Java™ Design: Objects, UML, and Process

4.0. Process Defined

Though we refuse to focus explicitly on any existing process, it's important that we understand what a software process is. First, any software process should have a universal goal. This goal must be to translate a set of user requirements into an executable system fulfilling those requirements. At first, this goal may seem obvious; however, examining many processes reveals that the intent of some may be to produce documentation. While documentation serves an important role, it isn't the primary work we wish to produce when developing software. We must remind ourselves that the only documentation that we should consider producing is that which contributes to a more successful piece of software.

Second, we want to define the ...