Appropriate for all introductory level courses on object-oriented system analysis, design, and/or programming. This book systematically introduces the concepts and methods of object-oriented systems analysis and design to students with little or no object experience. Rigorous yet extremely readable, it introduces the entire process of information system design, providing a thorough grounding in object-oriented techniques, UML, and step-by-step system development. Two of the field's most experienced instructors carefully link information systems analysis and design issues to general systems theory, offering a domain-independent view of design that maintains a clear conceptual distinction between requirements and design. After introducing basic systems concepts and the Rational Unified Process, they turn to object-oriented analysis, covering business event analysis, use cases, system sequence diagrams, domain modeling, and more. Part III focuses on system design, including overall system design based on a three-tier architecture, object-oriented program design, communication between the application layer and database, and user interface design. Finally, in Part IV, the authors offer a practical, real-world discussion of both information gathering and software project management. To support effective learning, every chapter begins with clear learning objectives and ends with summaries, lists of key terminology, review materials, exercises, discussion points, and wherever appropriate, case studies for project assignments.