ABSTRACT
One of the practical problems in using an architectural framework like ODP is that the world is seldom as simple as the textbooks assume. The picture of development taking place in isolation, from requirements to deployment, is far from reality. Rarely can a design team produce the specification of a complete enterprise system as a self-contained activity. Usually, they identify at least some components that are available elsewhere. The incorporation of commercial off-the-shelf products (COTS subsystems) shows the clearest separation of design responsibility and gives the best illustration of the issues. However, use of legacy components involves the same problems.
