Object technology is maturing rapidly. One sign of that is the formality of the discussions that occur all around the world: at conferences, in newsgroups, in industry developer groups and in academe. One face of formality is metamodelling: seeking the model of the model that gives the rules by which the model itself is constructed. In OT terms, it means seeking the underpinning rules in a methodology in which, for instance, it is suggested we depict an aggregate structure using one particular notation. The questions that need answering are the semantics of that relation ship and the...

In part the book creates and motivates the notion of metamodelling and how it can be used to standardise the creation of industry-strength design. At its heart, the book presents an analysis of the main object-oriented design methodologies, including: Booch, OMT, Coad, and Martin/Odell. Based on these descriptions, a proposal is made for a core metamodel framework into which the leading methodologies may be fitted. As a result, software engineers and software managers will find this a valuable "road map" in the future development of software standards.