In the software engineering industry, the most important work takes place before the first line of code is written. That's why Koffman and Wolfgang reinforce the message "think, then code" throughout their text. They embed the design and implementation of data structures into the practice of sound software engineering principles, introduced in early chapters and reinforced through the inclusion of case studies adapted to focus on the selection and/or design of Java classes.

Over 20 case studies follow a five-step process (problem specification, analysis, design, implementation, and testing) that has been adapted to object-oriented programming to focus on the selection and/or design of Java classes. Students are encouraged to think critically about the five-step process and use it in an iterative fashion. Several problems have extensive discussions of testing and include methods that automate the testing process.

Students gain an understanding of why different data structures are needed, the applications they are suited for, and the advantages and disadvantages of their possible implementations. Several problems have extensive discussions of testing and include methods that automate the testing process.
Students who complete the text will be able to use the Java Collections framework and understand how it is implemented.

Ultimately, Koffman and Wolfgang communicate the approach of "preparation breeds success" when it comes to Data Structures.