eBook: The Watercourse Framework for Producing Software Systems

Numerous software development models, used to depict and explain the arrangement of the software development activities, have been created over the years. These models range from waterfall to whirlpool (also known as agile). Each model has its strengths and weaknesses, and we will never be able to design the perfect software development model, where every interest in terms of time, money and features, as well as different peoples’ different personalities and preferences are considered and catered for.

This eBook introduces you to the Watercourse framework. The framework is not a model in the sense that it does not describe a specific set of activities to be performed in a specific sequence, but a structure around which something can be built. The basic principle of the watercourse model (unlike that of the waterfall or a whirlpool model) is, that the development of a software system progresses peacefully over time, supported by test, test management and project management; like a watercourse with streams alongside each other. The main features of the watercourse model are the streams, the actors, and their communication. The framework may be applied to everything from an agile to a classic ‘one phase at the time’ model.
 

Key Takeaways:

• See software development as streams running alongside each other.
• A framework for both agile and traditional development and a mixture of these methods.
• A framework based on streams, actors, communication, and phases.