Application Programming Models

An application programming model is a high-level guide, the foundation upon which all of the components of a solution rest. It's also a set of standards and practices that apply to the finer points of application design. This encompasses the concept of design patterns, which are repeatable practices and methods for building solutions. There really isn't one application programming model that fits all user and business needs. In fact, it's really hard to say that any one approach is typical. Every software developer, over time, adopts their own toolkit of coding habits, naming conventions, and program code and script snippets to reuse in subsequent projects. This is great for small projects architected and built by one developer. However, larger projects need a more disciplined approach requiring standards applied across the project team or organization.

To appreciate this idea of design patterns, you need only to look around and make some observations. Have you ever noticed how so many cars from different manufacturers are so similar? Why do you think this is? Likely, it's because each company has fed off of the other's success. For example, in the 1980s, the Honda Accord became an icon of style and efficiency. In the 1990s, several competing models suddenly became very similar, including the Toyota Camry, the Nissan Maxima, and others. Someone found a design that worked well and the industry followed. Innovation is occasionally the result of starting over and applying a pattern radically different than the status quo, but is more often obtained through a series of incremental improvements. In simple terms, the software industry, although relatively young, has matured quickly over the past few decades. Developing software and database solutions is arduous and expensive. The best approach is to build upon the experiences and success of others with a cautious eye toward improvement.

The business of defining usable software programming and design models is not a lightweight topic by any means. Many large businesses have invested millions in defining their own strategies, and a number of industry-wide standards have evolved. The need for reliable and auditable processes has spawned many related, industry, and project type-specific standards. In manufacturing and production, the ISO-9000:9002 standards have prompted businesses of all kinds to maintain specific standards of quality control. Information Technology–related industries have adopted methodologies for better understanding requirements, deliverables, and project lifecycles. Specific methodologies exist for this purpose. These include the Unified Modeling Language (UML) for object-oriented application design and modular solution architecture, and Object Role Modeling (ORM) for high-level data entity modeling and database design. Software project management approaches vary from high-level, principle-centered strategies such as the Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) to more rigid, rules-based standards rooted in the top-down waterfall approach. Fully engaged project management deals with core issues and challenges people across different areas of business. For a methodology to work, it requires participants to share a unified belief system. This treads on culture, communication, and trust. It's hard to get two people outside of the same organization to agree on some specifics, but there are a number of principles and practices most of us who have been down this bumpy road can agree upon.