This book is based on a very successful IEE course which is in turn based on many years research into modelling and the Unified Modelling Language (UML) by the author.

The UML is the new industry standard for modelling software-intensive systems and this book looks at several applications where the UML can be used as part of a generic approach to aid many kinds of problem solving and information modelling. These include: modelling standards, processes and procedures, requirements engineering, implementation of processes, assessment of tools, defining a quality system, lifecycles and lifecycle models and software.

The book is intended to bring UML to the wider audience of systems engineers, and its application to real examples for non-software applications; a problem which is widely acknowledged in other texts, but rarely addressed.

Scope: Up until a few years ago there were over 150 different modelling languages available to software developers. This vast array of choice however, only served to severely hinder effective communication. Therefore, to combat this, every methodologist and many companies agreed to speak the same language, hence the birth of the unified modelling language (UML). The UML offers a means to communicate complex information in a simple way using visual modelling; i.e. drawing diagrams to create a model of a system.

This fully revised edition, based on a training course given by the author, coincides with the release of UML version 2 by the standard body, the Object Management Group, and covers the significant changes that have occurred since its release. It also includes material on life cycle management, examining the way the UML can be used to control and manage projects and the UML systems engineering profile.