Re: [AM] ANN: Are You Ready For MDA?

Scott

I think your "Seven Critical Issues" (
http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/readyForMDA.htm ) for considering MDA
are spot on. They certainly accord with my own experience of using model
driven code generation.

However, I believe that there is a good (and not much explored) case for a
more limited form of MDA, where model execution is used as a mechanism for
exploring and validating models early in the development process, even if
the final code of the system is not fully generated or perhaps not generated
at all. I believe that using this "scaled-down" form of MDA can give
substantial benefit, and significantly ease the issues you raise:

- Stakeholders do not have to understand PIMs, as they can review and check
the model as an executing model-driven prototype (Your point 4).

- You are well placed to use TDM (or TDMDA), and there is no reason for
model validation tools not to provide this (Your point 6).

- You are not dependent on the tool vendor beyond the model validation
phase -- in particular, not for deployment or support of the operational
system. (Your point 7).

You do still need skilled modellers (your points 1, 2 and 3), but in much
smaller numbers than you would if you were using MDA throughout the
development. In my experience of using this technique, a team of three to
five modellers can support a large project (total team size > 30).

The big tool vendors are all pursuing the "soup to nuts" MDA model. I think
that there is a market opportunity for less ambitious tools -- and that this
would both allow smaller tool vendors to enter the market and also allow
organisations interested in MDA to experiment with, and get value from,
model driven approaches without committing themselves to the hilt, in terms
of both money and risk, from the outset.

Rgds
Ashley

Ashley McNeile
Metamaxim Ltd.
email: [email protected]
web: www.metamaxim.com

For more information about AM, visit the Agile Modeling Home Page at www.agilemodeling.com
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