Applying Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML: An Annotated e-Commerce Example

Chapter 8. Critical Design Review

Critical design review (CDR) involves trying to ensure that the “how” of detailed design, as shown on sequence diagrams and associated class diagrams, matches up well with the “what” that the use cases specify, and that the detailed design is of sufficient depth to facilitate a relatively small and seamless leap into code. CDR also involves reviewing the quality of your design from a number of perspectives. These might include modularity, cohesiveness of your classes, coupling between objects, and a number of other metrics that we can lump together and call “OO goodness.”

At this time, you might also be making sure that your design meets a set of internal design standards for your organization. Sometimes ...