Designing framework - Diagrams, software processes ?

[tdnxxx444]

I am wanting to design my own framework and to use it to create an application. I was wondering what diagrams, software processes, etc you would recommend me to use to help me in my initial design.

[mr.vain]

I would suggest to look for a UML Tool, like Argouml (http://argouml.tigris.org/) or others.

If UML is too much, then choose a simple diagram designer or flowchart tool to draw and visualize your application workflow. There a lots of them, i recommend Freeware Diagram Designer ( http://meesoft.logicnet.dk/DiagramDesigner/ ) and commercial DiagramStudio (http://www.gadwin.com/ds/).

regards vain

[Dr Livingston]

> simple diagram designer or flowchart tool to draw and visualize your application workflow.

Chalk and Board; The problem with UML is that it is time consuming and ineffective within a team environment, where the discussion is controlled by ideas being thrown about. I've found it more productive if you use a board instead to depict those ideas there and then, rather than having to wait until later, after the meeting before you can start to visualise those ideas.

Also consider that not everyone knows UML well enough (I know the basics myself), so who does the training? Are your collegues willing to learn? Are they smart enough...

Other times, pen and paper provide the same satisfaction though

[Jasper Bekkers]

Also consider that not everyone knows UML well enough (I know the basics myself), so who does the training? Are your collegues willing to learn? Are they smart enough...

Using erasable markers and a bord here, and we're drawing mainly UML or things that resemble UML in some way on the board (and caricatures of each other) and I think it's still better to explain ideas that way because the board usually remains untouched after the explanation and thus it saves me on the note taking during the explanation, instead I do it afterwards and often go back to the people who drew it because of my sloppy memory.

Another thing that used to help me were user stories (yeah, really), but that might be different when working on framework design. What might be worthwhile is to build an example application to test your framework against so you at least know who it is to eat your own dog food.