https://modernanalyst.com RSS feeds for Business Analyst Community & Resources | Modern Analyst 60 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/5438/Why-Modeling-Is-an-Essential-Business-Analysis-Technique.aspx#Comments 0 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=5438 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=5438&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/5438/Why-Modeling-Is-an-Essential-Business-Analysis-Technique.aspx Visual analysis models provide a powerful set of tools that let business analysts depict system information at various levels of abstraction. These models serve as an aid to understanding, as well as an aid to communicating. Alas, I fear that modeling is somewhat of a neglected practice. I believe modeling is an essential skill every BA should master. Here’s why. Transform VA Sun, 22 Mar 2020 14:27:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:5438 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/2020/End-to-End-UML-Case-Study-for-a-Stock-Broker.aspx#Comments 3 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=2020 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2020&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/2020/End-to-End-UML-Case-Study-for-a-Stock-Broker.aspx The problem with many Unified Modeling Language (UML) educational texts is that they present the various concepts each in isolation; so you see a use case diagram for one problem domain, a class diagram for an entirely different problem domain, and you never get to see the important traceability between the diagrams. In this case study we aim to put it right by working through a single problem from use cases and activity diagrams, through sequence diagrams and state diagrams, to class diagrams and component diagrams. We have arranged the case study as three distinct perspectives or aspects as follows. speeditonline Sun, 07 Aug 2016 23:27:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2020 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/1252/Complete-Business-Systems-Analysis-Model-UML-Example.aspx#Comments 5 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=1252 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=1252&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/1252/Complete-Business-Systems-Analysis-Model-UML-Example.aspx This is a complete example of a Business/Systems Analysis Model using UML and including: Use Cases, Activity Diagrams, Context Diagram, and more. baldrick Thu, 21 Aug 2014 13:01:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1252 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/2788/Verifying-Use-Cases-Data-Flow-Diagrams-Entity-Relationship-Diagrams-and-State-Diagrams-via-State-Linkages.aspx#Comments 4 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=2788 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2788&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/2788/Verifying-Use-Cases-Data-Flow-Diagrams-Entity-Relationship-Diagrams-and-State-Diagrams-via-State-Linkages.aspx The purpose of this brief article is to provide a simple example on how to link and verify four models: use case, data flow diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, and state diagrams. Note the word verify, not validate. Verify in this context means that the technique is consistent and complete, not that it reflects correct requirements. Transform VA Mon, 10 Mar 2014 09:32:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2788 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/2011/End-to-End-UML-Activity-Diagram.aspx#Comments 2 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=2011 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2011&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/2011/End-to-End-UML-Activity-Diagram.aspx Unified Modeling Language (UML) Activity Diagrams are rather like traditional flowcharts that may be used to describe the steps required to enact high level business processes or low level algorithms. From the software analyst’s perspective these diagrams are most useful for representing business processes, so this will be our focus here. Whereas activity diagrams are often relegated to the final chapters of the UML text books, I prefer to present them up-front as the logical starting point for any UML analysis and design endeavor. speeditonline Mon, 15 Jul 2013 06:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2011 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/1830/An-Introduction-to-Activity-Diagrams.aspx#Comments 6 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=1830 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=1830&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/1830/An-Introduction-to-Activity-Diagrams.aspx An activity diagram is a type of flowchart that is part of the UML (Unified Modeling Language) standard. Its purpose is to enable analysts to present a concrete, easy-to-follow visual of the workflow of a business use case. speeditonline Mon, 02 May 2011 10:37:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1830 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/1556/How-the-BA-Can-Take-Advantage-of-Free-Online-Diagramming-Tools.aspx#Comments 5 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=1556 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=1556&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/1556/How-the-BA-Can-Take-Advantage-of-Free-Online-Diagramming-Tools.aspx Almost every business analyst uses diagramming software in their arsenal of analysis tools. According to BABOK 2.0, an analyst’s traditional purpose in using diagramming tools is to “support the rapid drawing and documentation of a model, typically by providing a set of templates for a particular notation which are used to develop diagrams based on it.” Diagrams not only make requirements clearer to stakeholders through modeling, they help clarify an analyst’s thinking on a project through the process of their very creation. speeditonline Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:33:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1556 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/1500/From-Research-to-Implementation-Activity-Diagram-Usage-and-Benefits.aspx#Comments 10 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=1500 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=1500&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/1500/From-Research-to-Implementation-Activity-Diagram-Usage-and-Benefits.aspx As part of the Unified Modeling Language, Activity diagrams are often utilized for many software projects. However, a few questions about Activity diagrams linger in the minds of many Business Analysts, such as: Who is really using them? What kind of projects are they being used on? Why are people not using them? How are people using them? Are they providing any benefit?   speeditonline Mon, 27 Sep 2010 04:01:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1500 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/620/UML--Business-Context.aspx#Comments 2 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=620 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=620&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/620/UML--Business-Context.aspx “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 we’ll take a brief look at which of the 13 diagrams are of most relevance for us and how they fit together... Author: Jan Kusiak pddean Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:04:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:620 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/592/Stakeholder-Communications--Pictures-not-Words.aspx#Comments 5 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=592 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=592&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/592/Stakeholder-Communications--Pictures-not-Words.aspx Many people on our Business Analysis workshop ask why we use dataflow diagrams (DFDs). Why not Use Case…or even BPMN? After all DFDs have been around for 20 years, surely the world has moved on? Well, has it? The primary purpose of a business analyst is to communicate – to stakeholders and to solution providers – and when it comes to communication we all know that pictures (diagrams) are much more effective and less ambiguous than words. Remember the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words". The question is – which type of diagram best suits our needs? In this article, written by IRM's Training Services Manager Jan Kusiak, we’ll look at using diagrams for stakeholder communications. Author: Jan Kusiak pddean Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:37:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:592 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/353/Enterprise-Architect-for-Business-Analysts.aspx#Comments 7 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=353 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=353&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/353/Enterprise-Architect-for-Business-Analysts.aspx As a software architect and developer I’ve used Enterprise Architect (EA) from Sparx Systems (www.sparxsystems.com) for a number of years. In that time I’ve spent considerable time and energy trying to get our business analysts to do the same. While I’ve had some success I must admit it’s been an uphill battle. I suspect this is partly because EA is often seen as a technical person’s tool. And that’s not altogether surprising. Enterprise Architect – the name itself is completely misleading. EA is not only for people with the title ‘Enterprise Architect’. It’s for the entire project team, from BA’s to Testers and even for Clients. User Interface – for developers the user interface of EA is extremely familiar and intuitive. It looks like a lot of the tools they use already. For non-technical users more familiar with tools like Microsoft Office it is somewhat more intimidating. So, if you’re a Business Analyst looking for a tool that can help you do your job more effectively then read on. adrian Tue, 06 May 2008 04:35:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:353 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/10/Using-UML-Activity-Diagrams-for-the-Process-View.aspx#Comments 0 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=10 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=10&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/10/Using-UML-Activity-Diagrams-for-the-Process-View.aspx In this article, the focus shifts to a particular view in the 4+1 Architecture Views, defined by the Rational Unified Process. We will examine how to use Activity Diagrams as "roadmaps" for the Process View, to capture processing flows as a series of steps. We will also discuss several techniques for creating these diagrams and ensuring their effectiveness. Author: Ben Lieberman host Tue, 01 May 2007 17:54:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:10 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/8/UML-Activity-Diagrams-Versatile-Roadmaps-for-Understanding-System-Behavior.aspx#Comments 0 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=8 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=8&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/8/UML-Activity-Diagrams-Versatile-Roadmaps-for-Understanding-System-Behavior.aspx The core purpose of software development is to provide solutions to customers' real problems. Use cases are a vital aspect of a technique that has been used successfully to ensure that development projects actually focus on these problems. They are used to discover, capture, and present customer requirements in a form that is accessible to developers, testers, and other stakeholders in a development project. To detail a use case, it is critical to capture basic, alternate, and exceptional flows of execution, which represent major and minor threads of execution the system encounters as it processes customer requests. Using the "standard" use-case form, these flows can be captured using plain English to describe sequential activities. These descriptions are quite detailed, however, and they can be difficult to decipher -- especially within a complex set of use-case scenarios. This article describes another way to capture these flows: by using Unified Modeling Language (UML) Activity Diagrams that depict the flows as "roadmaps" of system functional behavior. These roadmaps are analogous to AAA (Automobile Association of America) roadmaps, in that they show what routes you can take but do not indicate whether you will take them. An AAA map, moreover, supplies only enough information to identify locations of interest, leaving detailed descriptions of the road for companion travel guides. Similarly, Activity Diagrams show a comprehensive summary of use-case flows but leave the design details up to other artifacts. We will also take a brief look at other ways to use Activity Diagrams during the development lifecycle. Author: Ben Lieberman host Tue, 01 May 2007 17:46:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:8 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/6/UML-Activity-Diagrams-Detailing-User-Interface-Navigation.aspx#Comments 0 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=6 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=6&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/6/UML-Activity-Diagrams-Detailing-User-Interface-Navigation.aspx The author illustrates how to use UML Activity Diagrams to capture and communicate the details of user interface navigation and functionality, and explain three stereotypes: presentation, exception, and connector. Author: Ben Lieberman host Tue, 01 May 2007 17:05:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:6 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/56/Process-Modeling-Notations-and-Workflow-Patterns.aspx#Comments 2 https://modernanalyst.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=115&ModuleID=572&ArticleID=56 https://modernanalyst.com:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=56&PortalID=0&TabID=115 https://modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/ID/56/Process-Modeling-Notations-and-Workflow-Patterns.aspx The research work of Wil van der Aalst, Arthur ter Hofstede, Bartek Kiepuszewski, and Alistair Barros has resulted in the identification of 21 patterns that describe the behavior of business processes. This paper reviews how two graphical process modeling notations, the BPMN Business Process Diagram from the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI), and the UML 2.0 Activity Diagram from the Object Management Group (OMG), can represent the workflow patterns. The solutions of the two notations are compared for technical ability to represent the patterns as well as their readability. Author: Stephen A. White adrian Fri, 23 Feb 2007 03:15:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:56