pankaj wrote: > It will be nice if every one can share the process and the best > practices followed for technical design of a Rails project. May be in > the end we can come up with a common template(if needed). > > Let me start first > > Following are the steps I do before starting to code a Rails project. > > 1.) Identify the resources : like user, article, comments etc. > 2.) Identify the tables and their fields with data types. > 3.) Identify the models and their relationships. > 4.) Identify controllers and actions in them, and corresponding views. > 5.) List of plugins to use. > 6.) Identify methods in models their inputs and outputs(most of this > is done at run time.)
The problem with any attempts to "standardize" the technical design process is that different people work in very different ways. Sometimes we even approach different projects in different ways. My general process is practically inverted from what you describe here. I generally start by designing the user interfaces first, then let the resources naturally flow in support of the user interface. This basic process is described here: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch06_From_Idea_to_Implementation.php What you have described above is a model-driven design. This process might work if much is known upfront about your system's requirements. However, from my experience, that doesn't often line up with reality. The design of the user interface is the primary consideration for great software. It should be considered even above features. Contrary to popular belief, greatness in software is not directly related to feature count. Many of the best applications actually have a somewhat limited feature set. Instead they rely on outstanding implementation of the features they do provide through intuitive and creative user interfaces. To be successful one must focus on providing access to the features of an application. Features are of no use to the user if they can't find or understand those features. Efforts to "standardize" the software development process have been attempted innumerable times since the early days of software development. Strict engineering principals are almost always ineffective, and are in opposition to the creative processes involved in most software design. http://martinfowler.com/articles/newMethodology.html#SeparationOfDesignAndConstruction -- Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ruby on Rails: Talk" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en.
