ICT3020:

Software Engineering Management

SYSTEM MODELLING

Lesson 7 1
Topics covered
• Context models
• Interaction models
• Structural models
• Behavioral models
• Model-driven engineering

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 System modeling
• System modeling is the process of developing abstract
models of a system, with each model presenting a
different view or perspective of that system.
• System modeling has now come to mean representing a
system using some kind of graphical notation, which is
now almost always based on notations in the Unified
Modeling Language (UML).
• System modelling helps the analyst to understand the
functionality of the system and models are used to
communicate with customers.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Existing and planned system models
• Models of the existing system are used during requirements
engineering. They help clarify what the existing system does
and can be used as a basis for discussing its strengths and
weaknesses. These then lead to requirements for the new
system.
• Models of the new system are used during requirements
engineering to help explain the proposed requirements to other
system stakeholders. Engineers use these models to discuss
design proposals and to document the system for
implementation.
• In a model-driven engineering process, it is possible to
generate a complete or partial system implementation from the
system model.
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Chapter 5 System modeling
 System perspectives
• An external perspective, where you model the context or
environment of the system.
• An interaction perspective, where you model the
interactions between a system and its environment, or
between the components of a system.
• A structural perspective, where you model the
organization of a system or the structure of the data that is
processed by the system.
• A behavioral perspective, where you model the dynamic
behavior of the system and how it responds to events.
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Chapter 5 System modeling
 UML diagram types
• Activity diagrams, which show the activities involved in
a process or in data processing .
• Use case diagrams, which show the interactions between
a system and its environment.
• Sequence diagrams, which show interactions between
actors and the system and between system components.
• Class diagrams, which show the object classes in the
system and the associations between these classes.
• State diagrams, which show how the system reacts to
internal and external events.
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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Use of graphical models
• As a means of facilitating discussion about an existing or
proposed system
• Incomplete and incorrect models are OK as their role is to
support discussion.
• As a way of documenting an existing system
• Models should be an accurate representation of the system
but need not be complete.
• As a detailed system description that can be used to
generate a system implementation
• Models have to be both correct and complete.
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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Context models
• Context models are used to illustrate the operational
context of a system - they show what lies outside the
system boundaries.
• Social and organisational concerns may affect the
decision on where to position system boundaries.
• Architectural models show the system and its relationship
with other systems.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 System boundaries
• System boundaries are established to define what is inside
and what is outside the system.
• They show other systems that are used or depend on the
system being developed.
• The position of the system boundary has a profound
effect on the system requirements.
• Defining a system boundary is a political judgment
• There may be pressures to develop system boundaries that
increase / decrease the influence or workload of different
parts of an organization.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
The context of the MHC-
PMS

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Chapter 5 System modeling
Process perspective
• Context models simply show the other systems in the
environment, not how the system being developed is used
in that environment.
• Process models reveal how the system being developed is
used in broader business processes.
• UML activity diagrams may be used to define business
process models.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Process model of
involuntary detention

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Interaction models
• Modeling user interaction is important as it helps to
identify user requirements.
• Modeling system-to-system interaction highlights the
communication problems that may arise.
• Modeling component interaction helps us understand if a
proposed system structure is likely to deliver the required
system performance and dependability.
• Use case diagrams and sequence diagrams may be used
for interaction modeling.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
Use case modeling
• Use cases were developed originally to support
requirements elicitation and now incorporated into the
UML.
• Each use case represents a discrete task that involves
external interaction with a system.
• Actors in a use case may be people or other systems.
• Represented diagramatically to provide an overview of
the use case and in a more detailed textual form.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
Transfer-data use case

• A use case in the MHC-PMS

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Chapter 5 System modeling
Tabular description of the ‘Transfer data’ use-case
MHC-PMS: Transfer data
Actors Medical receptionist, patient records system (PRS)
Description A receptionist may transfer data from the MHC-PMS to a
general patient record database that is maintained by a
health authority. The information transferred may either
be updated personal information (address, phone
number, etc.) or a summary of the patient’s diagnosis
and treatment.
Data Patient’s personal information, treatment summary
Stimulus User command issued by medical receptionist
Response Confirmation that PRS has been updated
Comments The receptionist must have appropriate security
permissions to access the patient information and the
PRS.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
Use cases in the MHC-PMS involving the role
‘Medical Receptionist’

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Sequence diagrams
• Sequence diagrams are part of the UML and are used to
model the interactions between the actors and the objects
within a system.
• A sequence diagram shows the sequence of interactions
that take place during a particular use case or use case
instance.
• The objects and actors involved are listed along the top of
the diagram, with a dotted line drawn vertically from
these.
• Interactions between objects are indicated by annotated
arrows.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Sequence diagram for View patient information

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Chapter 5 System modeling
Sequence diagram for Transfer Data

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Structural models
• Structural models of software display the organization of
a system in terms of the components that make up that
system and their relationships.
• Structural models may be static models, which show the
structure of the system design, or dynamic models, which
show the organization of the system when it is executing.
• You create structural models of a system when you are
discussing and designing the system architecture.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Class diagrams
• Class diagrams are used when developing an object-
oriented system model to show the classes in a system
and the associations between these classes.
• An object class can be thought of as a general definition
of one kind of system object.
• An association is a link between classes that indicates that
there is some relationship between these classes.
• When you are developing models during the early stages
of the software engineering process, objects represent
something in the real world, such as a patient, a
prescription, doctor, etc.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 UML classes and
association

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Chapter 5 System modeling
Classes and associations in the MHC-
PMS

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Chapter 5 System modeling
The Consultation class

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Chapter 5 System modeling
 Key points
• A model is an abstract view of a system that ignores system details.
Complementary system models can be developed to show the
system’s context, interactions, structure and behavior.
• Context models show how a system that is being modeled is
positioned in an environment with other systems and processes.
• Use case diagrams and sequence diagrams are used to describe the
interactions between users and systems in the system being designed.
Use cases describe interactions between a system and external actors;
sequence diagrams add more information to these by showing
interactions between system objects.
• Structural models show the organization and architecture of a system.
Class diagrams are used to define the static structure of classes in a
system and their associations.

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Chapter 5 System modeling
Topics covered
• User and system Requirement
• Functional and non-functional requirements
• The software requirements document
• Requirements specification
• Requirements engineering processes
• Requirements elicitation and analysis
• Requirements validation
• Requirements management

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Chapter 4 Requirements engineering