On identifying and representing aspects

Abstract

Identification of cross-cutting concerns (Aspects) in the earliest phases of software development has gained in popularity over recent years. Many approaches have been suggested for identifying and representing Aspects in abstraction and design structures. Since these approaches are still relatively immature, shortcomings such as overlooking or not properly locating Aspects have been noted in almost all of these approaches. This paper discusses some of these methods and suggested approaches, and provides a constructive critique on Aspects as Use Cases, View-Point based system of identifying Aspects, and Use Cases as Concerns. This paper also suggests a model-oriented approach for identifying and representing Aspects throughout the development life cycle