Modeling Uncertain and Imprecise Information in Process Modeling with uml

Modeling Uncertain and Imprecise Information in Process Modeling with UML

• Jing XIAO

• LATTIS, INSA-Toulouse, France

• [e-mail]

Table of contents

• 1. Context and problem

• 2. Objectives

• 3. What types of uncertainty and imprecision are in product development processes ?

• 4. How to use UML to model uncertainty and imprecision ?

• 5. Conclusions and Perspectives

1. Context and problem

• Product Development (PD) processes

• Processes modeling with Unified Modeling Language (UML)

• Exchanged information is often incomplete, vague and not entirely determined at the beginning of the project and during its evolution.

2. Objectives

• Identify uncertainty and imprecision related to product development (PD) process.

• Meta-modeling of identified uncertainty and imprecision.

• Integrate uncertainty and imprecision representation in UML-based project with a new UML profile “Uncertainty-of” and “Imprecision-of”.

3. What types of uncertainty and imprecision are in product development processes ?

• Role uncertainty and imprecision.

• Activity uncertainty and imprecision.

• Deliverable uncertainty and imprecision.

• Iteration uncertainty and imprecision.

4. How to use UML to model uncertainty and imprecision ?

• 4.1 UML extension mechanisms.

• 4.2 The modeling workflow.

• 4.3 Validation of the modeling workflow.

4.1 UML extension mechanisms

• Extension mechanisms are the means for extending UML at the meta-model level to support a new technology. Three concepts are used :

• Stereotypes

• Tagged values

• Constraints

4.2 The modeling workflow

4.3 Validation of the modeling workflow

• 4.3.1 Meta-model of “uncertainty-of”

• 4.3.2 New UML profile and its application

4.3.1 Meta-model of “uncertainty-of” (partial)

4.3.2 New UML profile and its application

• We created the new profile - “uncertainty-of” profile - semi-automatically with a new prototype tool named Meta-Model To UML Profile (MM2UP) based on an Eclipse platform, proposed by one of the authors Vincent Aranega.

4.3.2 New UML profile and its application

• Partial list of stereotypes of the new profile

4.3.2 New UML profile and its application

• Application of this profile

5. Conclusions and Perspectives

• We have :

• identified four types of uncertainty and imprecision related to PD processes;

• proposed a new Unified Modeling Language (UML) profile to integrate description of imperfect information.

• We will :

• refine our meta-models’ textual descriptions for the naming rules, legality rules and semantics;

• propose a framework for uncertainty and imprecision management in product design process, planning and evolution.

• Thank You!