Software Design - Essay Example

Object-Oriented and Procedural Designs Compared Object oriented design Object oriented design is a process of coming up with a plan of any systems of interacting objects (encapsulated procedures and data grouped to represent an entity) with the intension of solving a software setback. The ability to hide certain sections of an object from entities considered external; a class to override the functionality of any other class; deferring implementation of a method; replacing an object with its subject, are some of the object oriented design which are at implementation level (Pooley R.

and Stevens P., 1999).Procedural DesignA procedural design illustrates an ordered sequence of activities needed to operate equipment, perform a chore, do a test, maintain or rather implement any system. Its directives are written in simple languages or terms using simple and direct language that any customer is able to understand the requirements. Following the description, it is true that the objective of writing this procedural design is to clearly and illustratively give the targeted readers proper and crisp information (Pressman R., 2003).Procedural design performs the function of transforming structural elements to a procedural description which starts just after data design and architectural design.

This type of design comes after data design (where appropriate data structure is selected) and architectural design (which defines any relationships among major structural elements with the view of developing a modular structure and representing control relationships between them).Procedural Design Requirementsi. A written down sequences necessary in the performance of any given procedure. All steps are to be in a rational, progressive sequence so as to achieve a desired outcome.ii. An inclusion of diagrams, photographs or sketches in every step, as apt, is necessary for visual illustrations of necessary concepts.

Pieces of information expounding diagrammatic illustrations are to be active voice, instructing a reader on actions to take.iii. A test of all procedures is necessary to ensure high level of accuracy and complete with useful information given. Consistent use of terminologies and no use of abbreviations or acronyms must be practiced for effectiveness.Differences between Object-Oriented Design and Procedures DesignProcedural design is based on a step by step illustration which guides any applications through a series of instructions while Object Oriented Design is a software system designed to offer services to other objects as a set of interacting objects managing their individual states.

While in procedural design actions are done systematically (from one step to the other) in object-oriented design objects are distributed and thus may be executed in parallel or sequentially (no specific order followed in execution).Object oriented design is basically concerned with the development of an object-oriented models software system to perform an implementation of the requirements while procedural design is concerned with stipulating on the of diagrams, photographs or sketches in every step to provides visual illustrations of necessary concepts in system or software applications.

ReferencesPooley R. and Stevens P. (1999). Using UML: Software Engineering with Objects and Components. Addison-Wesley: Longman.Pressman, R. (2003). Software Engineering: A Practitioners Approach. 6th & 5th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.