Use of Tabular Analysis Method to Construct UML Sequence Diagrams

A sequence diagram in UML is used to model interactions among objects that participate in a use case. Developing a sequence diagram is complex; our experience shows that novice developers have significant difficulty. In earlier work, we presented a ten-step heuristic method for developing sequence diagrams. This paper presents a tabular analysis method (TAM) which improves on the ten-step heuristic method. TAM analyzes the message requirements of the use case, while documenting the resulting analysis in a tabular format. The resulting table is referenced to build the sequence diagram. This process aids novice modelers by separating the problem analysis from the learning curve of a modeling tool. Building sequence diagrams with the systematic approach of TAM facilitates consistency with the use case model and the class model. We found that developers effectively developed sequence diagrams using TAM.