Enterprise architecture solutions vendor Real IRM has introduced a training course designed for business analysts who are required to use unified modelling language (UML).
According to the company, the three-day UML for business analysts course, which will run from 22 to 25 July, will help to closely link the disciplines of business analysis and technical implementation.
UML has become the de-facto standard for the analysis and design of software and systems - It helps modellers to meet customer requirements, collaborate during design, detect problems early, and reduce overall project costs, says Real IRM's Web site.
Through interactive, example-led workshops, the course introduces general modelling concepts, covers the background and history of UML, and explores the key concepts of structural and behavioural modelling.
It empowers analysts with a solid foundation in UML, and allows them to write UML specifications - without being drowned in technical detail, says Real IRM.
According to Stuart Macgregor, CEO of Real IRM, traditionally UML courses have been pitched at a highly technical level - too immersive to be useful for analysts.
The course is about requirements and analysis, and not technical design, development and testing of software systems.
It looks at best practices, guidelines and tips, as well as some common pitfalls to avoid when using UML for business analysis purposes, Macgregor adds.
"Business analysts who start using UML for requirements modelling often struggle because when they look for advice, they usually end up talking to software developers. The advice offered in most cases is more confusing than helping because using UML in a technical way will not help the business analyst."
This course approaches the subject from a different vantage point - allowing analysts to communicate more effectively with their stakeholders, including software development teams, says Macgregor. It empowers analysts to document requirements in a manner that facilitates the traceability to architecture and implementation artefacts.
In the fields of software engineering and systems design, UML is an essential modelling language - used with increasing frequency as organisations look to digitise their operations and modernise their architectures, continues Macgregor.
He points out business analysts have a long way to go to exploit this technology beyond the adoption of use cases. The outcomes of business and technical analysis in the form of documents and diagrams have very different purposes. But using the same language, the UML, in both processes, provides an opportunity to increase rapport between business and IT.
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