In 1978, Tom DeMarco wrote what is considered to be the classic text on structured systems analysis methodology— Structured Analysis and System Specification. James Wetherbe is considered by the authors of the textbook to be “one of the strongest advocates of system concepts and system thinking as part of the discipline of systems analysis and design” and has written numerous articles and books on “systems think.” Edward Yourdon is another widely acknowledged leader in systems design and is noted for formalizing the event-driven approach methodology in his 1989 book, Modern Structured Analysis. Search the Internet for their Web sites, if any, and for recent articles and/or books by these three leaders in systems analysis and design.

a. What articles and/or Web sites did you find?

b. Describe some of their more recent work.

c. Compare and contrast each of these authors in terms of their perspective on systems analysis and design; specifically, do you see their approaches as complementary or opposed?

d. What emerging changes or trends in systems analysis and design do they foresee?

e. Do you feel that they still represent the leading thinkers in systems analysis and design? Why or why not?