David T Fisher

Nathaniel Scudder, a well-educated Presbyterian physician, was an idealistic early advocate of the rebellion. Like many of his fellow graduates of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) he believed in the Calvinist vision of a pious republic. His wife, Isabella Anderson Scudder, a wealthy heiress and granddaughter of a royal governor, reluctantly accepted her husband's radical political inclinations while fearing the tragic consequences that might result. After a brilliant career as a physician and elder of the Presbyterian Church, he was elected to represent New Jersey in the Continental Congress, where he became one of the signatories of the Articles of Confederation. He eventually grew so frustrated by the blatant corruption he experienced that he abandoned politics and helped form an extra-legal vigilante organization, the Retaliators. Nathaniel's inner journey to the abandonment of his congressional mandate in favor of participation in violent retaliation was driven by his friendship and admiration for David Forman, the main architect of the retribution strategy. On October 16, 1781, Nathaniel Scudder became the only person who served in the Continental Congress to die in action in the War of American Independence. In a skirmish between Retaliators and Loyalists, he was struck by a bullet meant for David Forman.

Nathaniel Scudder, a well-educated Presbyterian physician, was an idealistic early advocate of the rebellion. Like many of his fellow graduates of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) he believed in the Calvinist vision of a pious republic. His wife, Isabella Anderson Scudder, a wealthy heiress and granddaughter of a royal governor, reluctantly accepted her husband's radical political inclinations while fearing the tragic consequences that might result. After a brilliant career as a physician and elder of the Presbyterian Church, he was elected to represent New Jersey in the Continental Congress, where he became one of the signatories of the Articles of Confederation. He eventually grew so frustrated by the blatant corruption he experienced that he abandoned politics and helped form an extra-legal vigilante organization, the Retaliators. Nathaniel's inner journey to the abandonment of his congressional mandate in favor of participation in violent retaliation was driven by his friendship and admiration for David Forman, the main architect of the retribution strategy. On October 16, 1781, Nathaniel Scudder became the only person who served in the Continental Congress to die in action in the War of American Independence. In a skirmish between Retaliators and Loyalists, he was struck by a bullet meant for David Forman.

Vor einigen Jahren hatte ich Anlaß, für die Nachwuchskräfte unseres Beratungsunternehmens ein geeignetes Lehrbuch zu suchen. Bei allen in Betracht gezogenen Lektüren stieß ich auf zwei Mängel. Zum einen wurde das Problem der fehlenden Übereinstimmung zwischen Softwaresystemen und betrieblicher Organisation zu oberflächlich behandelt; zum anderen wurde zwar eine Fülle von Techniken vorgestellt, aber kein klarer Leitfaden geboten, wie diese Techniken eingesetzt werden müßten, um aus unstrukturierten organisatorischen Gegebenheiten Schritt für Schritt ein funktionierendes Informationssystem zu entwickeln. Dieses Buch soll einen Beitrag zur Lösung dieser Probleme leisten. Ein praktischer Ratgeber muß eine Auswahl treffen. Es gibt mittlerweile so viele empfehlenswerte Information-Engineering-Techniken, daß es ganz unmöglich ist, alle anzuwenden; manche schließen sich sogar gegenseitig aus. Ich habe deswegen eine Methodenauswahl getroffen, die sich in der Praxis in zahlreichen Projekten bewährt hat. Das bedeutet natürlich nicht, daß es keine anderen Techniken gibt, die effektiv sein können. Dennoch bin ich der Meinung, daß gerade die Kombination von Unternehmensmodellierung, Einsatz von Standardsoftwarekomponenten, Prototyping und Gruppen­ designgremien die beste Gewähr für das Gelingen von Softwareprojekten im kommerziellen Bereich bietet. Diese Methoden zielen darauf ab, Mensch, Maschine, Software und Organisation in ein synergistisches Gesamtsystem zu integrieren, das betriebliche Abläufe und Zielsetzungen auf optimale Weise durch die Informationstechnik unterstützt.