Problem Partitioning

• When solving a small problem, the entire problem can be tackled at once. The complexity of large problems and the limitations of human minds do not allow large problems to be treated as huge monoliths.
• As basic aim of problem analysis is to obtain a clear understanding of the needs of the clients and the users. 
• Frequently the client and the users do not understand or know all their needs, because the potential of the new system is often not fully appreciated.
• The analysts have to ensure that the real needs of the clients and the users are uncovered, even if they don't know them clearly.
• That is, the analysts are not just collecting and organizing information about the client's organization and its processes, but they also act as consultants who play an active role of helping the clients and users identify their needs.
• For solving larger problems, the basic principle is the time-tested principle of "divide and conquer.“

"divide into smaller pieces, so that each piece can be conquered separately.“

• For software design, partition the problem into sub problems and then try to understand each sub problem and its relationship to other sub problems in an effort to understand the total problem.
• That is goal is to divide the problem into manageably small pieces that can be solved separately, because the cost of solving the entire problem is more than the sum of the cost of solving all the pieces.
• The different pieces cannot be entirely independent of each other, as they together form the system. The different pieces have to cooperate and communicate to solve the larger problem. 
• Problem partitioning also aids design verification.
• The concepts of state and projection can sometimes also be used effectively in the partitioning process.

1. A state of a system represents some conditions about the system. This approach is sometimes used in real-time software or process-control software.
2. Projection, different viewpoints of the system are defined and the system is then analyzed from these different perspectives. The different "projections" obtained are combined to form the analysis for the complete system. Analyzing the system from the different perspectives is often easier, as it limits and focuses the scope of the study.