What is UML?

UML= Unified Modelling Language

 

You have probably already tried to explain a certain process by means of a drawing. But an improvised scetch has its unclarities as you have not made any conventions as to what every symbol you use means.

Graphical representations are aften used to represent business processes. They are commonly used as a preparation to convert the process to a software implementation. And usually, more than one company is involved in the processes, so all companies need to use the same set of symbols with the same interpretation.

As a matter of fact, you need an international unified and accepted system. The ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) has compiled a library of graphical symbols that are useful in transscribing business process in IT applications. That library is called UML, Unified Modelling Language.

 

So nowadays, companies tend to use this UML standard to graphically depict business processes.

The resulting graphics can be easily interchanged between the different companies involved in the business processes. The marging of erroneous interpretation is almost zero.

 

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source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Modeling_Language

 

For more information take a look at Wikipedia