How does UML support functional flow analysis and representation of processes?
Because the UML represents behavior at the system surface (functions), functional flow analysis is much simpler and easier to understand. The object-oriented method and tools provide an architectural process to understand the required behavior (the way people, organizations, and systems collaborate to achieve a desired effect). The UML encapsulates these service-oriented patterns of behavior (sequence diagrams) in UML activities. The UML activities align (operational or business process) using flow of controls, decision points and synchronizations to capture the business rules on Activity Diagrams or Interaction Overview Diagrams in UML 2.0. Our UML approach goes beyond traditional functional flow analysis. Our approach identifies real world data objects (DoDAF OV-7 entities) and binds them to functions shown in the signature of the message on the sequence diagram (Figure 5). Also shown in Figure 5, the use case instantiates (e.g., from start to finish completes one discrete set of dec
