

The problem of defining objects
a critical evaluation of coad and yourdon's object oriented analysis using the nimsad framework
pp. 342-352
in: Trevor Wood Harper, Nimal Jayaratna, Bob Wood (eds), Methodologies for developing and managing emerging technology based information systems, Berlin, Springer, 1999Abstract
In Object Oriented Analysis by Coad and Yourdon the concept of "object' is considered to have identity, state, behaviour and properties and can be characterised by a set of operations that can be performed on it or by it and its possible states. It is not explained in terms of any meta-level model of human sense-making. That is objects are not defined rather they are described.This paper critically evaluates Coad and Yourdon's Object Oriented Analysis (1990), using the NIMSAD framework, with an emphasis on the criteria used to identify objects.