The Methodology-fit of UML: An Empirical Study of UML Adaptation
Minder Chen · 2012
UML has become a de facto standard for modeling software systems. The latest UML standard has 13 diagrams and has becoming more complex than ever. UML is just a modeling language which needs to fit in an overall methodology consisting of modeling techniques, IDE environment, CASE tools, and systems development life cycle. In a field study of developers using UML, we found that a set of common patterns as well as differences in UML usages in various organizations. By analyzing the field data, we have identified several adaptation patters of UML usages in the context of system development life cycle. These patterns are presented in detail. Contributions and future research direction are discussed.