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| <mainDescription><h4> |
| Model key perspectives |
| </h4> |
| <p> |
| Modeling helps raise the level of abstraction because you simplify complex ideas and represent them visually, as |
| illustrations. Good models can convey information that helps the team visualize, specify, construct, and document |
| software. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) provides an industry-standard approach to software modeling. |
| </p> |
| <p> |
| When applying this strategy, you can use various techniques: |
| </p> |
| <ul> |
| <li> |
| <strong>Identify the key perspectives:</strong> Focus on modeling the things that count. Few (if any) projects |
| benefit from modeling the entire design to a great level of detail. Make sure that you understand why you are |
| modeling something and who will benefit. |
| </li> |
| <li> |
| <strong>Communicate key architectural perspectives:</strong> Even if you choose to model very little&nbsp;of your |
| design, it is often advantageous to produce diagrams that communicate the key architectural aspects of the system. |
| Conveying the "big picture" to the rest of the team helps them understand the overall approach and develop cohesive |
| software.&nbsp; |
| </li> |
| <li> |
| <strong>Sketch the design:</strong> Not all models need to be detailed completely and presented in a software |
| modeling tool. It is often perfectly acceptable (if not desirable) to produce hand-drawn sketches on paper or on a |
| whiteboard when you are exploring and communicating the architecture and design with your team. You can use a |
| digital camera or an electronic whiteboard to capture these diagrams and share them. For many small projects, this |
| is often all you need. See <a href="http://www.agilemodeling.com/">http://www.agilemodeling.com/</a> for more |
| information. |
| </li> |
| <li> |
| <strong>Use a modeling tool as needed</strong>:&nbsp;If the team members are changing models throughout the |
| project, sharing patterns/structure, debugging design, describing behavior, etc., then static photos or paper will |
| become difficult to work with. The team may want to capture design in a software modeling tool. Other than |
| communicating the design to the team, another benefit of a such a tool is the&nbsp;generation of structural code |
| from the models. Many software development tools allow you to view the code as models, making it easier to |
| comprehend static and dynamic aspects of a complex code base. |
| </li> |
| <li> |
| <strong>Agree on a standard notation:</strong> In a team environment, it is important that others can understand |
| your diagrams without much explanation. Choosing a standard notation enables others to quickly comprehend your |
| diagrams without ambiguity. The Unified Modeling Language is an example of a widely understood notation. |
| </li> |
| </ul></mainDescription> |
| </org.eclipse.epf.uma:ContentDescription> |