BA Video Tip: using XMI to capture business context for requirements...
Producing a model (a visual representation of the business process) is an effective tool to provide context to the concerns or needs business owners express during requirements workshops.
As a follow-up to a blog entry published last year, where we went over the advantages of using SIPOC charts in conjunction with UML activity diagrams to structure requirements elicitation and verification sessions, the video clip below demonstrates how business analysts can save time and effort in documenting the results of requirements workshops, if they employ XMI-compliant tools such as EA Sparx Systems, ArgoUML, or Modelio.
The video shows how we have customized our production of Activity Diagrams in Modelio to automate the transfer of SIPOC charts into a web-based requirements management tool.
We use a custom LAMP database to manage requirements, nevertheless, if your business analysts use excel or word, or any off-the-shelf requirements management system, the principle is the same, as long as the modelling tool is XMI compliant, the investment on time required is in customizing the import of the XMI file into your requirements repository.
Read our blog entry from last year on SIPOC diagrams here
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By Larry Velarde, CBAP®
