Discussion on Object Modeling

start.md

https://twitter.com/ironchamber/status/464493062727950336

So, it seems to me that you are recommending doing a sort of conceptual scaffolding, and then refining that with the insights you get from each pass?

Yes, that's right.

Does that seem like a kludgy use of the wrong tool, for you? Is that me trying to be too clever with the diagram, is there a better approach? A more direct way to discover initial properties about my domain model?

Personally, I find a static diagram easier to understand the relationships in the domain and then I move to a sequence diagram to test and flesh out from there. When presented with a "fresh problem to the domain", I would approach it this way:

1. Identify and summarize new feature set
2. Optionally, write a design story describe scenarios within that feature set, this is a great way to start pulling out domain concepts for a static diagram
3. If applicable, mockup some screens to make the feature set more concrete
4. Create a static diagram by identifying events, roles, parties-places-things and descriptions.
5. Identify other systems the domain interacts with.
6. Test that static model with some scenarios from the feature set using sequence diagrams.

This is what generally works for me, I might mix that up a bit time from time.

If there's a concrete example that would like to work on, I would be definitely down with that. We can also try a Google hangout to make this a bit more interactive :-)

Ok! I've been trying to situate into using this methodology for the last two weeks. My journey went a bit like this:

First, I attempted to adopt the sticky-note situation, but I found that around my office we have very little amounts of space for sticky notes. I ran into this same problem with adopting an analog kanban.

In the kanban situation, I stopped kanban and began to use a bullet journal system. When that got a little too unwieldy, I then settled on using index cards and a sharpie. This worked great for quickly getting tasks out of my head and into the "real world", then sorting them in piles and collecting/discarding them when appropriate.

So, I opted to try the same process with color-based modeling.

First I purchased a set of pens in the appropriate colors, and attempted to use them in a dotted journal. I loved the way it looked, but it felt like it was more of a concretion step than a discovery step. I couldn't move things around when they didn't fit. I couldn't discard things when I realized they weren't necessary.

And, even worse, I couldn't find any yellow felt markers!

I've realized some really big things about the system, at this point:

• Objects have to be disposable in order to effectively model with them. I will probably always start out wrong and then shape things towards something less wrong.
• Conceptually, the colors really are important - orange (my compromise on the absent yellow pens) was just plain not as effective in distinguishing pieces.

I went back to the office retailer a few days later and bought some index cards. I got plain white ones and color coded ones. I snagged some sharpies of the appropriate colors.

Here's my current setup:

So, next week, I have a great opportunity to battle-test this: I am sitting down with a customer team and I'm going to help them collect and organize stories.

Once I have the stories, I intend to use color-based modeling to analyze them. The way I mean to travel through the process should look like this:

1. Jot down pieces and processes of the system which I percieve on the white cards.
2. Sort through them later with highlighters of the appropriate color.
3. Transfer the objects to the correct color cards later.
4. Begin to sort them in an analog way to discover the best orientation.
5. Transfer the final (first draft) to the journal for reference.
6. Reorganize from the top when appropriate.

The purple cards

I know it might be focusing overmuch on minutiae, but right now I'm wondering if there's some way I can use the purple cards to represent something inside my domain.

Although color-coded object modeling seems to not directly map to the patterns and processes laid out in Domain-Driven Design, I believe there is a clear intuitive link, and so my intention is to attempt to use the purple cards to represent out-of-boundary concepts. Infrastructure, or interfaces, mainly.