Posted by Adrian Smith
on June 17, 2008
The effectiveness of software application frameworks such as Ruby on Rails, automated build tools like Maven, and architectural design patterns like Model-View-Controller, demonstrate the value of a structured approach to development tasks. For me, the expression “convention over configuration” really sums it up. When I’m developing an application I’m far more interested in the business logic rather than the inner workings of the framework or how I should structure an application.
Ruby on Rails achieves this goal by simplifying web application development and removing configuration decisions so that the developer can focus on solving the business problem. With this in mind I thought there may be value in exploring an equivalent framework for mechanical part and assembly design.
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Posted by Adrian Smith
on January 20, 2008
Agile software development methods evolved as a reaction to traditional project management methods that focused on documentation, change control and the linear execution of tasks. Agile methods recognize the complex and highly non-linear nature of software development and address the associated risks by encouraging a range of working practices. While these practices are well accepted within the software industry, they have not yet permeated into the more traditional engineering design disciplines found in the aerospace or automotive engineering industries. The following considers the how some of the main agile principles and practices associated with Scrum, eXtreme Programming and Test-Driven Development, could be applied.
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