Common Tasks

Model using UML and related standards

The Unified Modeling Language from the OMG provides a very clear and well defined visual modeling language for modeling, specifying and interpreting a wide range of domains. Originally intended for software and systems design in particular, it has since been used in many more conventional areas to model very disparate and seemingly unrelated information. Over time, a very well defined and specified set of extensions has also grown up to provide more focused tools for particular domains. For example the BPMN modeling notation for business users can be defined using UML based constructs, providing a very easy mechanism for delivering new functionality and modeling behavior on top of a well understood and proven base language (UML).

UML models are typically divided into structural and behavioral subsets, each of which is further divided into smaller segments according to their specific purpose. Modelers can therefore choose from a wide range of specific modeling constructs to build and visualize their new system, process, architecture, software, organization, project, decision rules and similar work products.

Capture and Manage Requirements

Capturing and managing requirements is a huge part of what Enterprise Architect is about. From its earliest versions it has supported custom tools to specify and manage requirements in a detailed and industry standard manner. Couple with integrated tools for reporting, versioning, managing and collaborating, Enterprise Architect is a pre-eminent tool in the field of quality requirements management.

Analyze Strategic Business Needs

A Business Analyst is responsible for gathering requirements, modeling potential solutions and evaluating the business needs of an organization. You can:

• Build a coherent picture of how a business operates through requirements gathering, Use Case analysis and modeling business rules
• Help achieve business process improvement and implement change using tools such as Strategic Models, Use Case Scenarios, Business Rule Models, Flow Charts, Auditing and the Team Review window

Develop Software Systems

The developer is responsible for implementing a solution using a range of tools. You can:

• Bring the power and benefits of Enterprise Architect into your favorite Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
• Use Enterprise Architect's in-built support for writing code, including syntax highlighting, line numbering, auto completion, bookmarking and automatic indentation
• Create breakpoints to step through code execution, examine variables and view error messages via the Debug window
• Apply Visual Execution Analysis to identify costly function calls, explain system behavior and establish the sequence of events that occur immediately prior to system failure
• Use Enterprise Architect's support for round trip engineering and synchronizing source code with a corresponding model
• In addition to generating code in many popular programming languages, create powerful database solutions that automatically generate DDL scripts for more than 10 different Database Management Systems

Define Enterprise Architecture

With a rich set of features targeting mapping and managing enterprise architectures, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is one the most commonly used tools for defining and structuring information about a functioning enterprise and the web of interconnected hardware, software, processes, people and goals within an organization.

• Hardware and system diagrams and views allow for a rich depiction of the architectural structure.
• Process diagrams capture information about what an organization does, or its behavioral architecture
• A rich set of reporting tools, charts and heat maps allow for quite detailed and insightful dashboards to be built on top of the current (or linked) repository.
• Complex relationships can be exposed and explored using traceability tools, matrix views, gantt views and simple list based queries. 

Test and Investigate

Quality Assurance teams test software to identify defects, verify that it satisfies all requirements and ensure that it produces expected results. You can:

• In addition to applying the integrated JUnit and NUnit testing capabilities, create and manage test scripts for model elements, covering Unit, Integration, Scenario, System and Acceptance tests
• Visualize the execution of code to better understand how applications work and the sequence of events that leads to program failure

Manage Projects Effectively

Enterprise Architect provides a wide range of tools for planning, executing and successfully completing  your projects. You can:

• Create a shared vision of your project, improve communication and help team members agree upon the design of a proposed system
• Evaluate project risk factors, report any changes or defects and develop strategies to tackle potential problems
• Estimate the amount of time and effort required to complete a project and maximize the efficiency of use of staff
• Use Auditing, Project Baselines and User Access Controls to better manage change in a collaborative environment