Exxon's experience with the Michael Jackson design method
Jayne B. Menard · ACM SIGMIS Database the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems · 1980
In 1973, Exxon Corporation formed a team of experience d analysts to find ways of improving the application development process .The team found that program developmen t took more time than any other activity.It was subsequentl y concluded that program structure was fundamental to effective development, enhancement and reliability .After further investigation, the team recommended th e Michael Jackson program design methodology with mino r modifications and additions .The combination of Jackson' s approach (and diagrammatic notation), walk-throughs an d top-down implementation was called Program Structur e Technology (PST) .The basic principle of PST is that the program will hav e a clear, logical structure if it is derived from the structure o f the data processed .During implementation, the program i s designed, coded and tested, using top-down techniques .Walk-throughs by the project team serve as checkpoints .An interactive graphics package was written to aid th e applications developer in creating the hierarchic design dia-