IS Model

Information Systems Modelling



Abstract

Investigation of software projects has shown that requirements analysis is one of the most problematic activities in software development. Textual requirements specifications are difficult to develop, understand, review, and maintain. Graphical modeling is widely recognized as a more effective analysis tool. Software industry has adopted UML (Unified Modeling Language) as de facto standard in software modeling. UML defines a powerful, but also difficult to learn, modeling toolkit: 13 types of diagrams, more than 100 inter-related metaclasses used as modeling concepts, and possibility to define custom extensions. Since UML doesn't define modeling method, practitioners lack guidance on how to apply it efficiently to modeling software requirements, and apply it only fragmentally loosing many benefits that UML provides. In this paper, we present the analysis of modern requirements modeling techniques. Based on analysis results, we discuss how various domain and requirements analysis elements - semantic map of business concepts, lifecycles of business objects, business processes, business rules, system context diagram, use cases and their scenarios, constraints, and user interface prototypes - can be modeled using UML. We propose UML extensions and a practical UML-intensive framework necessary for concise requirements modeling. The application of this framework is demonstrated by modeling a case study - software system for library management - using customized MagicDraw UML environment. Our work is important for practitioners trying to adopt UML for requirements analysis and for scientists working on creating more detailed requirements analysis methods based on UML.



Information Systems Modelling

1. Current Situation in Requirements Analysis

Technical data is an important part of equipment system, it provides the most direct information support to equipment system's use, maintenance and training activities [1]. As the technical data information carrier, MSIS plays a more and more important role in equipment system's use, maintenance and training activities and so on. It has become the important factor that influences equipment system formation maintenance and fighting capacity. With various advanced technology and complicated structure of new equipments large Fielding forces, being developed or already included development program, the corresponding MSIS development and matching demanding have been increasing urgently.

Software development is getting more mature by advancing development processes, methods, and tools. However, the famous CHAOS Report statistics, published by Standish Group show that still only about one third of software projects can be called successful, i.e. they reach their goals within planned budget and on time . Research on post-mortem projects' analysis shows that the major problems come from requirements elicitation, analysis, specification, and management. Deploying successful requirements process in a concrete organization is an important issue. While companies continue to use text-based documents as major means for specifying and analyzing requirements, the graphical requirements modeling are getting increasingly more attention in industry. This trend increased after Object Management Group (OMG) standardized Unified Modeling Language (UML) , which has become de facto standard in industry.

A well-known saying tells us that one picture is worth a thousand words. It also applies in requirements analysis, where business people have to communicate with software developers, who ...