Concepts: Product Directory Structure

The Product Directory Structure serves a logically nested placeholder for all versionable product-related artifacts. Artifacts are produced as result of the following the development process lifecycle, and for the development of each constituent part (component) of the overall system.

The following figure shows that System-X consists of "N" subsystems. Each subsystem, in turn, consists of "N" components. The Product Directory Structure provides a common placeholder for the various artifacts that are required for the development of each part of the overall system.

Topics

In the Rational Unified Process artifacts are grouped and described in terms of information sets. The Information Sets are:

Projects could organize artifacts by Information Set, however, that would not take into account how the overall system is to be developed, and then assembled from its constituent parts. The Product Directory Structure is logically structured to show how components are nested, and have the essential information that is required to create them in an overall context of a system or subsystem.

The Product Directory Structure is a placeholder framework and provides a navigational map to all project related artifacts. The artifacts could be physically placed within the various directories, or be referenced from given locations.

System Product Directory Structure

Although an experienced Architect may have a good idea of system composition at the outset, the view of major developmental components emerges as a result of Analysis&Design-related activities to define and refine candidate architectures.

The following table provides a Product System Directory Structure pattern that could be used as a 'Product Directory Structure' in the initial phases of project development while the precise details of composite subsystems and architectural layering has yet to be determined.

**System Level Product Directory Structure**
System Requirements	Models	Use Case Model	Use Case Package
		User Interface Prototype
	Database	Requirements Attributes
	Documents	Vision
		Glossary
		Stakeholder Requests
		Supplementary Specifications
		Software Requirement Specs
	Reports	Use-Case Model Survey
		Use-Case Report
System Design and Implementation	Models	Analysis Model	Use Case Realization
		Design Model	Design Subsystem
			Interface
			Test Package
		Data Model
		Workload Model
	Documents	Software Architecture Document
		Design Model Survey
	Subsystem-1	Subsystem Directory Structure
	Subsystem-N	Subsystem Directory Structure
System Integration	Plans	System Integration Build Plan
	Libraries
System Test	Plans
	Test Cases	Test Procedures
	Test Data
	Test Results
System Deployment	Plans
	Documents	Release Notes
	Manuals	End User Support Material
		Training Material
	Installation Artifacts
System Management	Plans	Software Development Plan
		Iteration Plan	Requirements Management Plan
		Risk List	Risk Management Plan
		Development Case	Infrastructure Plan
		Product Acceptance Plan	Configuration Management Plan
		Documentation Plan	QA Plan
		Problem Resolution Plan	Subcontractor Management Plan
		Process Improvement Plan	Measurement Plan
	Assessments	Iteration Assessment
		Development Organization Assessment
		Status Assessment
Tools	Development Environment Tools	Editors
		Compilers
	Configuration Management Tools	Rational ClearCase
	Requirements Management Tools	Rational RequisitePro
	Visual Modeling Tools	Rational Rose
	Test Tools	Rational Test Factory
	Defect Tracking	Rational ClearQuest
Standards & Guidelines	Requirements	Requirements Attributes
		Use Case Modeling
		User Interface
	Design	Design Guidelines
	Implementation	Programming Guidelines
	Documentation	Manual Styleguide

Once Analysis&Design activities are underway, and there is an improved understanding on the number and nature of subsystems required in the overall system (Activity: Subsystem Design), the Product Directory Structure needs to be expanded to accommodate each subsystem.

The information in the System Product Directory Structure needs to be visible to all subsystems across the project. So apart from the product management, requirements and test information Standards&Guidelines would belong in the System Product Directory Structure. In this instance, Tools are included in the System Product Directory Structure, however, they could be in a higher level directory where a number of Systems could be using the same toolset.

Subsystem Directory Structure

The information in the Product Subsystem Directory Structure relates directly to the development of that particular subsystem. The number of 'instantiations' of the Subsystems Product Directory Structure is clearly related to number of subsystems decided upon as a result of the Analysis&Design activities.

As shown in the following figure (Drilling to the Executables), System-y has three subsystems (Subsystem-A, Subsystem-B and Subsystem-N). Each subsystem has the necessary information for its design and, eventual, implementation.

A generalized breakdown of the Subsystem Product Directory Structure is as follows:

Component Directory Structure

The number of components is result of subsystem design decisions. The following directory structure needs to be instantiated for each component to be developed.

One benefit of nesting directories in the prescribed manner is that all relevant contextual information on the development of a component is available, either at the same level, or the level above.

This type of logical nesting gives rise to the setting up of development and integration workspaces that can linked to the overall development team structure.