Object-Oriented Programming Roadmap

Phase	Main Topic	Content & Learning Activities	Objectives & Deliverables
1. Introduction	Introduction to OOP	What is OOP? Why use it? Comparison with Procedural Programming. Overview of the 4 Pillars of OOP.	Understand the purpose and benefits of OOP. Differentiate object-oriented thinking.
2. Core Concepts	Class and Object	Class is a Blueprint, Object is an Instance. Attributes and Methods. Constructor and Destructor.	Define classes, declare attributes and methods. Create and manage objects from classes.
3. Pillars 1 & 2	Encapsulation & Inheritance	Encapsulation: Public, Private, Protected; Getters & Setters. Inheritance: Base Class, Derived Class; Method Overriding.	Apply access modifiers for data hiding. Build class hierarchies for code reuse.
4. Pillars 3 & 4	Polymorphism & Abstraction	Polymorphism: Static (Compile-time) and Dynamic (Run-time). Abstraction: Abstract Class and Interface.	Write more flexible code with polymorphism. Design contracts using interfaces.
5. Advanced	Relationships & Components	Composition vs. Inheritance. Association, Aggregation, Composition. Static Members.	Understand and choose the right relationships between classes. Use static members for shared data/methods.
6. Design	SOLID Principles & Design Patterns	Study the 5 SOLID principles. Learn about common Design Patterns: Creational, Structural, Behavioral.	Write more maintainable, scalable, and understandable code. Apply proven solutions to design problems.
7. Practice	Practical Application	Apply all knowledge to a small project (e.g., library management system, simple game). Refactor old code according to OOP principles. Learn to draw UML Class Diagrams.	Build a complete project using OOP. Be able to read and design basic software architecture.

Core OOP Mindsets

1. Think in Objects

Shift from a list of procedures to a world of interacting objects. Model real-world entities with their own state (attributes) and behavior (methods).

2. High Cohesion, Low Coupling

Design classes that are focused on a single responsibility (high cohesion) and minimize their dependencies on other classes (low coupling) for more robust and maintainable code.

3. Favor Composition Over Inheritance

Before creating a rigid parent-child hierarchy, consider if building a class by assembling other, simpler classes would lead to a more flexible and reusable design.

4. Program to an Interface, Not an Implementation

Depend on abstractions (interfaces, abstract classes) rather than concrete classes. This makes your system adaptable to future changes and new requirements.