Evolutionary development of a visual planning system using object-oriented framework

Abstract

The article describes the practical experience of developing a prospective visual planning system based on an object-oriented framework. The used framework is a system of classes and interfaces intended for software implementation of models, methods and applications of scheduling theory. Due to the availability of ready-to-use components for the solution of typical problems as well as the mechanisms for their configuration and extension, development of applications becomes a relatively simple process. The application of the framework allows to implement the necessary functional for project planning in the target system as well as to provide its subsequent evolution by generalizing the statements of the problems and expanding the arsenal of algorithms used to solve them. The described experience can be claimed when building other applications of scheduling theory. The paper discusses the general issues of organizing a software toolkit in the form of the object-oriented framework, a methodology for creation of scheduling theory applications on its basis, as well as a process of developing a target system for visual planning of projects based on the methodology and the framework. Results of computational experiments comparing the performance of the developed system with some popular project management systems are also presented in the paper. Recommendations on the development and evolution of scheduling theory applications based on the framework are summarized in conclusion.