...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001

                                  _ Offline
                                  _ Offline
                                  _Zorro_
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  Very professional... :doh: Like in school :rolleyes:

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • realJSOPR realJSOP

                                    To hell with documentation - write the code and then create a document that describes it.

                                    "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
                                    -----
                                    "...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001

                                    J Offline
                                    J Offline
                                    Jeremy Falcon
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

                                    write the code and then create a document that describes it.

                                    That's why God invented doxygen! :->

                                    Jeremy Falcon "It's a good thing to do and a tasty way to do it." - Wilford Brimley[^]

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • F Fernando A Gomez F

                                      Hello fellows. Last week, the company I'm working on finally decided to create a new system from scratch. However, because of compromises with other projects, I've been left alone to design this new system. The bosses told me to start today (I already have the user's requirements for the application). So here I am, sitting at my laptop. And I have no clue where to start. Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start? Thanks for your comments. [EDIT] Uh, by the way, hope this is not taken as a programming question :~ [/EDIT]

                                      A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                                      M Offline
                                      M Offline
                                      Marc Clifton
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

                                      Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start?

                                      Start with storyboarding the UI and user interactions. On paper. :) Marc

                                      Thyme In The Country

                                      People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
                                      There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
                                      People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

                                      J 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • realJSOPR realJSOP

                                        To hell with documentation - write the code and then create a document that describes it.

                                        "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
                                        -----
                                        "...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001

                                        F Offline
                                        F Offline
                                        Fernando A Gomez F
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        :-D:-D:-D I'm really tempted to do so. However, the customer is requiring full documentation of everything :( and so my bosses.

                                        A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine. Personal Site

                                        realJSOPR 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • M Marc Clifton

                                          Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

                                          Shall I start making UML diagrams, or should I start by making a document with the specification? What would be your advise? Where to start?

                                          Start with storyboarding the UI and user interactions. On paper. :) Marc

                                          Thyme In The Country

                                          People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
                                          There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
                                          People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

                                          J Offline
                                          J Offline
                                          Jeremy Falcon
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          Marc Clifton wrote:

                                          On paper.

                                          I have to admit I'm surprised you say this. Not that I disagree, but I thought you were a Visio buff. Seeing that I've never used Visio (I'd rather put my money in a diff dev tool), this does leave me wondering if it's really good for anything outside of code generation.

                                          Jeremy Falcon "It's a good thing to do and a tasty way to do it." - Wilford Brimley[^]

                                          M M C 3 Replies Last reply
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