UML - Business Context

“Where does UML fit?” is a common question among new (and not so new!) business analysts. We all know that the M stands for modelling but beyond this, perceptions start to differ. In its current form (V2.0) UML consists of 13 diagram types all of which provide a different view of a system.

In this article linked below we’ll take a brief look at which of the 13 diagrams are of most relevance for us and how they fit together.

For those of you new to diagramming techniques, think of an architect’s plans for a new house – there will be front, side and top views, electrical wiring and plumbing diagrams, plus specific diagrams for such things as foundations, load-bearing walls… etc.

As a business analyst we are primarily concerned with what our system (house) will do. For example we may specify that the house will have a home theatre, intercom, zoned climate control, keyless entry, etc. but we will not be doing the wiring diagram ourselves. This is done by the people who will be building the system (i.e. installing the electrics). However we can draw a diagram (a model) to show where the plasma screen, intercom and control panel should be and here is where the relevance of UML lies – we are using models (diagrams) to describe our system.

Download the full article here: