Team. The art and science of creation has baffled men for eons. We all cannot currently agree on how we wound up in existence. But there are a few abstract things about creation that we all agree on. There is a creative force ( even if that force is only randomness ). This creative force created a prototypical ancestor ( even if this was only a complex molecule which could replicate itself ). This prototypical ancestor produced adapt-able offspring through the guidance of the same force which created it. These abstractions in the creation process are archetypal for the accounts arising from the oral traditions of most cultures. Yet, how does this relate with software engineering?
Within all engineering disciplines, there is the classic problem of the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Pretend you were a "mad" scientist hoping that you could genetically engineer a "super-intelligent" chicken named "Huevo Rancheros" who could perform all of your research for you and ensure that you won a triple crown: a Nobel Prize, Turing Award, and Field Medal. Would you start your creative process with an unhatched egg or mature chicken?
We can see that man's long journey began with the creation of a prototypical ancestor from uncommon and unique means, and we have been adapting in our environments ever since. So, if your goal is creating the software equivalent of a Huevo Rancheros, a phenomenon of a product, use nature's example.
Start by creating a quality prototype which you can evolve. The creation of the prototype might be more chaotic and less structured than the process of generating its adaptable offspring, but this "bootstrapping" is fundamental in the nature of the creative process. After a few generations of evolution you might produce the equivalent of a "golden" egg!
To become conversant in software prototyping terms, visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_prototyping
Enjoy your day. That promised algebraic specification will be coming soon. La-La.
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