Business Analysis-Requirement modeling

Anirban Mukherjee ✍️
4 min readDec 22, 2022

--

Requirement modeling is the process of defining, analyzing, and documenting the requirements for a system or product. It is an essential part of the business analysis process, as it helps to identify the needs and expectations of stakeholders, and to determine the most appropriate solution to meet those needs.

There are several types of requirements that may need to be considered in requirement modeling, including business requirements, stakeholder requirements, solution requirements, and transition requirements. Business requirements define the needs and expectations of the business, and may include both functional and non-functional requirements. Stakeholder requirements define the needs and expectations of the various stakeholders involved in the project, such as customers, users, and other interested parties. Solution requirements define the specific features and capabilities that the solution should have in order to meet the needs of the business and stakeholders. Transition requirements define the steps that need to be taken in order to move from the current state to the desired future state.

To effectively model requirements, it is important to use a clear and consistent approach that involves gathering, analyzing, and documenting the requirements in a way that is understandable to all stakeholders. This may involve the use of tools such as Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams, such as use case and activity diagrams, to visualize and communicate the requirements to the technical team and other stakeholders.

Overall, requirement modeling is a critical step in the business analysis process, as it helps to ensure that the needs and expectations of the business and stakeholders are understood and met, and that the solution being developed is fit for purpose.

UML Activity diagrams

Bank UML Activity diagram

Activity Diagram are used to model the flow of activities within a system. They can show the flow of control from one activity to another and the decision points that control the flow. They are used to model the workflows of a system, as well as to represent the flow of control within a system.

Activity diagrams consist of a series of activities, represented by rounded rectangles, connected by arrows that show the flow of control from one activity to another. Decision points, represented by diamonds, can be used to show different paths that can be taken based on the decision made. Concurrent paths can be represented using fork and join nodes, and the start and end of the activity flow can be represented using initial and final nodes.

Elements of an Activity Diagram There are several elements that can be included in an activity diagram:

  1. Initial node: This represents the start of the activity flow.
  2. Activity: This represents a specific action or task that needs to be performed.
  3. Decision node: This represents a point in the flow where a decision must be made. The flow of control can then go down different paths based on the decision made.
  4. Merge node: This represents a point in the flow where multiple paths come back together.
  5. Fork node: This represents a point in the flow where the control is split into multiple concurrent paths.
  6. Join node: This represents a point in the flow where multiple concurrent paths come back together and must be synchronized.
  7. Final node: This represents the end of the activity flow.

How to Draw an Activity Diagram To draw an activity diagram, you should follow these steps:

  1. Identify the activities that need to be performed.
  2. Identify the relationships between the activities.
  3. Identify any decision points and the different paths that can be taken based on the decisions made.
  4. Identify any concurrent paths that need to be represented.
  5. Draw the diagram using the appropriate symbols and connecting lines to represent the flow of activities.

Advantages of Activity Diagrams Activity diagrams have several advantages, including:

  1. They provide a clear representation of the flow of activities within a system.
  2. They can help to identify potential problems or bottlenecks in the process flow.
  3. They can be used to model the workflows of a system, which can be helpful in designing the system or making improvements to an existing system.
  4. They can be easily understood by stakeholders, including end-users and developers.
  5. They can be used to validate the functional requirements of a system.

Activity diagrams are useful for identifying potential problems or bottlenecks in the process flow, and can be used to validate the functional requirements of a system. They can also be easily understood by stakeholders, including end-users and developers, and can be used to model the workflows of a system to help with its design or improvement.

Thank you for reading

--

--

Anirban Mukherjee ✍️

Business Analyst by Profession| Reader by passion| Experience IT Professional. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anirban-mukherjee9