WS1 Workshop Monday 1400-1700

UML: What, Why, How?

David Parsons, Southampton Institute

This workshop explores the key aspects of the Unified Modelling Language version 1.1. It addresses the questions:

• What is the Unified Modeling Language?
• Why has it been developed and why should I want to use it?
• How do I draw the diagrams and how do they relate to the design process?

In this workshop, the notation and philosophy of the UML is contrasted with previous object-oriented design notations, particularly those that it supersedes (OMT, Booch, OOSE). Simple design exercises are used to introduce notation elements, and participants will be invited to share their own experiences of design notations and their responses to the UML.

The objective of this workshop is to introduce the UML notation and to encourage a critical discussion regarding the potential roles of different design processes, given that the UML itself is intended purely as a notation. The session will also enable participants to apply the UML to simple design problems using a range of processes.

Key topics

• Development of the UML
• UML diagrams and features
• UML class diagram notation
• UML use case diagram notation
• Types of interaction diagram
• The role of process in object-oriented design
• Available processes and their relationship to the UML
• Conclusions: pros and cons of the UML

UML Resources:

The main UML site is provided by Rational Corporation , where the 'three amigos' who wrote the UML (Rumbaugh, Booch and Jacobson) work

Among the many materials you can download are some sample chapters from 'UML Distilled', by Martin Fowler and Kendal Scott, a good introductory text. You can get this material (in a roundabout way - there's no direct URL) from the Addison-Wesley website - just type 'UML' into the quick search text box on the Addison-Wesley Computing and Engineering page where you will also find references to other UML titles.

[OT98] [Programme]