System Design Using UML - Report Example

Reflective Report on the System Design using UML Reflective Report on the System Design using UML Introduction This report discusses the system design developed for the project by the use of OOA/D patterns and UML. There a number of requirements that are needed in the process of coming up with an excellent object design. Analyzing the developed model will help designers and learners with the fundamentals of assigning responsibilities to the commonly used objects in UML, the frequently used notations, and specific design patterns. The reflective report will also deal with how UML is applied in relation to how objects should be thought about or how to carry out the process of designing object-specific systems. Generally, patterns deal with how responsibilities are located to the object classes. They also indicate how objects should interact in addition to the duties of class categories. Different tried-and-proved design problem solutions can be-and have been-indicated as good-practice heuristics, patterns, or principles. The principles and patterns are referred to as formulas for problem-solution that gives codes for exemplary design standards. This report will illustrate how patterns and principles have been applied in the system development and what is required to come improve the finished prototype. Review of the System Paper Firstly, the design of the Use Case diagram is very good. The system users have been properly identified and assigned use cases in line with the attendance monitoring systems. The lecturers, students, and system administrators’ roles are properly outlines and connections described to help in the effective monitoring of the system. Secondly, the state chart for the attendance module needs amendment. That is, module presentation should be located on the “:UserGUI” instead of “:AttendanceSystemController”. For an effective attendance system control, the controllers need to get access and modify the presented module. Their responsibility is to manipulate and make changes to the presented module by displaying the attendance report. The other sections (Module, User, and Attendance) are properly modeled. Thirdly, the sequence diagram has followed the principles and patterns needed for a good design of UML model. The report generation procedure has been well catered for considering the process it takes for the information entered by the user, through the system, to be displayed on the database. The User, System, and Database elements have been properly designed. However, one section that has been left out on the design of sequence diagram is the error reporting (or the procedure that follows incase the User has not entered all the required fields, or has typed in wrong figures for the login. This provision ought to have been provided by the system designer before initiating the implementation process. Fourthly, the Use Class diagrams and documentation (description) has been properly defined and analyzed. This is a good sign for the successful implementation of the model. There is an excellent analysis of the case name, actor, description, successful completion, alternate, pre-condition, post condition, and assumptions. All the use cases (attendance record creation, report printing, report display, module presentation, system registry, login, absence allocation, and updates) have been properly designed and described. This is a good practice of UML coding and modeling. The class diagram designs is good, but have not followed the required pattern of assigning CRC cards to them. This makes it difficult to understand the responsibilities of different classes. Considering the number of classes, it would be easier to understand the classes if CRC cards are designed to represent the class allocation and identification. Weaknesses and Strengths of the UML designs Strengths In the constructed UML model, the development process of the system has followed the proper standard. Hamilton (2006) and Miles (2006) affirm that UML acts as a formal language (syntax) with a well-defined meaning for every component used. The system designed helps to maintain a proper understanding of the users and developers. The design is also comprehensive enough to define all the vital facets of a model and its handling is scalable depending on the wide system design projects. The system can be used or implemented in platforms such as .net or J2EE since the universal design language (UML) has been applied in the modeling process. Making changes to the system design is easy considering the fact that UML system modeling is not tied to limited boundaries in terms of the language, platform, and environment used (OMG, 2006). The diagrams, collaborations and interactions are also very clear. This helped in improving the visualization and insight of the complex system. From the first look on the entire diagrams, there are insinuations of quick maintenance systems in case technological or administrative hitches occur. The explanation for this is that the system provides an in-depth visibility and transparency which aids in tracking the mistakes, errors, problem causes and/or solutions. Because of the clarity in the system design, it is easier for outside developers and system maintenance technicians to understand the problems that might arise in the model, thus enabling them to find quicker and easier solution for the same. Weaknesses The use of object-oriented language in the modeling process poses one major drawback to the system. Using object language modeling is related to the limited or no use of some of the vital facets of system development. This problem can be solved by using the new modeling language introduced by UML. This language is referred to as SysML. OMG (2010) refers to SysML as a common purpose language (which relates better to UML) applied in system development. The relationship between UML and SysML is indicated in the figure below: The diagram shown above not only displays the connection between SysML and UML, but also illustrates the responsibility or duty of UML in the development of a system. A huge portion of UML is independent of SysML requirements. In other words, it should be considered that UML processes and techniques lack the capacity to offer satisfactory results in the development of a system (Miles, & Hamilton, 2006, Pg. 27). Another drawback present in the system model above shows that there is a wide application of diagrams for the same purposes. This makes it difficult for the system designers since they confound the diagram sets with how they or the users may apply them. Many layers that have been added to the system are disadvantageous to the designer because he or she has to get involved in learning one or more languages in the definition of a fine system. Evident in the diagrams above, UML models are characterized by unnecessary number of notations. This is an additional limitation to the use of UML in the system design, development and implementation. However, most of the tools used in system modeling are compatible with notations available in UML. The classes used do not show the obvious relationship among themselves. This is because an object connotes collaboration and activities of specific points in time. Object diagrams need to be initiated to the connection between the defined and initiated classes. In addition, they also indicate the connection between the used objects. Analyzing why the use of principles and patterns may or may not have helped in improving the design Principles and patterns applied in the design helps in monitoring the quality and effectiveness of strategies used in the choice of nouns, classes, interactions, responsibilities and connections among the diagrams. Principles dictate the best elements that can ensure that the developed system achieves its goals and objectives. Some of the disciplines that should be included in the pattern design include business modeling, requirements, design, implementation, project management, testing, and environment. Points in the model that could have implicated the implementation process of the system Logging is one major point that can affect the implementation process of the system development. Logging is an example of a crosscutting concern in system development implementation because the strategy used in the logging process necessarily implicates every logged section of the system (OMG 2010, Pg. 2). Therefore, logging cuts across all logged methods and classes. Differences in implementations also lie in the usability, safety, and power of the provided constructs. For example, an interceptor that specifies the means of interception shows a limited style of cutting across, without significant support for debugging or type-safety. Aspect J (Object J) shows an example of some of the expressions. This object has a range of similar these expressions encompasses them is one special class referred to as an aspect. In other words, an aspect can change the behavior or activity of the base code-the program’s non-aspect section by applying an additional behavior (advice) at various sections (points) in the program. These are specified in a query or quantification commonly referred to as a “point-cut” (this specifies whether a certain point matches). Aspects are also capable of making binary-compatible changes in the structure of other classes, for example, adding parents or members. Impacts of the team environment in improving the overall process of system design In the developed system for the project, the team environment dictates the implementation requirements of the model. A unified process will help the team to include better iterative process sin the development putting in mind the allocation of classes and responsibilities OMG 2010, Pg. 2). Different skills are important in coming up with a system that combines usability and practicality of a model. For example, the developed system in this project may have complications resulting from too many diagrams used in the CRC, class diagrams, state-charts and class names. Using a team narrows down the scope of work required in the allocation of these elements in the final design concept. The team can also bring new ideas to be used in determining the controllers, users, and interactions needed for the design. There are many features applied in the developed model that be successfully achieved by using a large team. It is not easy for one designer to complete the list of modules, student IDs, lecture IDs, semester identity, and year of study and date of a particular lecture. Allocation of these parameters may be biased when a single person is involved in system development. Conclusion In conclusion, this report has reflected on the strengths and weaknesses of the project model and how the weaknesses can be mitigated to produce a better model. The implementation process has also been analyzed in addition to the principles and patterns that would have impacts on the improvement of the system design. Finally, an assessment was also conducted on whether working in teams could have reported significant impacts on the overall process. It has been found that reality-based visualization and modeling is extremely important in performing system design and analysis. UML provides the best widespread design language or tool that meets all the purposes of the project. Similar to other design tools, it has its merits and demerits in the process of its application. However, it is highly expected that a number of these challenges connected to UML application will soon be corrected. This paper tried to analyze UML design as a necessity for illustrating the application and implementing class diagrams and use cases. In the application process, object diagram is mandatory in the describing the exceptions. References BECK, K. & CUNNINGHAM, W. (1989). A laboratory for teaching object-oriented thinking. ACM SIGPLAN Notices, 24(10): 1--6. OMG 2010, OMG System Modeling Language (SysML™), Object Management Group. Retrieved May 18, 2014 from http://www.omg.org/spec/SysML/ OMG 2006, Unified Modeling Language™ (UML®), Object Management Group Retrieved May 18, 2014 from, http://www.omg.org/spec/UML/ MILES, R. & HAMILTON, K. (2006) Learning UML 2.0. Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media, Inc. Read More