Having committed to object orientation (OO) for its new buying system, Shoprite/Checkers is beginning to enjoy some of the benefits OO proponents have been promising.
The decision to undertake this immense OO project was made in 1994 when business asked for a new buying system. As one of Shoprite`s three core mainframe-based systems, it administers most of the group`s business relating to range, cost and selling prices.
"Business needed an advanced system, and we had decided to abandon proprietary platforms, which meant a move away from mainframes," says development manager Richard Leibbrandt.
"To expect a long system life, we needed to forecast what the leading technology would be post-2000," says Leibbrandt. "We believed object technology would be pervasive and if we delivered our core objects in an OO environment, it would form a foundation for future business components."
The group standardised on Microsoft, open systems and interchangeable RDBMSs. Major goals were the creation and reuse of components and the reduction of maintenance, some of the promises of OO.
Tough choice
Leibbrandt recalls it was a tough choice. "OO was presented as the next silver bullet," he says. "But when we looked at it locally or abroad, there were few enterprise success stories. Most turned out to be GUI front-ends on legacy databases."
First up was R&D to put the methodology in place, based on strategic open systems pillars such as Unix, Windows NT, Intel and Tuxedo. Dynasty was chosen as the development tool and development began last year. There are now 20 people working on the project, half of them trainees.
Early on AD Consulting, now part of Software Futures Group, was approached for assistance. AD Consulting`s main role was to define a methodology on which Shoprite could build. In addition, AD Consulting participated in the OO methodology training.
"We started out on the OMT (Object Modelling Technique), using System Architect as the Case tool," says project manager Herman Crause.
Despite the rapidly changing environment, Leibbrandt has confidence in all project decisions taken. "We knew that the late `90s would be a period of change and whatever we committed to should see us through. We didn`t want to choose anything we`d have to replace in 2001 or 2002. Yet nothing seemed able to handle the rapid technology change we foresaw."
Crause describes the three-tier client/server model and OMT methodology as key to the group`s strategy. "Systems Architect was a key factor in the success of our analysis and design efforts. We selected the methodology first, then evaluated the Case tools that supported OMT.
""We knew UML was coming and we would have to look at it, but Systems Architect was the right choice in hindsight. We have stuck to OMT for this project to avoid confusion, which is certain if we were suddenly to change over to UML. But to give us options, we documented our standards in both OMT and UML."
Transparent mapping
Crause also likes the transparency of OO`s mapping of the real world to the computer system. This is unlike structured methodologies, he asserts, where designers must also build technology into business modelling.
"While building an object, analysis and design aren`t that different. The analysis doesn`t change. The design adds detail. It might add technical detail attributes, technical internal attributes or technical internal workings, but because it`s a simple addition, it keeps the purity of the original analysis."
Once it had mastered the basics, Shoprite developed an inhouse OO programming course, used in conjunction with analysis and design training from AD Consulting, and it has since been working to duplicate its own Cobol training facility.
"Our OO training needs to be as good as if not better than our Cobol training. This has been crucial to our success," says Leibbrandt.
"When we started with OO everyone spoke about a paradigm shift. It is exactly that: in the early stages, we had many failures. A lesson learnt was not to give trainees too much freedom, and to enforce standards."
As the methodology kicks in, so, too, training has been more successful. Leibbrandt advises they have had success with juniors from technikons and universities.
Early benefits with OK
OO showed early benefits when Shoprite took over OK Bazaars and the team had to incorportae OK`s buying models into their designs.
"Had we been using a structured methodology, it would have destroyed our project. With OO, however, 80-90% of changes are a simple addition. There is little cost in terms of destabilising what you have done before, but nothing is 100% easy."
For Leibbrandt and Crause, the challenges of their first OO project relate to the fact that by choosing total redevelopment, they have not delivered a system as yet. Therefore buyers and other business users have not yet seen benefits.
"Maintaining their confidence has been difficult. At one point we decided to keep a low profile with the project and left only seven programmers on it while we threw our weight behind another project which seemed urgent. We had to keep faith and not go for any old packaged solution," says Leibbrandt.
The new buying system is in integration testing, and is scheduled to go into a parallel test pilot in the fourth quarter of 1998.
Leibbrandt maintains project management in OO is a critical success factor. "You cannot put people who don`t understand OO in charge of an OO project. If you do, you will fail."
Leibbrandt and Crause understand that 80% of client/server failures have occurred during deployment, so they decline to speculate on a "live" date. They are, however, actively managing deployment risks. But they do mention the benefit of incremental development, which breaks the project into manageable chunks. "You can build now, and additions are quick and easy."
Localisation of changes because of OO encapsulation has been proven throughout the life of the project.
Crause says: "We`ve found the extensibility of functions has worked very well. We are talking about a 200-window system, and about 160 business objects that replace 2 million lines of Cobol."
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