uml case study topics

UML Use Case Diagram Tutorial

Why use a uml diagram, i want to create my own use case diagram in lucidchart., i want to create a use case diagram from a lucidchart template..

The purpose of a use case diagram in UML is to demonstrate the different ways that a user might interact with a system. Create a professional diagram for nearly any use case using our UML diagram tool.

4 minute read

Do you want to create your own UML diagram? Try Lucidchart. It's fast, easy, and totally free.

What is a use case diagram?

In the Unified Modeling Language (UML), a use case diagram can summarize the details of your system's users (also known as actors) and their interactions with the system. To build one, you'll use a set of specialized symbols and connectors. An effective use case diagram can help your team discuss and represent:

Scenarios in which your system or application interacts with people, organizations, or external systems

Goals that your system or application helps those entities (known as actors) achieve

The scope of your system

When to apply use case diagrams

A use case diagram doesn't go into a lot of detail—for example, don't expect it to model the order in which steps are performed. Instead, a proper use case diagram depicts a high-level overview of the relationship between use cases, actors, and systems. Experts recommend that use case diagrams be used to supplement a more descriptive textual use case.

UML is the modeling toolkit that you can use to build your diagrams. Use cases are represented with a labeled oval shape. Stick figures represent actors in the process, and the actor's participation in the system is modeled with a line between the actor and use case. To depict the system boundary, draw a box around the use case itself.

UML use case diagrams are ideal for:

Representing the goals of system-user interactions

Defining and organizing functional requirements in a system

Specifying the context and requirements of a system

Modeling the basic flow of events in a use case

Use case diagram components

To answer the question, "What is a use case diagram?" you need to first understand its building blocks. Common components include:

Use case diagram symbols and notation

Associations:, system boundary boxes:, use case diagram examples, book publishing use case diagram example.

Railway reservation use case diagram example

You can adapt this template for any process where a customer purchases a service. With attractive color schemes, text that’s easy to read and edit, and a wide-ranging UML shape library, you’re ready to go! Click to try out this template on your own.

Chainsaw use case diagram example

Consider this example: A man with a chainsaw interacts with the environment around him. Depending on the situation and the context of the situation, he might fall into one of many different use cases. Does he seem to be on his way to work? Is there anything ominous about the way he is wielding his chainsaw? For example, if he is using the chainsaw in a non-occupational setting, we might have reason to think that he falls within the scope of "scary."

Additional Resources

• Communication Diagram Tutorial
• How to Draw a Sequence Diagram in UML
• All about composite structure diagrams
• System Sequence Diagrams in UML
• UML Sequence Diagram Tutorial
• State Machine Diagram Tutorial
• All about UML interaction diagrams
• All about UML package diagrams
• How to Draw an Object Diagram in UML
• How to Draw a Timing Diagram in UML
• How to Draw a Deployment Diagram in UML
• How to Draw a State Machine Diagram in UML
• How to Draw a Communication Diagram in UML
• How to Draw a Component Diagram in UML
• How to Draw a Class Diagram in UML
• Deployment Diagram Tutorial
• Timing Diagram Tutorial
• Object Diagram Tutorial
• UML Activity Diagram Tutorial
• What is Unified Modeling Language
• UML Class Diagram Tutorial
• Component Diagram Tutorial

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Blog Graphic Design 10 Use Case Diagram Examples (and How to Create Them)

10 Use Case Diagram Examples (and How to Create Them)

Written by: Letícia Fonseca Feb 15, 2022

Use case diagrams are a great tool that can help businesses and developers alike to design processes and systems.

By capturing requirements and expectations from a user’s point of view, they ensure the development of correct and efficient systems that will properly serve a user’s goals.

In this article, we will define what a use case diagram is and provide you with different use case diagram examples.

You can create your own use case diagrams using Venngage’s  Diagram Maker  and use case diagram templates . No design experience is required!

Click to jump ahead:

What is a use case diagram?

• 5 Use case diagram examples and templates that you can use

What are the benefits of a use case diagram?

Types of use case diagrams, what are the elements of a uml use case diagram, faqs about use case diagrams.

A use case diagram is a visual representation of the different ways and possible scenarios of using a system. It illustrates how a user will perform actions and interact with a particular system, such as a website or an app.

For example, this use case diagram depicts the different functions of a banking system for customers:

In Unified Modeling Language (UML), systems are presented at different levels of detail to show a specific perspective in the system’s design. Use case diagrams are considered UML diagrams.

UML diagrams define and organize the high-level functions and scope of a system. By modeling the basic flow of events in a use case, they help identify the goals that you need to achieve with every system-user interaction.

5 Use case diagram examples and templates that you can use:

Here are some use case diagram templates and examples to guide your diagram creation process:

Retail use case diagram

This use case diagram example depicts the internal functions and employee interactions within a retail system.

It features basic system functions represented by color-coordinated boxes to signify use cases based on the user’s role. A use case diagram like this can be of great use to retail stores with B2C e-commerce systems.

Design a use case or UML diagram that reflects your brand with Venngage’s My Brand Kit feature. 

Add your website when prompted and the editor automatically imports all your brand assets, including your logo, colors, and fonts.

Restaurant use case diagram

In this example, a restaurant’s daily operations serve as the system, the staff represent the actors, and their tasks are the use cases.

This use case diagram can be particularly helpful to restaurants or fast-food chains in terms of systemizing routine processes and presenting day-to-day activities to employees in a simpler and more orderly way.

Travel use case diagram

Here is a use case diagram that maps out how different types of users can engage with a travel booking website or application.

This comprehensive template includes extended use cases marked by dotted lines and arrows instead of simple lines. It can be scaled down or up for hotels, airlines, and other travel reservation systems.

Banking use case diagram

Designed for automated teller machine (ATM) systems, this use case diagram portrays different types of transactions as use cases.

As this example is very simple and contains only essential elements, it can be adapted for other banking systems like branch banking or online banking.

Consumer electronics store use case diagram

Last but not least, this use case diagram example illustrates how sales and management teams can use a retail system to carry out tasks.

It can be applied to retail systems for consumer electronics and home appliances, fast-moving consumer goods, and other retail sectors.

Ready to master use case diagrams? Check out our blog for everything you need to know and more use case diagram examples for your inspiration.

Use case diagrams can aid your development process with the following benefits:

• Guiding development:  Use case diagrams can help establish the cost and complexity of your system. It does so by specifying which functions become requirements that will make it to the development stage.
• User-driven approach:  Use case diagrams are written in natural language, which helps users easily understand them. Additionally, they provide businesses an excellent way to communicate with customers. Here is a use case diagram example that shows the basic transactional path of a banking customer:

• Simplifying solutions:  By breaking down solutions into practical functions or features, use case diagrams can decrease the complexity of the problem that your system is trying to solve.
• Tracking progress:  Use case diagrams can be used to monitor which use cases have been implemented, tested, and delivered and help you identify which functions work and which ones don’t.

Create use case diagrams that are easy to understand with Venngage’s extensive icon library. We offer 40,000+ icons, including diverse people icons, so your diagrams can reflect your users more accurately.

Double-click an icon in your chosen template, and choose from the options in the menu. 

There are many different  types of diagrams  that can be used for designing and representing systems and processes. As for UML use case diagrams, they are classified into two types: behavioral and structural UML diagrams.

Behavioral UML diagrams

Behavioral UML diagrams provide a standard way to visualize the design and behavior of a system. Under them are 7 other types of diagrams which are:

• Activity diagrams
• State machine diagrams
• Sequence diagrams
• Communication diagrams
• Interaction overview diagrams
• Timing diagrams
• Use case diagrams

As an example, this use case diagram portrays how an ATM system will behave or react when a customer or administrator performs an action.

Structural UML diagrams

Structural UML diagrams on the other hand focus on depicting the concepts involved in a system and how they relate to each other. There are also 7 types of structural UML diagrams:

• Class Diagram
• Component Diagram
• Deployment Diagram
• Object Diagram
• Package Diagram
• Profile Diagram
• Composite Structure Diagram

Use case diagrams contain a combination of different elements and specialized symbols and connectors. Whether you want your use case diagram to be simple or in-depth, it should include the following basic components:

• Actors  – An actor is anyone who performs an action using your system. Actors or users can be a person, an organization, or an external system. Actors are represented by stick figures in a use case diagram. In this example, the functions of a system are modeled for two types of actors: persons and organizations.

• System  – The system scope covers a sequence of actions and interactions between users and the system. To depict the system boundary, system boundary boxes are used to signify that a use case is within the scope of the system.
• Use cases  – Use cases are the different uses or applications that your system can offer users. Horizontally shaped ovals are used to symbolize use cases while lines are drawn to connect the user to the use case. Here is an example to illustrate the relationship between users and use cases:

• Goals  – The goal is the end result of a use case. An effective use case diagram should describe the activities involved in reaching the goals behind each use case.

What is included and not included in a use case diagram?

Use case diagrams describe the relationship between the users, the system, and its use cases. They do not need to go into a lot of detail and explain how the system operates internally. Here is a guide on what to include and what not to include in your use case diagram:

What to include:

• Who is using the system
• How the user will use the system
• What the user’s goal is
• What steps the user takes to accomplish a task
• How the system responds to a particular action

What not to include:

• The order in which steps are performed
• Details about user interfaces
• Programming language

When to apply use case diagrams

Here are some situations where applying use case diagrams can be particularly useful:

Early stages of system development:

• Gather and visualize requirements:  Capture the needs and goals of different user groups and how the system interacts with them.
• Define system scope:  Ensure you’re building the right features and functions based on user needs.
• Identify potential issues:  Spot inconsistencies or missing functionalities early on in the development process.

Communication and collaboration:

• Explain system functionality to stakeholders:  Offer a clear and concise visual representation of what the system does and how it works.
• Facilitate discussions and feedback:  Use the diagram as a starting point for discussions and encourage user input into the design process.
• Align teams on system goals:  Ensure everyone involved has a shared understanding of the user experience and system objectives.

Testing and documentation:

• Derive test cases:  Use the diagram to identify different use cases and scenarios to test the system functionality.
• Document system behavior:  Provide a clear and easily understandable reference for future maintenance and updates.
• Support ongoing communication:  Explain complex system features to new team members or users.

Beyond these situations, consider using use case diagrams when:

• You want to focus on the  “what” and “why”  instead of the technical details.
• You need to deal with  multiple user types  with different needs and functionalities.
• You want to  increase understanding and agreement  among stakeholders.

How do you write a use case diagram?

Writing a use case diagram involves deconstructing processes in order to reveal a basic overview of your system. Here are some steps that you can follow:

Step 1:  Identify the actors (users) who are going to be engaging with your system. Categorize each type of user based on their roles.

Step 2:  Pick one type of user and list what actions they would take using the system. Each action becomes a use case.

Step 3:  Create a goal for every use case. Identify what is required from the system to achieve these goals.

Step 4:  Structure the use cases. Include in the description for each use case the basic course of events that will happen when a user performs a certain action. It should describe what the user does and how the system responds.

Step 5:  Take into consideration alternate courses of events and add them to extend the use case.

Step 6:  Repeat steps 2-5 to create a use case diagram for each type of user.

What software is used to create a use case diagram?

There are various tools and software available for creating a use case diagram. For starters, you can try Microsoft Visio which is a diagramming and vector graphics application that is part of the Microsoft Office family.

You can also go for web-based software if you don’t want the hassle of downloading, installing, and updating programs. Venngage’s diagram features include pre-made use case diagram templates that you can customize for your business and development needs.

Don’t guess, visualize: Use case diagrams map how you gain from this system

Creating a use case diagram can help you illustrate how your system can fulfill the needs and goals of your users. Make sure to use Venngage’s  diagram maker  to create a successful use case diagram for your next project.

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UML Diagramming

DOI link for UML Diagramming

Get Citation

The Unified Modeling Language, better known as UML, has become the de facto standard modeling language for analyzing and designing software applications and systems. Software analysis and design is just as much an art as it is a science. UML Diagramming: A Catalog of Cases shows the art and the science behind successful software analysis and design with more than 35 case studies of applications of a variety of industries, including:

• Transportation
• Supply chain management
• Agriculture
• Manufacturing

The book explains UML diagramming through case studies to help systems and software developers specify, visualize, construct, and document the artifacts of software systems. The cases demonstrate how UML embodies software engineering best practices for modeling large and complex systems. They show how UML is an intuitive diagramming language that can be easily understood by end-users and business professionals. These cases studies also demonstrate how UML is a powerful language for communicating software designs to help developers and end users validate application scope, requirements, and features. Case studies highlighted in the book included:

• WEBMED healthcare service system services
• Inventory management system
• Business process outsourcing (BPO) management system
• Weather monitoring system
• Product recommendation system
• Textile management system
• Smart traffic management system
• Online pharmacy management system
• Placement automation system
• Farm management system
• Art gallery management system
• Website development

This catalog of UML case studies is an invaluable reference for students studying software engineering, programmers starting out their careers, and seasoned systems developers needing a reference guide.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter chapter 1 | 22  pages, introduction to uml diagrams and its components, chapter chapter 2 | 15  pages, design of uml diagrams for webmed – healthcare service system services, chapter chapter 3 | 19  pages, design of uml diagrams for inventory management system, chapter chapter 4 | 15  pages, design of uml diagrams for business process outsourcing (bpo) management system, chapter chapter 5 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for e-ticketing for buses, chapter chapter 6 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for weather monitoring system, chapter chapter 7 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for e-province, chapter chapter 8 | 7  pages, design of uml diagrams for digidoclocker, chapter chapter 9 | 10  pages, design of uml diagrams for online marketplace, chapter chapter 10 | 6  pages, design of uml diagrams for product recommendation system, chapter chapter 11 | 10  pages, design of uml diagrams for advocate diary, chapter chapter 12 | 7  pages, design of uml diagrams for my helper, chapter chapter 13 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for covid-19 management system, chapter chapter 14 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for car care, chapter chapter 15 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for e-ration shop, chapter chapter 16 | 7  pages, design of uml diagrams for textile management system, chapter chapter 17 | 6  pages, design of uml diagrams for national health id 2020, chapter chapter 18 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for device handout system, chapter chapter 19 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for online college magazine system, chapter chapter 20 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for crime bureau, chapter chapter 21 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for smart traffic management system, chapter chapter 22 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for job seeker portal system, chapter chapter 23 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for aarogya setu – health care app, chapter chapter 24 | 17  pages, design of uml diagrams for online pharmacy management system, chapter chapter 25 | 13  pages, design of uml diagrams for equihealth, chapter chapter 26 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for an ott-based system – mini reel, chapter chapter 27 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for e-med medical assistance tool, chapter chapter 28 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for diet care, chapter chapter 29 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for student counselling management system, chapter chapter 30 | 11  pages, design of uml diagrams for e-visa processing and follow-up system, chapter chapter 31 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for placement automation system, chapter chapter 32 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for farm management system, chapter chapter 33 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for green rides, chapter chapter 34 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for art gallery management system, chapter chapter 35 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for guide – dropshipping website, chapter chapter 36 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for online quiz system, chapter chapter 37 | 11  pages, design of uml diagrams for book bank management system, chapter chapter 38 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for website development, chapter chapter 39 | 8  pages, design of uml diagrams for startup meet, chapter chapter 40 | 9  pages, design of uml diagrams for video suggestion system.

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• Mastering UML Diagrams: Advanced UML Topics

This is post 14 of 14 in the series “Mastering UML Diagrams”

• Mastering UML Diagrams – Introduction to UML
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Structural Diagrams – Class Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Structural Diagrams – Object Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Structural Diagrams – Component Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Structural Diagrams – Deployment Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Structural Diagrams – Package Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Behavioral Diagrams – Use Case Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Behavioral Diagrams – Sequence Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Behavioral Diagrams – Activity Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Behavioral Diagrams – State Machine Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Behavioral Diagrams – Communication Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Interaction Diagrams – Timing Diagrams
• Mastering UML Diagrams: Interaction Diagrams – Interaction Overview Diagrams

Welcome to the final installment of our 14-part series on “Mastering UML Diagrams.” In this concluding article, we will dive deeper into advanced UML topics that will take your modeling skills to the next level. Our exploration will encompass UML modeling tools, best practices for creating effective UML diagrams, UML’s integration into agile development, its role in software documentation, and an extensive real-world UML case study. Let’s embark on this final journey into the intricate world of UML. 

Table of Contents

UML Modeling Tools

Popular uml modeling tools.

Selecting the right UML modeling tool is a pivotal step toward mastering advanced UML. Here, we delve into some popular options, each catering to different needs:

1. Enterprise Architect : This comprehensive tool is favored by large enterprises and offers robust support for all UML diagrams and a wide range of modeling techniques, including Business Process Modeling and Data Modeling.

2. Visual Paradigm : Known for its user-friendly interface and versatility, Visual Paradigm supports various UML diagrams and offers collaborative features for team-based projects. It also supports SysML for system engineering.

3. Lucidchart : A cloud-based diagramming tool that provides an intuitive interface for creating UML diagrams and is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. It also supports real-time collaboration.

4. IBM Rational Software Architect : Suitable for large-scale projects, this tool integrates seamlessly with other IBM software and offers advanced modeling capabilities along with support for various architectural frameworks.

5. Astah UML : Astah is a lightweight and affordable option that focuses on UML modeling, making it ideal for small to medium-sized projects. It’s known for its simplicity and ease of use.

6. PlantUML : A text-based tool that allows you to create UML diagrams using simple and intuitive syntax. It’s highly versatile and can be integrated into various documentation and development tools.

How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Needs

Selecting the appropriate UML modeling tool is paramount to your success in advanced UML modeling. Consider these key factors during the decision-making process:

1. Project Scope : Assess the scale and complexity of your project. For larger, enterprise-level projects, you may require a tool with more extensive features, while smaller projects may benefit from a simpler tool.

2. Team Collaboration : If you’re working in a team, prioritize tools that offer collaboration features like real-time editing, comments, and version control.

3. Integration : Evaluate whether the tool integrates well with other software and tools used in your organization’s workflow. Compatibility with version control systems can be crucial.

4. Cost : Understand your budget constraints. Some tools offer free versions or trial periods, while others require a substantial investment.

5. Ease of Use : Opt for a tool that aligns with your team’s proficiency and comfort levels with UML modeling. An intuitive interface can boost productivity.

6. Extensibility : Consider the extensibility of the tool, especially if you have specific requirements. Some tools support plugins and extensions to customize functionality.

UML Best Practices

Best practices for creating effective uml diagrams.

To truly master UML, it’s essential to adhere to best practices when creating UML diagrams. These guidelines will ensure your diagrams are not just comprehensive but also highly effective:

1. Keep it Simple : Strive for simplicity in your diagrams. Avoid unnecessary details and focus on conveying the essential information. Overly complex diagrams can confuse rather than clarify.

2. Consistency : Maintain a consistent notation and naming convention across all your diagrams to enhance readability and understanding among team members.

3. Modularity : Break down complex systems into manageable modules or subsystems. This approach simplifies diagram creation and makes it easier to understand and maintain.

4. Document Your Diagrams : Add documentation to your diagrams to explain complex relationships and dependencies. Descriptive labels and notes are invaluable for conveying context.

5. Review and Validation : Regularly review your diagrams with stakeholders to ensure accuracy and completeness. Validation ensures that your models accurately represent the software architecture.

Tips for Maintaining UML Diagrams Over Time

As projects evolve, UML diagrams must also adapt. Consider the following tips for maintaining UML diagrams effectively:

1. Regular Updates : Review and update your diagrams as the software architecture changes. Outdated diagrams can lead to confusion and misalignment with the actual system.

2. Version Control : Use version control systems to track changes made to your UML diagrams, ensuring you can revert to earlier versions if necessary. This practice enhances traceability and collaboration.

3. Collaborate with the Team : Involve team members in the diagram maintenance process. This collaborative approach ensures that everyone’s input is considered, leading to more accurate and valuable diagrams.

4. Reuse and Templates : Utilize diagram templates and elements that can be reused across different diagrams. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency in your modeling.

5. Tool Assistance : Leverage features in your UML modeling tool that assist in diagram maintenance, such as automated layout adjustments and validation checks.

UML in Agile Development

Incorporating uml into agile methodologies.

Agile development emphasizes flexibility and collaboration, making it an excellent fit for UML modeling. Here’s how to seamlessly incorporate UML into agile methodologies:

1. Just-In-Time Modeling : Create UML diagrams only when needed and avoid excessive upfront modeling, aligning with Agile’s adaptive nature. Focus on producing diagrams that support current sprint objectives.

2. User Stories : Use UML diagrams to visualize user stories, making it easier to understand and communicate requirements. Sequence diagrams, activity diagrams, and use case diagrams are particularly helpful in this context.

Agile-Friendly UML Practices

Adopt UML practices that complement agile development principles:

1. Incremental Modeling : Create UML diagrams incrementally as new requirements emerge or existing one’s change. This reduces the risk of creating unnecessary documentation that may become obsolete.

2. Collaborative Workshops : Conduct collaborative modeling sessions with team members, including developers, product owners, and business analysts. These workshops foster shared understanding and enable rapid decision-making.

3. Evolutionary Documentation : Recognize that UML diagrams are living documents that evolve with the project. Encourage continuous improvement and adaptation based on feedback and changing project dynamics.

UML in Software Documentation

Using uml diagrams for software documentation.

UML diagrams play a pivotal role in documenting software architecture and design. They provide visual representations that are invaluable for both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Here’s how to maximize their utility in software documentation:

1. Architecture Overview : Use UML class diagrams and package diagrams to provide a high-level architectural overview of the software system. This aids in understanding the structure and relationships of major components.

2. Behavioral Details : Employ UML sequence diagrams, state diagrams, and activity diagrams to document the dynamic behavior of the system. These diagrams help in describing how different parts of the system interact and respond to stimuli.

3. Deployment and Component Diagrams : Utilize deployment diagrams and component diagrams to illustrate the physical deployment of the software, including hardware components and dependencies.

Generating Documentation from UML Models

Many UML modeling tools offer the capability to automatically generate documentation from UML models. This process streamlines documentation creation and ensures consistency between diagrams and textual descriptions. Here’s how to make the most of this feature:

1. Templates : Customize documentation templates to match your organization’s standards and preferences. This ensures that the generated documentation aligns with your specific needs.

2. Automatic Updates : Whenever changes are made to UML diagrams, ensure that the generated documentation is automatically updated. This reduces the risk of documentation becoming outdated.

3. Cross-Referencing : Implement cross-referencing between UML diagrams and documentation. This allows readers to easily navigate between diagrams and related textual explanations.

Real-World UML Example and Case Study

To illustrate the practical application of advanced UML concepts, let’s delve into a comprehensive real-world case study. In this case study, we’ll consider a scenario where a software development team is tasked with designing a reservation system for a popular restaurant chain. We will create various UML diagrams to address different aspects of the system.

Scenario: Designing a Restaurant Reservation System

Problem Statement: The restaurant chain is looking to streamline its reservation process by creating a centralized reservation system. Customers should be able to make reservations online or via a mobile app. The system must manage table availability, reservation confirmations, and restaurant staff assignments.

UML Diagrams to Create:

1. Use Case Diagram : To define the system’s actors and use cases, including actors like “Customer” and “Restaurant Staff.”

2. Class Diagram : To model the key classes and their relationships, such as “Reservation,” “Customer,” and “Restaurant.”

3. Sequence Diagram : To illustrate the interactions between actors and objects during the reservation process.

4. Activity Diagram : To depict the workflow of making a reservation, from selecting a restaurant to receiving a confirmation.

5. Component Diagram : To show the various components of the reservation system, including the database, user interface, and external services.

6. Deployment Diagram : To represent the deployment architecture, including servers, databases, and communication between components.

7. State Diagram : To model the states and transitions of a reservation, such as “Pending,” “Confirmed,” and “Cancelled.”

Case Study Process:

1. Use Case Diagram : Begin by identifying the system’s actors, such as “Customer” and “Restaurant Staff.” Create use cases for actions like “Make Reservation,” “Cancel Reservation,” and “Assign Staff.”

2. Class Diagram : Define the main classes like “Reservation,” “Customer,” and “Restaurant.” Specify their attributes and associations. For instance, a reservation is associated with a customer and a restaurant.

3. Sequence Diagram : Create sequence diagrams for typical reservation scenarios, such as “Customer Makes a Reservation” and “Staff Assigns a Table.” Show the interactions between actors and objects.

4. Activity Diagram : Develop an activity diagram illustrating the steps a customer takes to make a reservation, including selecting a restaurant, choosing a date and time, and confirming the reservation.

5. Component Diagram : Model the components of the reservation system, including the user interface, application server, database server, and external services like payment gateways.

6. Deployment Diagram : Depict the deployment architecture, showing how components are distributed across servers and how they communicate.

7. State Diagram : Define the possible states of a reservation, such as “Pending,” “Confirmed,” and “Cancelled.” Specify the transitions between these states.

Throughout this case study, each UML diagram plays a crucial role in modeling different aspects of the reservation system. By employing UML, the development team can ensure a shared understanding of the system’s requirements, architecture, and behavior among all stakeholders.

Congratulations on reaching the culmination of our 14-part series on “Mastering UML Diagrams.” In this final article, we’ve delved into advanced UML topics, including selecting the right UML modeling tool, best practices for effective diagram creation and maintenance, integrating UML into agile methodologies, using UML for comprehensive software documentation, and an extensive real-world UML case study.

With this in-depth understanding of UML, you’re well-prepared to tackle complex modeling tasks, contribute to successful software development projects, and continue your journey toward mastery. Remember that mastery comes with practice and continuous learning. We hope this series has been a valuable resource in your UML journey, and we wish you continued success in your endeavors! Thank you for joining us on this educational journey.

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UML – Use Case Diagram – Tutorial With Examples

Comprehensive guide to Use Case Diagram including its components, benefits, examples, etc. Also learn the step-by-step directions to draw Use Case Diagrams:

Any real-world system has multiple users and the representation of the system should consider the perspective of all users. UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a visual representation of a system. The system can be a software as well as a non-software application.

Software UML diagrams present different perspectives of the system, mainly the design, implementation, process, and deployment. It is referred to by software personnel, business users, and all interested in understanding the said system.

A Use Case diagram is a UML diagram that represents the dynamic model of the system and is referred to as a ‘Behavior diagram’ describing the system.

Table of Contents:

Objective Of UML Use Case Diagrams

Multiplicity of use case and actor, relationship: exclude and include, to-do list before drawing use-case diagram, project document sample, draw use case diagram: step-by-step guideline, use case diagram examples, frequently asked questions, was this helpful, recommended reading, what is use case diagram.

Use Case diagram represents the system’s functionality connecting all four perspectives, i.e. design, implementation, process, and deployment. For every single functionality representation, a fresh diagram is used. Hence multiple use case diagrams represent the complete system.

The main purpose is to present all functional requirements of the system diagrammatically to all the users who can access the functionality. The presentation is from the perspective of all users giving a high-level design and basic flow of events of the system.

It represented the collaboration and interdependence of the functionality and users in a very easy and understandable manner. The observable outcome of the functionality to the actor and other stakeholders of the system is shown with clarity.

It also presents the functionality’s exceptions, pre-condition, and post-condition. The diagrams do not give the details of deployment, the trigger of the event, etc.

The benefits are as follows:

• Using a Case diagram is a functional requirement documentation technique. It elicits the functionality as a black box with all the users who have access or a role in it.
• They are presented in a simple and non-technical way, easy to understand by all technical and business users.
• They bring customers, and all other users on the same page, making communication easy.
• It presents a large complex project as a set of small functionalities.
• It is presented from the end user’s perspective, making it easy for the developers to understand the business purpose.
• The association presented between actors and other external applications brings clarity to the validations and checking required for the wholesome verification of the system.
• Using Case driven project development and tracking approach help in assessing the progress of the project from a functionality readiness point of view. The key development activity status enables the project heads to present the readiness from a customer deliverable point of view.
• The project development can be prioritized as per key deliverable functionalities facilitating better control and management of project revenue.

Listed below are some important components of Use Case diagrams:

#1) System: It is also referred to as scenario or functionality. It details a set of actions between actors and the data consumed and produced if any. Notation of System Boundary (Subject) is a rectangle with the System’s name on top of the rectangle.

All use cases or functionality of the specific system are located inside the rectangle. The actors accessing the system are placed outside the system boundary.

#2) Use Case: It represents a functional unit of a large application. Notation is horizontally shaped oval and is located inside the System boundary rectangle indicating that the use case applies to the mentioned subject. A specific use case can be referred to by other systems as well.

So the system is not the owner of the use case. The interactions and actions between events, actors, and the data lead to the end result which is the Use Case goal.

#3) Actor: The actor is the entity that interacts with the subject. The actor is external to the subject and hence lies outside the system’s boundary. Actors’ naming should represent the role they play in the system, e.g. Customer, Student, Web-User, etc. Notation is the “ stick man ” icon with the actor’s name above or below the icon.

Custom icons can also be used to denote actors to represent the actor with more clarity. The actor using the use case services is called the primary actor and the actor maintaining or providing services to the use case is called the supporting actor.

#4) Relationship and Associations: The actors and use cases have an association with each other. The notation, a line with an arrow, shows a generalized relationship between the two components. In the example below ‘Registered-User’ and ‘New-User’ are generalized to ‘Web-Browser’.

A line between the use case and an actor denotes a communication link between them. Association between actors and use cases can only be binary. A use case can be linked to multiple actors and an actor could also be associated with multiple use cases.

Suggested Reading =>> Entity-Relationship Diagram tutorial

The multiplicity of Use Case:

When a use case can be associated with multiple Actors, then it’s a case of multiplicity of a use case. For example, as shown in the above image “Notation- Relationship And Association”, View-Courses’ is associated with two actors–‘New-User’ and ‘Registered-User’.

The multiplicity of an Actor

#1) Multiplicity of an Actor is an association represented by a number and can be zero to any number.

#2) Multiplicity zero – It means the use case may have an instance of no actor.

#3) Multiplicity One – It means one actor is a must for the use case.

#4) Refer to the diagram of the ‘Online Training Website’ explained below:

• When the course payment use case is processed through cash payment, the bank payment service will not be required. Hence the multiplicity of actor ‘Bank-Payment-Service’ can be 0.
• For accessing ‘View-Course’ one actor ‘New-User’ is a must hence multiplicity of this association is 1.

#5) Multiplicity greater than 1 – means there can be multiple actors involved in a use case instance. Multiple actors can be associated concurrently or at different points of time or sequentially.

• The multiplicity of an actor more than one is rare. Consider a use case diagram of a marathon-race game where multiple players run concurrently in a given instance of race. So Multiplicity of the actor (player) will be greater than 1 and concurrent.
• Consider a use case diagram of a chess game. Two players will be associated but sequentially as the steps taken by each player are not in parallel but in sequence in an instance of a chess game.
• In a use case diagram depicting the activity of a single relay-race team, multiple players will be associated but at different points in time. In an instance of race, all team members of one team are active at a different point in time.

Relationship Extend

• Extend is a relationship between two use cases. One is called the extended use case and the other extending use case.
• It is a directed relationship from the extending to the extended use case.
• The extended use case is independent and complete on its own and is the owner of the extended relationship.
• The extended use case has no relevance independently, and it just adds value to the extended use case.
• Notation is a dashed line with an open arrowhead labeled with the keyword «extend».
• The Extended Use Case name can have names of all its extending use cases as well.
• A specific use case can be extended by more than one use case.
• The extending use case can be extended further also.
• The condition which triggers the extension use case and the detail of the extension point is mentioned in a comment note and are optional

Relationship Include

• Include the relationship between use cases denotes that the behavior of the included use case is part of the base use case
• Include helps in breaking a large use case into smaller manageable use cases. A base use case can have multiple included use cases.
• Include also helps in not repeating a specific behavior, which is commonly referred to by different use cases.
• The common part is depicted in the included use case and is associated with all the use cases where it is referred.
• The included use case needs the included use case for completion. So Include cannot be depicted alone.
• Notation is a dashed arrow with an arrowhead from the included base use case to the included common part use case. The relationship notation is labeled with the keyword «include»
• An included use case can include another use case. Refer to Example 3 shown below in this tutorial, where Search doc includes Preview doc, which includes Browse docs.

Refer to the diagram of the ‘Online Training Website’ explained below:

• For joining a course, the user needs to search the course, select it and make payment. Hence the two use cases ‘View-Courses’ and ‘Course-payment’ are included in the ‘Join-a-Course’ use case.
• ‘View-Courses’ can be accessed by actor ‘New-User’ and also ‘Registered-User’. Hence the use case is separated to enable access to two actors.
• ‘Course-payment’ is separated to make the base use of ‘Join-a-Course’ less complex.

For a better understanding of all the components, please refer to the section “Step by step Guideline to Draw Use Case Diagram”.

Listed below are some readiness points before starting to draw a use case diagram to represent a System:

#1) Project broken down into multiple small functionalities

• Understand the complex large project and break it down into multiple functionalities and start documenting the detail of each functionality.

#2) Identify the goal and prioritize

• Start listing each functionality identified with the goal to be achieved by the functionality.
• Prioritize the identified functionality as per the business deliverable plan.

#3) Functionality Scope

• Understand the scope of the functionality and draw the system boundary.
• Identify all the use cases that need to be part of the system to achieve the goal.
• List all the actors (users and services) that have a role in the system. An actor can be a human, internal, and external application that can interact with the functionality.

#4) Identify relationship and association

• Have clarity in the relationships and interdependency between use cases and actors.

#5) Identify Extension and Inclusion Use cases

• List all the use cases with extension or Include a use case for it.

#6) Identify Multiplicity

• Find multiplicity of Use cases and Actors, if any.

#7) Naming Use Case and actors

• Follow a standard in naming the use cases and actors. The name should be self-explanatory.
• The name referred to for a specific user/use case should be the same across the whole project.
• A brief detail of use case functionality and the actors with access to the use case should be summarized under a specific section in the document.

#8) Important note points

• Clarify and highlight important points using Notes without overburdening the use case with notes.
• Review and validate the document before starting the drawing of the use cases.

The drawing of a specific system Use Case diagram should start only after the above details are documented and approved. An approved system’s drawing can be started while the overall project’s details are still being gathered and documentation is in progress.

Refer to the Sample document prepared which is a deliverable.

• The document helps in preparing for the Use Case depiction of the system, scheduling the Use case drawing, tracking the progress of the development, etc.
• The ‘List of System’ enables to schedule of the System that can be picked for Use Case drawing, i.e. one whose status is approved.
• The ‘List of Use Cases‘ and ‘List of Actors’ detail the use cases and actors in the scope of the system.

Document Sample

Project Name: Online Training Website

List of Actors of the Project

List of Use Cases/Activities

List of System (Functionality list)

The current section explains the step-by-step approach to drawing a Use Case diagram. Refer to the ‘Document Sample’ and select the ‘System’ with the status – Approved i.e. ‘Online Training Registration. Change the status to Use Case Diagram ‘started’ to facilitate progress tracking of each System.

Understand the system by referring to the brief and scope of the System detailed in the ‘List of System’ section of the document.

• Draw the System Boundary and name the system

• Draw the actors by referring to the column ‘Allowed actors’ in the ‘List of System’ section and name them as per the project standard icon and names as described in the ‘List of Actors’ section of the document.
• The actors ‘New-User’, ‘Registered-User’, and ‘Employee–Cashier’ are the primary actors of the system.
• The other two support service actors, i.e. the ‘Bank-Payment-Service’ and the ‘User-Authentication-Service’ are the supporting actors.

Draw the use case in the scope of the system by referring to the column ‘Use Case names’ in the ‘List of System’ section and name the use cases as mentioned in the ‘List of Use Cases‘ section of the document.

Add the Include and extension use cases for the in-scope use cases by referring to the ‘List of Use Cases‘ section of the document. ‘Join-a-Course’ includes two Use cases–‘Course-payment’ and ‘View-Courses’. Establish the association with a dash-line starting from the base use case with an arrow pointing to the included two use cases.

Depict ‘Register-User’ with its two extension points with ‘Register-help’ and ‘Location-Search-help’ and associate it with a dashed line and an arrow pointing to ‘Register-User’.

The Note feature can be added as shown in the diagram to give details.

Establish the link between the actors and the Use cases. The column ‘Allowed Actors/Multiplicity number of Actor’ in the ‘List of Use Cases‘ section of the document gives all the actors to Use case association.

There can be some actor that is allowed by the Use case but they do not have any role in the current system being depicted. Like the actor ‘Instructor’ that can access use case ‘View-Courses’ but does not have a role in the current system being depicted.

This completes the ‘Online Training Registration’ system depiction.

Example 1: This diagram represents a system named Student Management System that has five functionalities in scope.

There are two user roles, i.e. Actor who have access to the system. Actors, Teachers, and students have access to functionalities to check timetables, check grades, and check attendance. The access to functionalities update attendance and update grades are only for actor Teachers.

[image source ]

Example 2: This diagram represents Online Shopping System that has three independent functionalities in scope. Complete checkout and view items are two included functionality of Make purchase.

The primary actor is the Customer and there are four supporting actors which are services like identity providers, service authentication, and external applications like PayPal, Credit payment services.

Example 3: This diagram represents a system Website that has 7 functionalities in scope. There are two Actors Webmaster and the Site user. The Search Doc functionality has two included functionalities Preview doc and Download doc.

The Preview doc includes Browse doc functionality. There are two extension points one for each use case Upload doc and Add user.

Q #1) What is the difference between a use case diagram and a use case?

Answer: Use case diagram depicts an application/system, its users, and use cases in the scope of the system. A use case represents one specific task to achieve a goal by a user that is in the scope of the system.

Q #2) What information is contained in a use case diagram?

Answer: This diagram summarizes the tasks in the scope of the system by detailing the tasks (use cases) and their users (actors). The details are presented pictorially, giving interactions between all the components presented.

Q #3) What is an example of a use case?

Answer: A use case describes the functionality of a process. Some example of business use case is system login, placing an online order, making payment, etc.

Q #4) What is included in the use case diagram?

Answer: It mainly consists of a system boundary with use cases, actors, and their relationships.

Q #5) Name a few UML diagram tools.

Answer: Some popular UML tools are – Lucid chart, EdrawMax , Moqups, Visual Paradigm, Sketchboard, Gliffy, Creately, SmartDraw.

The UML Use Case diagrams capture the dynamic nature of the system. They present all the users of the system and all the functionalities supported by the system. The functional requirements from the perspective of all internal and external users is captured and represented.

The first component of the Use Case diagram is the system scope called the system boundary or the subject. All the tasks covered under the system’s subject are the use cases. The roles and services that have access to the functionalities considered under the specific system are called actors. The diagram depicts the relationship between use cases and actors.

Also, Read =>> What is Use Case Testing

Thi diagram presents the functional requirement in an easy-to-understand way and helps in communication, and clarity and facilitates tracking the development too.

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agile methodology , quality assurance , Unified Modeling Language

Mar 10, 2020 | 4 Minute Read

Case Study: Creating UML Diagrams For Better Product Quality

By: Parita Patel, QA Engineer - L2

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Table of contents, introduction.

The very nature of agile software development is such that requirements change over time. This, in turn, translates into the need to track requirements constantly and meticulously. This can prove to be a hassle in the case of long-standing projects with multiple stakeholders. There is only so much documentation possible within scrum teams, and constantly reading through changes can lead to fatigue and a warped understanding. 

This is where visualization comes in. The use of visualization techniques in discussing business scenarios makes the entire process less tedious and more intuitive, and serves as a handy tool for collaboration. 

In this case study, we showcase how we handled complex, changing requirements using Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams to capture workflows. 

The nature of the requirement

In this particular case, the end customer wanted a tracking system to handle their orders through various stakeholders. These orders were typically for custom office supplies and needs. A catalog was to be made available, through which registered customers could select and customize items per their needs. They could then place orders which would be fulfilled by vendors specializing in such customizations. 

Their customer base was huge and spread across various organizations, and vendors had to be mapped in such a way that order fulfillment could happen within the agreed upon SLA. 

It was hard to zero in on the workflow accurately at the initial stages. But through successive iterations, we were able to get a firm grasp of the workflow. 

a) First Iteration

• Customer places order
• Order assigned to vendor
• Customer approves of the order and assigns it to the manager
• Order approved by manager
• Order is fulfilled by the vendor
• Order closed

See the diagram Iteration 1.0 below. 

Iteration 1.0 of the workflow as a UML diagram

b) Second Iteration

The second iteration of requirements review involved the addition of more functionality to the workflow, in terms of a rejection mechanism, vendor fee and a separate order fulfillment cycle. 

The workflow changed to:

• Order assigned to vendor for providing cost plus fee
• Order assigned to customer 
• Customer assigns order to manager for approval
• Manager can reject package to either of the vendors
• Vendors update the order with relevant information
• Manager approves order
• Vendor completes order through various stages of fulfilment (shipping, delivery, dispatch) 

See diagram Iteration 2 below.

Iteration 2.0, where more functionality was added

c) Third Iteration 

The third iteration of requirements review involved the addition of manufacturers and suppliers, and tracking of orders through them. We had to figure out how manufacturers and suppliers were mapped to the vendors, and further, how this would affect the workflow. 

The workflow expanded to the one below: 

• Order passes through one vendor based on delivery location
• Order is assigned to a specified manufacturer based on the vendor assigned
• Order is assigned to a supplier based on the manufacturer
• Order assigned to customer
• Order assigned to manager

See diagram Iteration 3.0 below.

Iteration 3.0, involving manufacturers, suppliers, and order tracking 

d) Fourth Iteration

Through further review with the relevant stakeholders, it was decided that the order delivery location decided which vendor would pick up the order. This meant that we had to restructure the entire vendor registration and assignment modules. The customer also wanted a mechanism where users could raise issues against orders, and this raised the need for a sub-workflow within the workflow, with rejection at various stages of the order fulfillment process. 

• Vendor works through the order through various stages of fulfilment (shipping, delivery, dispatch) 
• Customer can raise an issue at any stage of fulfilment
• Order closed after issue resolution and the customer’s acknowledgement

See diagram Iteration 4 below.

Iteration 4.0, which involved significant restructuring

During the initial phases of product discovery and development, we found it increasingly difficult to keep track of the changes for users and the impact each change would have on the overall workflow cycle. This was when we decided to recreate these workflows and their iterations as UML diagrams and use them as a tool to collaborate with the client and ask the right questions. Over time, the UML diagrams enabled us to envisage how the customer journey would be in real time and analyze impact. They also helped us maintain requirement versions and were an important tool for QA activities. 

UML diagrams as a Business Analysis tool

Creating these UML workflow diagrams helped us review the requirements before even delving into the design/development phase. Through this review, we were able to question the various use cases that would be followed, the nature of different roles and any overlaps. As a result, we were able to clarify any ambiguities in requirements, and this ensured that we were on the right track to building software per the need of the client. 

UML diagrams as a QA enabler

The QA team was able to draw test scenarios from these workflow diagrams, which further helped in detailing out test cases. We could validate the test coverage of all workflow state transitions by means of mapping the test cases to various nodes in the workflows. These diagrams also served as a ready reckoner for refreshing our knowledge and assisted us in explaining defects/misses in the workflow. Team communication over defect triages was simplified as we could use these diagrams as our requirement basis.

Over a period of time, as the requirements evolved, we ensured that we kept these diagrams updated. This helped us gain insights into future requirements for customers and/or to suggest improvements. We also started using this UML documentation of workflows as a knowledge transfer (KT) tool to onboard new resources. 

Overall benefits

• Worked as a visual aid for conversations around product improvement
• Enabled quicker product discovery and served as an impact analysis tool
• Enabled quick onboarding of new project team members
• Effective demo/KT to client team members
• Worked as a static testing tool
• Assisted in test case preparation and test coverage validation
• Worked as a key visual aid to validate the workflow during test execution
• Living documentation of project needs

The visual representation of requirements enabled us to arrive at quicker decisions, align on our needs and priorities and ensured a smooth transition between various SDLC phases. Having visual aids for tracking agile requirements yielded us tangible results in the long run, and enabled us to build the product with a quicker turnaround time and in line with customer expectations.

Parita Patel, QA Engineer - L2

She loves singing and being around children and the elderly, and can’t stand the sight of a bug in her food! Off work, you’ll find her spending quality time with her family.

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UML Diagramming A Case Study Approach

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Description

The Unified Modeling Language, better known as UML, has become the de facto standard modeling language for analyzing and designing software applications and systems. Software analysis and design is just as much an art as it is a science. UML Diagramming: A Catalog of Cases shows the art and the science behind successful software analysis and design with more than 35 case studies of applications of a variety of industries, including: Transportation Healthcare Supply chain management Education Agriculture Manufacturing The book explains UML diagramming through case studies to help systems and software developers specify, visualize, construct, and document the artifacts of software systems. The cases demonstrate how UML embodies software engineering best practices for modeling large and complex systems. They show how UML is an intuitive diagramming language that can be easily understood by end-users and business professionals. These cases studies also demonstrate how UML is a powerful language for communicating software designs to help developers and end users validate application scope, requirements, and features. Case studies highlighted in the book included: WEBMED healthcare service system services Inventory management system Business process outsourcing (BPO) management system Weather monitoring system Product recommendation system Textile management system Smart traffic management system Online pharmacy management system Placement automation system Farm management system Art gallery management system Website development This catalog of UML case studies is an invaluable reference for students studying software engineering, programmers starting out their careers, and seasoned systems developers needing a reference guide.

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Dr. S. Suriya B.E, M.E, Ph.D., is an associate professor, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India.

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UML Use Case Diagram Examples

Here we provide some examples of UML use case diagrams .

Examples of business use case diagrams

Purpose : An example of a business use case diagram for airport check-in and security screening.

Summary : Business use cases are Individual Check-In, Group Check-In (for groups of tourists), Security Screening, etc. - representing business functions or processes taking place in an airport and serving needs of passengers.

Purpose : Two alternative examples of business use case diagram for a Restaurant - external and internal business views of a restaurant.

Summary : Several business actors having some needs and goals as related to the restaurant and business use cases expressing expectations of the actors from the business.

Examples of system use case diagrams

Purpose : Show that ticket vending machine allows commuters to buy tickets.

Summary : The ultimate goal of a Commuter in relation to our ticket vending machine is to buy a ticket. We have a single Purchase Ticket use case, as this vending machine is not providing any other services. Ticket vending machine is a subject of the example use case diagram. Commuter and Bank are our actors , both participating in the Purchase Ticket use case .

Purpose : Describe use cases that an automated teller machine (ATM) or the automatic banking machine (ABM) provides to the bank customers.

Summary : Customer uses a bank ATM to check balances of his/her bank accounts, deposit funds, withdraw cash and/or transfer funds (use cases). ATM Technician provides maintenance and repairs to the ATM.

Purpose : An example of use cases for a Point of Sale (POS) Terminal or Checkout in a supermarket.

Summary : Checkout use case involves Customer, Clerk and Credit Payment Service actors and includes scanning items, calculating total and taxes, and payment use cases. This is an example of a large and complex use case split into several smaller use cases.

Purpose : List top level use cases for e-Library online public access catalog.

Summary : Patrons of a library can search library catalog online to locate various resources - books, periodicals, audio and visual materials, or other items under control of the library. Patrons may reserve or renew item, provide feedback, and manage their account.

Purpose : Provide top level use cases for a web customer making purchases online.

Summary : Web customer actor uses some web site to make purchases online. Top level use cases are View Items , Make Purchase and Client Register .

Purpose : Define major use cases for a credit card processing system ( credit card payment gateway ).

Summary : The merchant submits a credit card transaction request to the credit card payment gateway on behalf of a customer. Bank which issued customer's credit card is actor which could approve or reject the transaction. If transaction is approved, funds will be transferred to merchant's bank account.

Purpose : Website management or administration UML use case diagrams example.

Summary : Website Administrator actor could manage user groups, users, user sessions, and logs. Help Desk staff uses a subset of functions available to the Website Administrator.

Purpose: Describe major services (functionality) provided by a hospital's reception.

Summary : This UML use case diagram example shows actor and use cases for a hospital's reception. Hospital Reception subsystem or module supports some of the many job duties of a hospital receptionist. Receptionist schedules patient's appointment and admission to the hospital, collects information from the patient by phone and/or upon patient's arrival to the hospital.

For the patient that will stay in the hospital ("inpatient") she or he should have a bed allotted in a ward. Receptionists might also receive patient's payments, record them in a database and provide receipts, file insurance claims and medical reports.

Purpose: Radiology diagnostic reporting UML use case diagram example for Simple Image and Numeric Report (SINR) IHE Radiology Integration Profile.

Summary : In the initial stage of diagnostic reporting, a reading physician records a diagnosis by generating a draft DICOM Structured Report (SR) object. Report Creator actor transmits that DICOM SR object to the Report Manager. External Report Repository Access actor is a gateway to obtain other enterprise department reports, such as Laboratory and Pathology, from within the Imaging department.

Purpose: Use case diagram example shows some simplified view of software licensing use cases supported by Sentinel EMS Application.

Summary : Sentinel License Development Kit (Sentinel LDK) is a Software Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution by SafeNet Inc. that delivers strong copy protection, protection for Intellectual Property (IP), and secure and flexible licensing. The Sentinel EMS application handles three major workflows - license planning, order processing and production, and activation of trial software.

UML Use Case Examples

What is a Use Case Diagram?

When a system software is in the developing phase, then for making it perform efficiently, the developers specify different use cases to check the possible behavior of the software in different cases or situations. This diagram shows us the possible behavior of how the software will perform.

The benefit of using the use case diagram is that we develop the system with the user in mind. It is the best way to meet the requirements of the end-user. The use case diagram illustrates the relationship between the multiple use-cases, actors, and systems. The best practice is that the use case diagram should be small and crispy. The use case diagram specifies how a system will perform, which is why it shows only the functionality of the system.

Use Case Diagram Notation

In this section, we will talk about the four basic types of use case diagram notations. They are as follows.

The use cases tell us about how the system will perform in different cases. These use cases are made by keeping in mind what a user wants from the system. Depending on the user's wants and needs, the use cases are made, and then the system is developed and tested according to these cases.

An actor is simply the end-user. That can be anyone, a human, an organization, a machine, or anything. The actors are placed with different cases on the diagram to illustrate how the user will interact with the system.

The subsystems in the UML are the different fixed systems that behave independently in a system. They are used in UML diagrams to represent different units in the system.

Relationships in the Use Case Diagram

They show the relationship between the model elements. It shows the behavior between model elements.

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Use Case Diagram Examples of Common Scenarios

This section will present multiple practical use case diagram examples that will clear out the mind and concept.

1. Use Case Diagram for ATM

The Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is the banking subsystem that enables the end-users to interact with the multiple functionalities of the bank like transactions, depositing, etc.

In this diagram, we have two actors, the customer, and the technician. The customer needs to check the balance, withdraw cash, deposit funds, and transfer funds. All these functionalities are the use cases. The technician repairs and maintains the ATM so that customers have no complaints. These are the use-cases too.

There is a relationship between the bank and the ATM because the user will only do such acts when the bank authenticates them.

2. Use Case Diagram for Website

In the above diagram, the site user and the webmaster are the actors of the UML diagram. The site user wants to search for documents, browse documents, and view events. These are the use cases or the functionality the user wants to do. The download and preview documents are the use cases too, and they are in relation to each other based on user requirements.

The webmaster upload documents, post new events to the homepage and add a user and these use cases are in relation with the managed folders and add company but still based on what the actor wants.

3. Use Case Diagram for Library Management System

In the diagram, we can see the multiple actors: staff and the student, librarian, and library database. And we have dozens of use cases like authenticating, reserve a book, renewing a book, paying a fine, etc. Some use cases are related to each other, like invalid renewal and renewing a book, registering a new user, getting a library card ID, etc.

The librarian also does multiple tasks. The thing to notice here is that one actor is a machine that is the library database. As mentioned above, the actor can be anyone, either a human and a machine.

4. Use Case Diagram for Online Shopping

In this illustration, we have an online shopping subsystem. It has use cases like view items, make a purchase, checkout, and client register. Then we have multiple actors like the registered user, web customer, and new customer. These actors are related to each other. The use cases are also in a relationship.

The actors PayPal and credit payment service are the organizations interacting with the subsystem with different use-cases.

5. Use Case Diagram for Hospital Management System

Source: www.uml-diagrams.org

It is the use case diagram of the hospital management system. In this diagram, the receptionist is the leading actor. The receptionist interacts with multiple use cases like a scheduled patient appointment, patient admission in the hospital, etc. These cases are related to each other.

6. Use Case Diagram for Car Rental System

It is an illustration of the car rental system use-case UML. Here, the insurance company is the actor that is the organization interacting with bill payment use-case and the customer is also an actor. Through the customer, the insurance company is also interacting with other use-cases of the car rental system. The employee and the manager are also the actors in this system.

7. Use Case Diagram for Student Registration System

Source: www.researchgate.net

It is the student registration system use-case UML diagram. Students, professors, and administrators are the actors. The system also has dozens of use-cases.

8. Use Case Diagram for Airline Reservation System

This system is the subsystem of the airline reservation system. The actors are passengers, admins, and the banks that are the organizations. The passenger is concerned with multiple use cases like login, check for availability, book ticket, etc. The book ticket use case is in relation to the choose seat use case. The admin cancels tickets, updates flight schedules. The bank sees the payment use cases.

Click the video below to learn more about how to create UML Modeling and EdrawMax .

Use EdrawMax for Use Case Diagram Creation

Describing your system with a use case diagram before developing is essential in itself. It helps you to understand what the user needs. It helps you in making system functions more feasible. The best thing is that the use cases are visible. It helps you in testing and improving the software quickly. The use case diagram helps you to make your product user-friendly.

You can use EdrawMax to make a use case diagram. EdrawMax is the best diagram-making software that helps you to make any diagram efficiently. The software contains all the packages and libraries that will suffice you in your diagram-making.

EdrawMax allows you to import your templates or use pre-generated examples to make your production faster. You are allowed to export your project to any site. The software is free to use for the preliminary work, but you have to go for the pricing options for premium features.

UML Diagram Types Guide: Learn About All Types of UML Diagrams with Examples

Updated on: 5 June 2024

UML stands for U nified M odeling L anguage. It’s a rich language to model software solutions, application structures, system behavior and business processes . There are 14 UML diagram types to help you model these behaviors.

You can draw UML diagrams online using our software, or check out some UML diagram examples at our diagramming community.

List of UML Diagram Types

So what are the different UML diagram types? There are two main categories; structure diagrams and behavioral diagrams . Click on the links to learn more about a specific diagram type.

Class Diagram

Component diagram, deployment diagram, object diagram, package diagram, profile diagram, composite structure diagram, use case diagram, activity diagram, state machine diagram, sequence diagram, communication diagram, interaction overview diagram, timing diagram.

Structure diagrams show the things in the modeled system. In a more technical term, they show different objects in a system. Behavioral diagrams show what should happen in a system. They describe how the objects interact with each other to create a functioning system.

Get More UML Class Diagram Examples >>

A component diagram displays the structural relationship of components of a software system. These are mostly used when working with complex systems with many components. Components communicate with each other using interfaces . The interfaces are linked using connectors. The image below shows a component diagram.

Get More Component Diagram Templates >>

A deployment diagram shows the hardware of your system and the software in that hardware. Deployment diagrams are useful when your software solution is deployed across multiple machines with each having a unique configuration. Below is an example deployment diagram.

Get More Deployment Diagram Templates >>

Object Diagrams , sometimes referred to as Instance diagrams are very similar to class diagrams . Like class diagrams, they also show the relationship between objects but they use real-world examples.

They show what a system will look like at a given time. Because there is data available in the objects, they are used to explain complex relationships between objects.

Get More Object Diagram Templates >>

As the name suggests, a package diagram shows the dependencies between different packages in a system. Check out this wiki article to learn more about the dependencies and elements found in package diagrams.

Profile diagram is a new diagram type introduced in UML 2. This is a diagram type that is very rarely used in any specification. For more profile diagram templates, visit our diagram community .

Composite structure diagrams are used to show the internal structure of a class. Some of the common composite structure diagrams .

As the most known diagram type of the behavioral UML types, Use case diagrams give a graphic overview of the actors involved in a system, different functions needed by those actors and how these different functions interact.

It’s a great starting point for any project discussion because you can easily identify the main actors involved and the main processes of the system. You can create use case diagrams using our tool and/or get started instantly using our use case templates .

Use Case Diagram Relationships Explained with examples

Get More Use Case Diagram Examples >>

Activity diagrams represent workflows in a graphical way. They can be used to describe the business workflow or the operational workflow of any component in a system. Sometimes activity diagram examples are used as an alternative to State machine diagrams. Check out this wiki article to learn about symbols and you can also refer this easy guide to activity diagrams. You can easily draw activity diagram using online activity diagram tool .

Get More Activity Diagram Templates >>

State machine diagrams are similar to activity diagrams, although notations and usage change a bit. They are sometimes known as state diagrams or state chart diagrams as well. These are very useful to describe the behavior of objects that act differently according to the state they are in at the moment. The State machine diagram below shows the basic states and actions.

Get More State Chart Diagram Examples >>

Sequence diagrams in UML show how objects interact with each other and the order those interactions occur. It’s important to note that they show the interactions for a particular scenario. The processes are represented vertically and interactions are shown as arrows. This article explains the purpose and the basics of Sequence diagrams . Also, check out this complete Sequence Diagram Tutorial to learn more about sequence diagrams.

You can also instantly start drawing using our sequence diagram templates .

In UML 1 they were called collaboration diagrams . Communication diagrams are similar to sequence diagrams, but the focus is on messages passed between objects. The same information can be represented using a sequence diagram and different objects. Click here to understand the differences using an example .

Interaction overview diagrams are very similar to activity diagrams. While activity diagrams show a sequence of processes, Interaction overview diagrams show a sequence of interaction diagrams.

They are a collection of interaction diagrams and the order they happen. As mentioned before, there are seven types of interaction diagrams, so any one of them can be a node in an interaction overview diagram .

Timing diagrams are very similar to sequence diagrams. They represent the behavior of objects in a given time frame. If it’s only one object, the diagram is straightforward. But, if there is more than one object is involved, a Timing diagram is used to show interactions between objects during that time frame.

Click here to create your timing diagram .

Mentioned above are all the UML diagram types. UML offers many diagram types , and sometimes two diagrams can explain the same thing using different notations.

Check out this blog post to learn which UML diagram best suits you . If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.

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More Related Articles

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Hi Priya, check our community for various UML diagram types examples. Here’s the link https://creately.com/diagram-community/popular

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Hi Francesco, can you please explain the error there? A class diagram is a collection of classes so I feel the sentence is correct. Do think its confusing or misleading? Thanks for the feedback.

Maybe it’s just confusing because you’re not using any punctuation. Please correct me if I’m wrong but I guess this is what you wanted to say: “In large systems with many classes related, (comma) classes are grouped together to (the second “to” here should be removed) create class diagrams.”

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Good morning, Clark. I apologize for the mistakes. Thanks for taking the time to point them out. I have corrected them now. Enjoy the article and hope you got some value from it.

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[…] The Completed Guide with UML Diagrams and examples by Creately (flowcharts, wireframes, UML, mindmaps, and more) […]

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[…] particular system using the conventions set by the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Out of all the UML diagram types it is one of the most used ones. System designers use class diagrams as a way of simplifying how […]

Very Helpful Thanks……

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An industrial case study on the use of UML in software maintenance and its perceived benefits and hurdles

• Published: 16 March 2018
• Volume 23 , pages 3281–3345, ( 2018 )

Cite this article

• Ana M. Fernández-Sáez   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5768-1650 1 ,
• Michel R. V. Chaudron 2 &
• Marcela Genero 1  

UML is a commonly-used graphical language for the modelling of software. Works regarding UML’s effectiveness have studied projects that develop software systems from scratch. Yet the maintenance of software consumes a large share of the overall time and effort required to develop software systems. This study, therefore, focuses on the use of UML in software maintenance. We wish to elicit the practices of the software modelling used during maintenance in industry and understand what are perceived as hurdles and benefits when using modelling. In order to achieve a high level of realism, we performed a case study in a multinational company’s ICT department. The analysis is based on 31 interviews with employees who work on software maintenance projects. The interviewees played different roles and provided complementary views about the use, hurdles and benefits of software modelling and the use of UML. Our study uncovered a broad range of modelling-related practices, which are presented in a theoretical framework that illustrates how these practices are linked to the specific goals and context of software engineering projects. We present a list of recommended practices that contribute to the increased effectiveness of software modelling. The use of software modelling notations (like UML) is considered beneficial for software maintenance, but needs to be tailored to its context. Various practices that contribute to the effective use of modelling are commonly overlooked, suggesting that a more conscious holistic approach with which to integrate modelling practices into the overall software engineering approach is required.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the company for dedicating time to us and opening up to us in interviews.

This research has been funded by the SEQUOIA project (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), and by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional FEDER, TIN2012-37493-C03-01.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

ALARCOS Research Group, Instituto de Tecnologías y Sistemas de Información, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad Real, Spain

Ana M. Fernández-Sáez & Marcela Genero

Joint Computer Science and Engineering Department, Chalmers University of Technology & University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Michel R. V. Chaudron

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ana M. Fernández-Sáez .

Additional information

Communicated by: Tao Yue

The following lines present the questionnaire used to carry out the interviews. The questionnaire is divided into 3 blocks:

Common questions for all the interviewees

What is your background and your experience?

What is your role, and what are your responsibilities within the project?

Which kind of documentation do you use to perform maintenance tasks: diagrams, code, textual information, etc.?

How do you use documentation/diagrams?

How often do you use the documentation?

Block of questions for those interviewees who use UML diagrams

Why do you use UML diagrams? (Give reasons) / For what purpose is UML modelling used?

For maintenance, do you manage (look up/ create/ modify) diagrams in a modelling tool (i.e. Enterprise Architect, Visio, etc.)? Or do you look them up in the documentation (i.e. word documents, pictures, etc.)? Did you receive any training about the tool?

Which diagrams do you consider to be most frequently used to perform the maintenance tasks? Which diagrams do you consider to be the most useful for performing the maintenance tasks?

Do diagrams help in solving defects?

IF the answer is YES

How do they do so?

When you maintain the code, do you also maintain the diagrams?

How much time does it take?

Who maintains the diagrams? (The same person who maintains the code or a different one?)

IF the answer is NO

Why do you not maintain the diagrams? Are the diagrams correct but not the code? Or is there another reason?

Do you like UML?

Do you think using UML has an impact on the time of the project? Do you think using UML has an impact on the quality of the final product? How?

What cost factors are related to using UML modelling in your work (training, tooling, etc.)?

Do you think there is another way in which to improve your work other than UML (i.e. another kind of diagram, etc.)?

Did you receive any training about UML at the Company? And before coming to the Company?

Do you think that the use of modelling allows errors to become incorporated?

Where does the diagram originate from and go to? (chain of use)

Do you reuse documentation from previous projects?

Block of questions for those interviewees who do not use UML diagrams

Do you use any kind of diagram to maintain the system and to communicate between team members?

Would you like UML diagrams to be available?

If the answer is YES

How do you think UML would help you to maintain the system?

What benefits do you think UML diagrams could contribute to your work?

Do you think UML helps to improve the quality of the final product? How?

What cost factors are related to using UML modelling in a project?

Do you think the size of the system influences the way in which UML is used (or not used) on a project?

Do you think the size of the team influences the way in which UML is used (or not used) on a project?

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About this article

Fernández-Sáez, A.M., Chaudron, M.R.V. & Genero, M. An industrial case study on the use of UML in software maintenance and its perceived benefits and hurdles. Empir Software Eng 23 , 3281–3345 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-018-9599-4

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Published : 16 March 2018

Issue Date : December 2018

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-018-9599-4

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What are UML Diagrams

Unified modeling language (uml) diagrams.

• UML Full Form

Structural Diagrams

• Class Diagram | Unified Modeling Language (UML)
• Object Diagrams | Unified Modeling Language (UML)
• Deployment Diagram in Unified Modeling Language(UML)
• Package Diagram | Introduction, Elements, Use Cases and Benefits

Behavioral Diagrams

• Behavioral Diagrams | Unified Modeling Language(UML)
• State Machine Diagrams | Unified Modeling Language (UML)
• Activity Diagrams | Unified Modeling Language (UML)
• Use Case Diagrams | Unified Modeling Language (UML)
• Sequence Diagrams | Unified Modeling Language (UML)
• Interaction Overview Diagrams | Unified Modeling Language (UML)

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a general-purpose modeling language. The main aim of UML is to define a standard way to visualize the way a system has been designed. It is quite similar to blueprints used in other fields of engineering. UML is not a programming language , it is rather a visual language.

Understanding and effectively using UML can significantly improve the quality and clarity of your software designs. Our specialized course on System design provides detailed guidance and practical examples to help you master this visual language. By integrating UML into your workflow, you can create more comprehensive and communicative system models.

Important Topics for Unified Modeling Language (UML) Diagrams

• What is UML?
• Why do we need UML?
• Different Types of UML Diagrams
• Structural UML Diagrams
• Behavioral UML Diagrams
• Object-Oriented Concepts Used in UML Diagrams
• Tools for creating UML Diagrams
• Steps to create UML Diagrams
• UML diagrams best practices
• UML and Agile Development
• Common Challenges in UML Modeling
• Benefits of Using UML Diagrams

1. What is UML?

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a standardized visual modeling language used in the field of software engineering to provide a general-purpose, developmental, and intuitive way to visualize the design of a system. UML helps in specifying, visualizing, constructing, and documenting the artifacts of software systems.

• We use UML diagrams to portray the behavior and structure of a system.
• UML helps software engineers, businessmen, and system architects with modeling, design, and analysis.
• The Object Management Group (OMG) adopted Unified Modelling Language as a standard in 1997. It’s been managed by OMG ever since.
• The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published UML as an approved standard in 2005. UML has been revised over the years and is reviewed periodically.

2. Why do we need UML?

• Complex applications need collaboration and planning from multiple teams and hence require a clear and concise way to communicate amongst them.
• Businessmen do not understand code. So UML becomes essential to communicate with non-programmers about essential requirements, functionalities, and processes of the system.
• A lot of time is saved down the line when teams can visualize processes, user interactions, and the static structure of the system.

3. Different Types of UML Diagrams

UML is linked with object-oriented design and analysis. UML makes use of elements and forms associations between them to form diagrams. Diagrams in UML can be broadly classified as:

4. Structural UML Diagrams

4.1. class diagram.

The most widely use UML diagram is the class diagram. It is the building block of all object oriented software systems. We use class diagrams to depict the static structure of a system by showing system’s classes, their methods and attributes. Class diagrams also help us identify relationship between different classes or objects.

4.2. Composite Structure Diagram

We use composite structure diagrams to represent the internal structure of a class and its interaction points with other parts of the system.

• A composite structure diagram represents relationship between parts and their configuration which determine how the classifier (class, a component, or a deployment node) behaves.
• They represent internal structure of a structured classifier making the use of parts, ports, and connectors.
• We can also model collaborations using composite structure diagrams.
• They are similar to class diagrams except they represent individual parts in detail as compared to the entire class.

4.3. Object Diagram

An Object Diagram can be referred to as a screenshot of the instances in a system and the relationship that exists between them. Since object diagrams depict behaviour when objects have been instantiated, we are able to study the behaviour of the system at a particular instant.

• An object diagram is similar to a class diagram except it shows the instances of classes in the system.
• We depict actual classifiers and their relationships making the use of class diagrams.
• On the other hand, an Object Diagram represents specific instances of classes and relationships between them at a point of time.

4.4. Component Diagram

Component diagrams are used to represent how the physical components in a system have been organized. We use them for modelling implementation details.

• Component Diagrams depict the structural relationship between software system elements and help us in understanding if functional requirements have been covered by planned development.
• Component Diagrams become essential to use when we design and build complex systems.
• Interfaces are used by components of the system to communicate with each other.

4.5. Deployment Diagram

Deployment Diagrams are used to represent system hardware and its software.It tells us what hardware components exist and what software components run on them.

• We illustrate system architecture as distribution of software artifacts over distributed targets.
• An artifact is the information that is generated by system software.
• They are primarily used when a software is being used, distributed or deployed over multiple machines with different configurations.

4.6. Package Diagram

We use Package Diagrams to depict how packages and their elements have been organized. A package diagram simply shows us the dependencies between different packages and internal composition of packages.

• Packages help us to organise UML diagrams into meaningful groups and make the diagram easy to understand.
• They are primarily used to organise class and use case diagrams.

5. Behavioral UML Diagrams

5.1. state machine diagrams.

A state diagram is used to represent the condition of the system or part of the system at finite instances of time. It’s a behavioral diagram and it represents the behavior using finite state transitions.

• State diagrams are also referred to as State machines and State-chart Diagrams
• These terms are often used interchangeably. So simply, a state diagram is used to model the dynamic behavior of a class in response to time and changing external stimuli.

5.2. Activity Diagrams

We use Activity Diagrams to illustrate the flow of control in a system. We can also use an activity diagram to refer to the steps involved in the execution of a use case.

• We model sequential and concurrent activities using activity diagrams. So, we basically depict workflows visually using an activity diagram.
• An activity diagram focuses on condition of flow and the sequence in which it happens.
• We describe or depict what causes a particular event using an activity diagram.

5.3. Use Case Diagrams

Use Case Diagrams are used to depict the functionality of a system or a part of a system. They are widely used to illustrate the functional requirements of the system and its interaction with external agents(actors).

• A use case is basically a diagram representing different scenarios where the system can be used.
• A use case diagram gives us a high level view of what the system or a part of the system does without going into implementation details.

5.4. Sequence Diagram

A sequence diagram simply depicts interaction between objects in a sequential order i.e. the order in which these interactions take place.

• We can also use the terms event diagrams or event scenarios to refer to a sequence diagram.
• Sequence diagrams describe how and in what order the objects in a system function.
• These diagrams are widely used by businessmen and software developers to document and understand requirements for new and existing systems.

5.5. Communication Diagram

A Communication Diagram (known as Collaboration Diagram in UML 1.x) is used to show sequenced messages exchanged between objects.

• A communication diagram focuses primarily on objects and their relationships.
• We can represent similar information using Sequence diagrams, however communication diagrams represent objects and links in a free form.

5.6. Timing Diagram

Timing Diagram are a special form of Sequence diagrams which are used to depict the behavior of objects over a time frame. We use them to show time and duration constraints which govern changes in states and behavior of objects.

5.7. Interaction Overview Diagram

An Interaction Overview Diagram models a sequence of actions and helps us simplify complex interactions into simpler occurrences. It is a mixture of activity and sequence diagrams.

6. Object-Oriented Concepts Used in UML Diagrams

• Class: A class defines the blue print i.e. structure and functions of an object.
• Objects : Objects help us to decompose large systems and help us to modularize our system. Modularity helps to divide our system into understandable components so that we can build our system piece by piece.
• Inheritance: Inheritance is a mechanism by which child classes inherit the properties of their parent classes.
• Abstraction: Abstraction in UML refers to the process of emphasizing the essential aspects of a system or object while disregarding irrelevant details. By abstracting away unnecessary complexities, abstraction facilitates a clearer understanding and communication among stakeholders.
• Encapsulation: Binding data together and protecting it from the outer world is referred to as encapsulation.
• Polymorphism: Mechanism by which functions or entities are able to exist in different forms.

6.1. Additions in UML 2.0

• Software development methodologies like agile have been incorporated and scope of original UML specification has been broadened.
• Originally UML specified 9 diagrams. UML 2.x has increased the number of diagrams from 9 to 13. The four diagrams that were added are : timing diagram, communication diagram, interaction overview diagram and composite structure diagram. UML 2.x renamed statechart diagrams to state machine diagrams.
• UML 2.x added the ability to decompose software system into components and sub-components.

7. Tools for creating UML Diagrams

There are several tools available for creating Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams, which are commonly used in software development to visually represent system architecture, design, and implementation. Here are some popular UML diagram creating tools:

• Lucidchart: Lucidchart is a web-based diagramming tool that supports UML diagrams. It’s user-friendly and collaborative, allowing multiple users to work on diagrams in real-time.
• Draw.io: Draw.io is a free, web-based diagramming tool that supports various diagram types, including UML. It integrates with various cloud storage services and can be used offline.
• Visual Paradigm: Visual Paradigm provides a comprehensive suite of tools for software development, including UML diagramming. It offers both online and desktop versions and supports a wide range of UML diagrams.
• StarUML: StarUML is an open-source UML modeling tool with a user-friendly interface. It supports the standard UML 2.x diagrams and allows users to customize and extend its functionality through plugins.
• Papyrus: Papyrus is an open-source UML modeling tool that is part of the Eclipse Modeling Project. It provides a customizable environment for creating, editing, and visualizing UML diagrams.
• PlantUML: PlantUML is a text-based tool that allows you to create UML diagrams using a simple and human-readable syntax. It’s often used in conjunction with other tools and supports a variety of diagram types.

8. Steps to create UML Diagrams

Creating Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams involves a systematic process that typically includes the following steps:

• Determine the purpose of creating the UML diagram. Different types of UML diagrams serve various purposes, such as capturing requirements, designing system architecture, or documenting class relationships.
• Identify the key elements (classes, objects, use cases, etc.) and their relationships that need to be represented in the diagram. This step involves understanding the structure and behavior of the system you are modeling.
• Choose the UML diagram type that best fits your modeling needs. Common types include Class Diagrams, Use Case Diagrams, Sequence Diagrams, Activity Diagrams, and more.
• Before using a UML modeling tool, it can be helpful to create a rough sketch on paper or a whiteboard. This can help you visualize the layout and connections between elements.
• Select a UML modeling tool that suits your preferences and requirements. There are various tools available, both online and offline, that offer features for creating and editing UML diagrams.
• Open the selected UML modeling tool and create a new project or diagram. Begin adding elements (e.g., classes, use cases, actors) to the diagram and connect them with appropriate relationships (e.g., associations, dependencies).
• For each element in the diagram, specify relevant properties and attributes. This might include class attributes and methods, use case details, or any other information specific to the diagram type.
• Enhance the clarity of your diagram by adding annotations, comments, and explanatory notes. This helps anyone reviewing the diagram to understand the design decisions and logic behind it.
• Review the diagram for accuracy and completeness. Ensure that the relationships, constraints, and elements accurately represent the intended system or process. Validate your diagram against the requirements and make necessary adjustments.
• Refine the diagram based on feedback and additional insights. UML diagrams are often created iteratively as the understanding of the system evolves.
• Some UML tools allow you to generate documentation directly from your diagrams. This can include class documentation, use case descriptions, and other relevant information.

Note: Remember that the specific steps may vary based on the UML diagram type and the tool you are using.

9. UML diagrams best practices

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a powerful tool for visualizing and documenting the design of a system. To create effective and meaningful UML diagrams, it’s essential to follow best practices. Here are some UML best practices:

• Understand the Audience: Consider your audience when creating UML diagrams. Tailor the level of detail and the choice of diagrams to match the understanding and needs of your audience, whether they are developers, architects, or stakeholders.
• Keep Diagrams Simple and Focused: Aim for simplicity in your diagrams. Each diagram should focus on a specific aspect of the system or a particular set of relationships. Avoid clutter and unnecessary details that can distract from the main message.
• Use Consistent Naming Conventions: Adopt consistent and meaningful names for classes, objects, attributes, methods, and other UML elements. Clear and well-thought-out naming conventions enhance the understandability of your diagrams.
• Follow Standard UML Notations: Adhere to standard UML notations and symbols. Consistency in using UML conventions ensures that your diagrams are easily understood by others who are familiar with UML.
• Keep Relationships Explicit: Clearly define and label relationships between elements. Use appropriate arrows, multiplicity notations, and association names to communicate the nature of connections between classes, objects, or use cases.

10. UML and Agile Development

Unified Modeling Language (UML) and Agile development are two different approaches to software development, and they can be effectively integrated to enhance the overall development process. Here are some key points about the relationship between UML and Agile development:

10.1. UML in Agile Development

• Visualization and Communication: UML diagrams provide a visual way to represent system architecture, design, and behavior. In Agile development, where communication is crucial, UML diagrams can serve as effective communication tools between team members, stakeholders, and even non-technical audiences.
• User Stories and Use Cases: UML use case diagrams can be used to capture and model user stories in Agile development. Use cases help in understanding the system from an end-user perspective and contribute to the creation of user stories.
• Iterative Modeling: Agile methodologies emphasize iterative development, and UML can be adapted to support this approach. UML models can be created and refined incrementally as the understanding of the system evolves during each iteration.
• Agile Modeling Techniques: Agile modeling techniques, such as user story mapping and impact mapping, complement UML by providing lightweight ways to visualize and communicate requirements and design. These techniques align with the Agile principle of valuing working software over comprehensive documentation.

10.2. Balancing Agility and Modeling

• Adaptive Modeling: Adopt an adaptive modeling approach where UML is used to the extent necessary for effective communication and understanding. The focus should be on delivering value through working software rather than exhaustive documentation.
• Team Empowerment: Empower the development team to choose the right level of modeling based on the project’s needs. Team members should feel comfortable using UML as a communication tool without feeling burdened by excessive modeling requirements.

11. Common Challenges in UML Modeling

• Time-Intensive: UML modeling can be perceived as time-consuming, especially in fast-paced Agile environments where rapid development is emphasized. Teams may struggle to keep up with the need for frequent updates to UML diagrams.
• Over-Documentation: Agile principles value working software over comprehensive documentation. There’s a risk of over-documentation when using UML, as teams may spend too much time on detailed diagrams that do not directly contribute to delivering value.
• Changing Requirements: Agile projects often face changing requirements, and UML diagrams may become quickly outdated. Keeping up with these changes and ensuring that UML models reflect the current system state can be challenging.
• Collaboration Issues: Agile emphasizes collaboration among team members, and sometimes UML diagrams are seen as artifacts that only certain team members understand. Ensuring that everyone can contribute to and benefit from UML models can be a challenge.

12. Benefits of Using UML Diagrams

• Standardization: UML provides a standardized way of representing system models, ensuring that developers and stakeholders can communicate using a common visual language.
• Communication: UML diagrams serve as a powerful communication tool between stakeholders, including developers, designers, testers, and business users. They help in conveying complex ideas in a more understandable manner.
• Visualization: UML diagrams facilitate the visualization of system components, relationships, and processes. This visual representation aids in understanding and designing complex systems.
• Documentation: UML diagrams can be used as effective documentation tools. They provide a structured and organized way to document various aspects of a system, such as architecture, design, and behavior.
• Analysis and Design: UML supports both analysis and design phases of software development. It helps in modeling the requirements of a system and then transforming them into a design that can be implemented.

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UML Diagrams For The Case Studies Library Management System And Online Mobile Recharge

The following article contains 8 UML diagrams for two different case studies namely Library Management System and Online Mobile Recharge. I have given much emphasis on the diagrams rather than on the theory art because the diagrams are the most prominent part in UML to build any unit. All the diagrams look clearly understandable which compensates less text content. These diagrams are drawn by me after huge research done in the field of UML, it being my present subject in my B.Tech semester.

The class diagram for the library management system is really interesting. For further help, I designed an UML-compliant version with an online UML modeler called GenMyModel. It may help here to get a usable/clonable version, export as PDF, generate Java. Library Management System

I want this subject for my study this is useful one my study.

I need to analysis university system the last system was very good and help me to understand thanks my dear

Whether MVC Pattern is suitable for the above problem? If yes, can you please give me the justification...

This article helped to complete my engineering mini project which in turn led me to register to this prestigious site. Taking this as an inspiration, I completed my mini project on my own i.e. by taking a new domain which is YouTube. I even posted that mini project on YouTube domain as an article in this site. I personally feel that the use case diagrams look complicated. As it is not mandatory to involve all types of users in one use case diagram, you could split the use case diagrams into two or more parts. By the way, the component diagrams are very properly drawn and I appreciate you for that.

Could you post object diagram of online mobile recharge for the benefit of all?

Please post a case study for courier management.

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June 28, 2024 – CDC continues to respond to the public health challenge posed by a multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, or "H5N1 bird flu," in dairy cows and other animals in the United States . CDC is working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state public health and animal health officials, and other partners using a One Health approach . To date, there have been three human cases associated with an ongoing multistate outbreak of A(H5N1) in U.S. dairy cows. A Based on the information available at this time, CDC's current H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public remains low. All three sporadic cases had direct contact with sick cows. On the animal health side, USDA is reporting that 132 dairy cow herds in 12 U.S. states have confirmed cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infections in dairy cows as the number of infected herds continues to grow.

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• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) launched an H5N1 bird flu seroprevalence study of individuals exposed to sick cows. The study aims to determine if there has been asymptomatic infection with H5N1 bird flu among people who have worked with sick cows, if certain jobs might increase risk of exposure, and how personal protective equipment (PPE) can protect against infection. CDC is providing technical assistance.
• Continuing to support strategies to maximize protection of farm workers, who are at higher risk of infection based on their exposures. This includes outreach to farm workers in affected counties through Meta (Facebook and Instagram), digital display, and audio (Pandora). These resources provide information in English and Spanish about potential risks of A(H5N1) infection, recommended preventive actions, symptoms to be on the look-out for, and what to do if they develop symptoms. Since May 30, when English assets launched, Meta outreach has generated more than 4.5 million impressions. Spanish Meta assets launched on June 6, and since then have garnered 650,000 impressions. Additionally, CDC continues to create additional materials, including fact sheets in K'iche' and Nahuatl , in addition to Spanish .
• Continuing to work with public health laboratories to monitor influenza virus testing. While 53 people have been tested for A(H5N1) virus associated with the dairy cow outbreak, it is important to look at exposure-based testing in the context of CDC's wider testing for flu in the United States. Since March 3, 2024, 31,223 specimens have been tested by public health laboratories for flu with results being reported to CDC. These were specimens submitted to public health laboratories for flu testing and subtyping as part of regular flu surveillance activities. Public health laboratories report data to CDC each week, and more than 200,000 specimens are tested each year. These laboratories use a testing protocol that would detect A(H5N1) virus and other novel viruses. Among those more than 30,000 specimens tested since March 3, 2024, no cases of H5N1 bird flu were detected.

CDC Yearly Lab Work on Flu Viruses

1,600,000: More than 1.6 million patient specimens are tested in clinical labs participating in CDC domestic disease surveillance.*

200,000: More than 200,000 specimens are tested in 93 state/local public health labs.

6,000: CDC conducts full genetic sequencing on about 6,000 flu viruses each year.

3,000: CDC tests more than 3,000 flu viruses to determine their immune properties.

60: CDC prepares more than 60 viruses for possible use in vaccine production.

*Numbers represent average annual data as reported to CDC's Influenza Division from 2015-2022, excluding the 2020-2021 season when there was little influenza activity.

• Continuing to support states that are monitoring people with exposure to cows, birds, or other domestic or wild animals infected, or potentially infected, with avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses. To date, more than 780 people have been monitored as a result of their exposure to infected or potentially infected animals, and at least 53 people who have developed flu-like symptoms have been tested as part of this targeted, situation-specific testing. Testing of exposed people who develop symptoms is happening at the state or local level, and CDC conducts confirmatory testing. More information on monitoring can be found at Symptom Monitoring Among Persons Exposed to HPAI .
• Overall, for the most recent week of data, CDC flu surveillance systems show no indicators of unusual flu activity in people, including avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses.

CDC Recommendations

As a reminder, CDC recommends that:

• People should avoid exposures to sick or dead animals, including wild birds, poultry, other domesticated birds, and other wild or domesticated animals (including cows), if possible.
• People should also avoid exposures to animal poop, bedding (litter), unpasteurized ("raw") milk, or materials that have been touched by, or close to, birds or other animals with suspected or confirmed A(H5N1) virus, if possible.
• People should not drink raw milk. Pasteurization kills A(H5N1) viruses, and pasteurized milk is safe to drink.
• People who have job-related contact with infected or potentially infected birds or other animals should be aware of the risk of exposure to avian influenza viruses and should take proper precautions. People should wear appropriate and recommended personal protective equipment when exposed to an infected or potentially infected animal(s). CDC has recommendations for worker protection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) .
• CDC has interim recommendations for prevention, monitoring, and public health investigations of A(H5N1) virus infections in people.

Following these recommendations is central to reducing a person's risk and containing the overall public health risk.

In addition to limiting interactions between infected animals and people, containing the outbreak among animals also is important, which underscores the urgency of the work being done by USDA and animal health and industry partners.

This is a rapidly changing situation, and CDC is committed to providing frequent and timely updates.

• The first human case of H5N1 bird flu linked to an outbreak in dairy cows in the United States was reported on April 1, 2024 , in Texas. It was also likely the first human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus from a cow globally. A second human case associated with the dairy cow outbreak was identified in Michigan on May 22, 2024 . A third human case associated with the dairy cow outbreak was identified in Michigan on May 30, 2024 . None of these three cases are associated with the others. These cases were actually the second, third, and fourth human cases of H5N1 bird flu ever reported in the United States. The first human case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States was reported on April 28, 2022 , in a person in Colorado who had direct exposure to poultry and who was involved in depopulating poultry with presumptive H5N1 bird flu. The 2022 human case was not related to dairy cattle. The person only reported fatigue without any other symptoms and recovered.

Avian influenza or bird flu refers to the disease caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses.

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3 Lessons from The Washington Post’s Leadership Turmoil

• Adam Bryant

What to do when a new leader gets off to a controversial or rocky start.

The leadership questions surrounding new Washington Post CEO Will Lewis serve as a case study in the challenges of bringing in an outsider to lead an organization, highlighting the importance of transparency and alignment with company values. This article offers three lessons leaders can draw from it — as well as advice on how the Post and Lewis can move forward.

It’s never good for a newspaper when it becomes the story.

• Adam Bryant is the senior managing director of the ExCo Group, an executive mentoring and leadership development firm. He is a coauthor, with Kevin Sharer, of The CEO Test: Master the Challenges That Make or Break All Leaders (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021) and the author of The Leap to Leader: How Ambitious Managers Make the Jump to Leadership (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023).

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Government innovation

Governments today must be able to adapt to changing environments, work in different ways, and find solutions to complex challenges. OECD work on public sector innovation looks at how governments can use novel tools and approaches to improve practices, achieve efficiencies and produce better policy results.

• Global Trends in Government Innovation
• Tackling Policy Challenges Through Public Sector Innovation

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Key messages, innovation is a strategic function that must be integrated into broader public sector governance..

Innovation rarely happens by accident. Governments can increase innovation in the public sector through deliberate efforts using many different levers, from investments in skills or technology, to applying new policymaking methods or adapting existing processes. Our work helps governments assess their innovative capacity, providing practical and evidence-based steps to embed innovation in policymaking and administration. This means governments are better able to respond to changing environments and develop more impactful policies.

Behavioural science helps governments put people at the center of public policy.

Understanding cognitive biases, behavioural barriers, and social norms  is essential for the development of impactful policies and public uptake. Behavioural science is an interdisciplinary approach, providing insights that enable policymakers to design more effective and targeted policies that reflect actual human behaviour and decision-making. Our work encompasses research on context-specific behavioural drivers and barriers to support countries in the use of behavioural science from policy design to implementation and evaluation. Through the OECD Network of Behavioural Science Experts in Government, we further foster the exchange of best behavioural science practices and mutual learning.

Governments must anticipate, understand and prepare for the future as it emerges.

The nature of policy issues that governments are confronted by is volatile, uncertain, complex and often ambiguous. Governments need to consider a variety of scenarios and act upon them in real time. This requires a new approach to policymaking, one that is future and action oriented, involves an innovation function and anticipates the changing environment. By governing with anticipation and innovation, governments can prepare for what’s coming next. They can identify, test, and implement innovative solutions to benefit from future opportunities while reducing risk and enhancing resilience.

Innovation in public services unlocks efficiency, responsiveness and citizen satisfaction.

Innovating and digitalising public services can bring many benefits, including improving the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of services, enhancing equitable access and reducing administrative burdens. While it holds tremendous benefits for supporting the overall well-being and satisfaction of citizens and public trust in institutions, governments must ensure high standards of transparency and ethics, particularly when employing the use of data and artificial intelligence to improve or deliver public services. Our work is building towards an OECD Recommendation on the design of government services to effectively improve people's experiences including through life events and the development of more effective and equitable services.  

The public has a lack of confidence in public agencies adopting innovative ideas.

Governments must do better to respond to citizens’ concerns. Just fewer than one in four (38%, on average across OECD countries), feel that a public agency would be likely to adopt an innovative idea to improve a public service. Enhancing innovation capacity can strengthen resilience, responsiveness and trust in public institutions.

Confidence in governments’ adoption of innovative ideas is directly related to trust in civil servants.

People who say they are confident about innovation in a public office are more likely to trust civil servants. On average across OECD countries, the share of people who trust the civil service is equal to 70% among those who are confident about public sector innovation. This trust value is more than two times larger than among those who say that the public sector would not adopt innovative ideas.

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• Anticipatory governance In an era characterised by rapid technological advances, environmental shifts, changing demographics, geopolitical tensions, and evolving societal needs, traditional governance models are increasingly under pressure. Governments worldwide are seeking ways to not only respond to present challenges but also to anticipate and shape future possibilities. Anticipatory Innovation Governance is a proactive approach that integrates foresight, innovation, and continuous learning into the heart of public governance. Learn more
• Behavioural science Governments around the world are increasingly using behavioural science as a lens to better understand how behaviours and social context influence policy outcomes. At the OECD, we research context-specific behavioural drivers and barriers, and support countries in the use of behavioural insights, from policy design to implementation and evaluation. Learn more
• Digital government Digital government explores and supports the development and implementation of digital government strategies that bring governments closer to citizens and businesses. It recognises that today’s technology is a strategic driver not only for improving public sector efficiency, but also for making policies more effective and governments more open, transparent, innovative, participatory and trustworthy. Learn more
• Innovative capacity of governments Governments must develop their capacity to adapt and change the way policies and services are designed and delivered if they want to implement ambitious reform agendas, meet climate targets and respond to global crises. Without intentional efforts, innovation is left to chance, fuelled sporadically by circumstance and crises. Our work helps governments assess and improve their innovative capacity, providing practical and evidence-based steps to embed innovation in policymaking and administration. Learn more
• Innovative public participation Citizens must have a say in the decisions that affect them. Inclusive and impactful participation not only enriches the policymaking process by incorporating diverse views and harnessing collective knowledge, but also strengthens public understanding of outcomes, promotes policy uptake, and reinforces trust in public institutions. It is essential to institutionalise participatory and deliberative processes and better articulate them with representative democracies. Learn more

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Customer Case Study: preezie’s AI Journey with Microsoft Semantic Kernel

Sophia Lagerkrans-Pandey

July 3rd, 2024 0 0

Today we’re thrilled to feature the preezie team on the Semantic Kernel blog. The preezie team will discuss their AI journey, how they’ve integrated the Semantic Kernel SDK to build out their AI solutions and advice they’d give to other customers getting started on their AI journeys. We’ve broken each question for the preezie team into short interview clips below. Let’s dive into the questions we have for the preezie team!

1.) Can you introduce yourself and your role?

The below video series will feature the following individuals:

• Michael Tutek, Founder and CEO, preezie
• Danny Wang, Head of Technology, preezie
• Brandon McLean, Development Lead, preezie
• Danilo Santos da Silva, Senior Software Developer, preezie
• Vic Perdana, ISV AppDev Architect, Microsoft

2.) What has your AI journey been like in general?

preezie’s journey into AI started through a collaboration opportunity with Microsoft. Michael Tutek, highlighted that their engagement began when preezie was invited to the Retail Research Hub in Sydney, where they were captivated by AI and technological advancements being integrated into retail. This encounter spurred Prezi to adopt elements of Generative AI technology, supported by Microsoft’s robust technical and commercial resources. The partnership has advanced as Prezi’s Head of Technology, Danny Wang, spearheaded their exploration into AI about a year ago, when they visited the Microsoft Retail Research Center. Danny also noted how fast AI has evolved in the past year. preezie’s involvement with AI continued by attending Microsoft Build Australia, where they learned more about Copilot and its possibilities.

https://learn.microsoft.com/video/media/bdfde117-7e6c-4a72-8edd-3f6ad3aab3e3/Prezzie%201b%20Your%20AI%20Journey_17199_1920x1080_AACAudio_6775.mp4

3.) What’s the current AI project you’re working on at preezie where you’re using Semantic Kernel?

preezie’s vision for AI is to create a next generation shopping assistant while utilizing Microsoft. They are building out a shopping assistant that aims to bridge the gap between in-store and online shopping by recommending products, answering customer questions, providing advice and providing sizing recommendations to enhance online shopping and provide an experience traditionally found in physical stores.

https://learn.microsoft.com/video/media/5dbe49f3-9193-4e62-b047-fc7e863f9b48/Prezzie%202%20-%20what%20are%20you%20buildin_1920x1080_AACAudio_6793.mp4

4.) How has Semantic Kernel helped you with this project and what has implementation looked like?

Danny Wang highlighted that Semantic Kernel has been instrumental and helped preezie keep up with all of the new AI models and practices. Semantic Kernel ensures that their project remains up to date with the latest advancements in AI technology. They’ve also found tremendous value from the development community and getting responds promptly to queries posted on platforms like GitHub, providing valuable feedback and enhancing their development process. Danilo Santos da Silva highlighted how Semantic Kernel has simplified the development process and allowed the team to write minimal code to obtain results. Semantic Kernel has simplified the complexity of connecting to AI Models, plugins and agents.

https://learn.microsoft.com/video/media/75132bb8-d778-4613-abf5-0c2ca4b33df1/Prezzie%20Ai%203b%20AI%20with%20Semantic%20K_1920x1080_AACAudio_6793.mp4

5.) Were there any major challenges or obstacles you faced during the integration? How did you overcome them?

The preezie team highlighted the complexity of AI and how fast it’s changed as they’ve looked to implement it within their organization. Danny Wang highlighted the lack of knowledge in the beginning and how the team’s assumptions about AI didn’t align with the application of it as this was a solution the team had never worked on before. The constant evolution of models being released made it difficult to keep up. The team faces the daunting task of adapting their processes and codebases to stay current. This necessitates a flexible approach where previous solutions might become obsolete or need substantial modification. Danilo Santos da Silva highlighted timeboxing his experimental time to download new project and see if he could get it working to implement in their project. Brandon McLean highlighted how Semantic Kernel was the solution to the knowledge gap as it provided a framework to drop in and only provide a few inputs to get responses back and prompts working and was great to dive into.

https://learn.microsoft.com/video/media/7409afcb-8f76-430d-8b05-7237835daff5/Prezzie%203a_1720017360247_1920x1080_AACAudio_6819.mp4

6.) What’s your advice to other businesses embarking on their AI journey based on your learnings?

Brandon McLean highlights staying on top of AI learnings as it’s a hot topic, with Microsoft offering excellent tutorials and examples that facilitate getting started. Danilo Santos da Silva highlighted how he was skeptical at first but quickly realized AI’s capability to handle complexity and deliver results efficiently was limited compared to often traditional programming methods. Vic Perdana recommended to start small with experimenting and understand use cases of AI that are applicable to you and then you can implement it for your business.

https://learn.microsoft.com/video/media/9017dbab-7d66-4232-82ee-67c2fde06c9e/Prezzie%204_1720027926010_1920x1080_AACAudio_6788.mp4

For more information about preezie, visit the following links below:

• Website: https://preezie.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/preezie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/preezieAU/
• IG: https://www.instagram.com/preezieofficial/
• X: https://twitter.com/PreezieOfficial
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@preezie

From the Semantic Kernel team, we want to thank the entire preezie team for their time. We’re always interested in hearing from you. If you have feedback, questions or want to discuss further, feel free to reach out to us and the community on the Semantic Kernel GitHub Discussion Channel ! We would also love your support, if you’ve enjoyed using Semantic Kernel, give us a star on  GitHub .

Thanks again to the preezie team for their amazing work and partnership!

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