Unified Modeling Language (UML)

The Unified Modeling Language™ (UML is a visual language for specifying, constructing, and documenting the artifacts of software-intensive systems.

Complex software designs difficult for you to describe with text alone can readily be conveyed through diagrams using UML. Modeling provides three key benefits:

• Visualization
• Visualization
• Clear communication

You can use UML with all processes throughout the development lifecycle and across different implementation technologies.

UML was approved by the Object Management Group™ (OMG™) as a standard in 1997. Over the past few years, there have been minor modifications made to the language. UML 2 was the first major revision to the language.

Systems Modeling Language™ (SysML®)

In 2001, the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), along with the OMG, initiated an effort to develop a general purpose, graphical modeling language for systems engineering. Within a few years, the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) was born. Built as an extension of the Unified Modeling Language (UML), SysML has become the defacto standard language for modeling systems and systems-of-systems.

The SysML standard gives systems engineers and architects a much-needed way to collaborate using a common language that is specifically designed to support Systems Engineering. As a standard modeling language, SysML enables improved communications across engineering teams, while greatly enhancing their ability to manage ever-growing system complexity and to react to changes. Further, by enabling an electronic representation of the product design, SysML opens the door to analytics for faster and more effective decision-making across the entire systems development lifecycle.

IBM Rational can help you apply UML

• Resources: Articles, white papers, and tutorials to help you get started with UML or implement UML techniques.
• Products: Rational products that automate the practice of applying UML.
• Solutions: Information and resources on Model Driven Architecture®, a philosophy of how models should be used in the software development process.
• Industry Standards: A directory of links to the UML standards documentation and resources on the OMG website.

White paper: Safety Analysis using UML

Article: Using models to design business processes and services

Video: Smarter software delivery: From "design" to "done," faster
Domain specific modeling with IBM Rational Rhapsody