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White Papers

Are you prepared for Globalization?

American Tech Workers must play a new role in the global economy

David A. Ruble, OCG Chief Methodologist – February 2004

America’s role in the global economy has shifted. US technology professionals need to cultivate the ability to articulate requirements and design specifications for software that is increasingly likely to be built by others. Historically, the software industry has paid short shrift to analysis and design. In this paper, Olympic Consulting Group chief methodologist David Ruble explains why it is vitally important that our nation retains and invests in specific software engineering skills that will keep America competitive.  Are you ready for your new role in the global economy? 

Use Cases that Work

Using Event Modeling to infuse rigor and discipline into Use Case Analysis

David A. Ruble, OCG Chief Methodologist – April 2003

Our experience with use case modeling has identified two major issues. The first is the difficulty in determining what constitutes a use case. The second is how best to document the details of a use case once you’ve got your hands on one.  This paper shows how to use event modeling as the basis for creating and defining robust and consumable use cases.

Recommended Subtyping practices for the Enterprise Data Model

Strengthen your data modeling skills and avoid some of the common abuses of subtyping.

David A. Ruble, OCG Chief Methodologist – August 2006

One of the most powerful techniques available for data modelers is the supertype/subtype relationship, yet is one of the more oft-abused practices.  The purpose of this paper is to highlight several instances of improper use of subtyping, and to suggest alternate patterns that are more robust.

Tough Medicine for the Dot-Com Culture

Conquering the Anarchy that plagued so many failed start-ups

David A. Ruble, OCG Chief Methodologist – November 2000

If you believe that he who ignores history is doomed to repeat it, then this paper is a must-read for anyone who survived the dot-com roller coaster ride, or perhaps missed it.  OCG chief methodologist, David A. Ruble, deconstructs some of the major problems that plagued so many start-ups of the new millennium, and offers some remedies to ensure this doesn't happen to you. Grab a can of Jolt cola and a slice of cold pizza and download this white paper.

Presentations

From Use Case to UI Specification

Presentation to IIBA Seattle Chapter

David A. Ruble, OCG Chief Methodologist – October 2006

Ten Do’s and Don’ts of Use Cases

Presentation to IIBA Seattle Chapter

Meilir Page-Jones, President, Wayland Systems, Inc. – September 2006

Book

Practical Analysis and Design for Client/Server & GUI Systems

By: David A. Ruble

Foreword by: Ed Yourdon

Prentice-Hall

1997 - 544 pages, now in soft cover

ISBN: 0-13-521758-X

 Reader reviews:

"I have read this book three times, and each I learn something new. It is nice to have a book that is independent of any development platform, and in PLAIN ENGLISH to boot. This book is more valuable than the course I had taken in college."

"It's the best book I've ever read about analysis and design techniques for building systems quickly and effectively . . . I've been studying this stuff for years, and Dave has written the clearest explanation of event modeling I've ever read." 

Overview:

This is a practical and witty guide to the core competencies client/server and GUI designers really need - and the analysis and design techniques that really work.

Expert David Ruble introduces a project decision-making framework that helps analysts and users to work together to define measurable, business-focused objectives for new software systems. He brings unprecedented rigor to event modeling, showing how to systematically decompose business events from the conceptual level, all the way down to the mouse-clicks and keystrokes of event-driven applications.

Ruble shows how to choose prototyping techniques that deliver optimal results while allowing project managers to maintain close control. He also shows why written GUI design specifications are critical to effective construction testing and project management - and how they can be created quickly. The book includes sample specs that are proven to work and can serve as the basis for your own GUI design specifications.

Ruble offers lucid advice on client/server architectures, including hardware tiers, software layers, replication and the pros and cons of fat client versus fat servers. He also shows how mainframe developers can succeed in today's client/server and GUI-based environments by blending their traditional software engineering competencies with newer techniques.

The book concludes with a start-to-finish case study that brings its techniques to life, through the analysis and design of a real-world order entry system, and don't miss Dave's Top Ten Myths of Client/Server Development!

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