Jan Bank, Compuware's Amsterdam-based application development and integration expert, defined a software design pattern as “a common solution to a common problem in a given context“.

Bank said the benefits of patterns are widely accepted by programmers, but looking forward, more is needed. For the application development process to benefit from patterns, a reliable and faster implementation is necessary.

This can be achieved by following a development process based on Model-Driven Architecture (MDA), said Bank.

MDA is a standards-based framework for software development, defined by the Object Management Group. The importance of models in the software development process is key to MDA.

Bank pointed to global research showing dismal statistics in software development projects: 44% run over budget, 30% are cancelled, 60% are not considered a success and 90% are delivered late.

He touted the MDA framework as “a cost-effective way to produce an application through a repeatable production process, with a predictable outcome in terms of quality, on time”.

According to Bank, significant productivity and return on investment gains are possible by following an MDA-based development process. However, he stressed that J2EE expertise is still critical.

“J2EE design patterns are captured in transformation patterns, which makes them reusable. But we don't believe translations can automate everything to everyone's satisfaction and in all cases. As a technology and application expert, your J2EE skills remain critical.”

What are the benefits of patterns?

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Heinz Kabutz, CEO of Maximum Solutions, encourages developers to learn patterns.

“Programmers become more effective when designing with patterns, and knowing the basic patterns helps you understand new patterns easily,” he concluded.