CRITERIA FOR COMPARING REUSE-ORIENTED DOMAIN ANALYSIS APPROACHES

Abstract

Domain analysis, while still relatively new, has matured to the point where it is beginning to appear in production settings. This raises the problem of how to select among proposed approaches. Domain analysis approaches possess some similarities but differ in many ways — some subtle, some significant, some uninteresting. Comparing them is not simple. This paper presents criteria for comparing and contrasting domain analysis approaches. The criteria were derived by studying five approaches that seem representative. The criteria attempt to provide a common conceptual ground for comparing and contrasting different ways to undertake domain analysis. The criteria are studied in terms of external factors that determine how and why an organization should use domain analysis. The criteria are first presented independent of any approach. They are then applied to the five approaches, to illustrate characteristics the approaches possess, and to show what some of the approaches' merits are. The paper concludes with some thoughts on the implications of the criteria for the future of domain analysis, considering in particular the likelihood of a single, unified approach emerging.