Conceptual modelling: an essential pillar for quality software development

After many years of stressing the importance of the product and the process in software development, emphasis has now switched to the role played by t he person. This paper, however, underlines the importance of understanding and modelling the problem, as this is a necessary, and often sufficient, co ndition for developing good quality software. Firstly, a formal definition is given of what the problem is and how it can be classified. In view of th e confusion in the field of software development, where the word model is u sed very vaguely, an explanation is given of what modelling means, and a ge nerally applicable form of modelling is briefly discussed. Finally, concept ualisation is defined, first declaratively and then procedurally, and a met hod of building conceptual models is presented which particularly stresses the information map as a visual overview of the entire process. (C) 1998 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.