The importance of developing standards

[freeman3101]

Why is it important to develop UML modelling standards?

As a single modeller on your own it is easy to create models and in
the review of those models, understand the work that you do. This
changes significantly when modelling takes place in the team context
or when models are handed over for maintenance to someone else. The
majority of business and systems modelling are usually performed in
the team context and may ultimately end up with being maintained as
part of the production system artifacts.

When a modeller starts modelling and no guidelines or standards exist
against which the models can be benchmarked, it becomes very easy to
fall back on personal habits, approaches and idiosyncrasies. This
typically leads to models that are well-understood by the responsible
modeller but may be incomprehensible to the rest of the team, or the
person that ultimately becomes responsible for maintaining the model.

The answer to this dilemma is to develop UML standards that may be
used as a guideline for team based and enterprise modelling.

Developing UML standards is an important first step in achieving
consistency and efficiency in the team, or enterprise. Consistent
modelling means consistent understanding between the modellers and
their audience. Consistent modelling practices also make for easy
movement of resources between teams without extended learning curves.

The UML standards should be a formal document that is maintained by a
group of stakeholders that should act as custodians. Any changes or
additions to the standards should be vetted and approved by this
group.

Typically a UML standard should contain some of the following:
1. General modelling guidelines
2. Naming conventions
3. Methodology within which the modelling tasks are executed
4. Description of the individual diagrams and how it is used specific
to the team or the enterprise.
5. Descriptions of stereotypes and custom diagramming notation.
6. The process whereby the standard can be changed or added to.
7. Conditions under which the standard may be disregarded.

The ultimate aim of the UML standards should be to form the foundation
of all modelling in the team and enterprise, even to the extent that
the standards document can be used as the team's, or enterprise's
training document.

Happy modelling!