UML can be used for business analysis, including creating models for current and proposed processes, capturing requirements, and designing computer applications. Different types of diagrams, such as swim lane, use case, class, activity, and sequence diagrams, can be used to highlight different aspects of business processes and system requirements. Swim lane diagrams can identify redundancies and inefficiencies in a process, while use case diagrams specify actors and activities that provide value to them. Class diagrams show types of objects and their relationships, while activity diagrams describe workflow and responsible parties. Sequence diagrams represent calls between objects in the order they occur.
Unified Modeling Language (UML) can be used for various aspects of business analysis. Models can be created by a business analyst (BA) to represent current and proposed business processes, driving organizational change. UML for business analysis can also be used to capture business requirements and to provide a starting point for designing and developing computer applications.
UML for business analysis offers different types of diagrams. Each type highlights some aspect of business processes or system requirements. These diagrams can include swim lane diagrams, use case diagrams, activity diagrams, and sequence diagrams.
A swim lane diagram can be used for both business process and requirements analysis. This diagram shows a particular process, the actors in the process, and the interactions between actors, which can represent how a unit of work moves between actors. These diagrams are usually easy for non-technical users to understand, so they can confirm that the diagram is correct. Swim lane diagrams also make it easy to visualize redundancies or inefficiencies in a process so that you can improve it. For example, if a work item returns multiple times to an actor, it is possible that the process could be made more efficient by combining activities with the work item that returns fewer times.
Use case diagrams specify at least one actor and an activity that provides value to the actors. For example, the actor can be Customer and the activity to be performed is Goods Order. This business analysis UML diagram simply shows the system requirements for a function that allows the actor to order goods.
Class diagrams are commonly used to help define business requirements for systems development. They show the types of objects, such as people or things, their relationships with each other and their attributes and operations. For example, an insurance company might have a policy management system with a class called Policies. The Policies class can have an attribute like owner and an action like payClaim.
Activity diagrams are useful for business process modeling because they describe workflow and can also be used as system requirements documents. An activity diagram will often show activities performed in sequence. The model often has beginnings and ends, decision points and indicates various responsible parties and their tasks. It also indicates which tasks can run concurrently.
Sequence diagrams are another UML tool for business analysis that can be used at the business process level to describe how business objects actually interact. These diagrams can also be used for requirements for new applications. They represent calls, or messages, between objects, in the order in which they occur.
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