Find Gaps in Specifications

Creating models is a useful way to remove the details from a complex specification or problem, and it allows architects, business analysts and other stakeholders to focus on the important aspects of the problem or solution. Distilling the rules and decisions of an organization or initiative into a single model allows them to be connected into a network (mathematical graph) which immediately enables the way they interact to be visualized. It also provides a mechanism for locating gaps or missing Decisions, Inputs, Business Knowledge and authoritative references.

Enterprise Architect has a number of tools that can be used to find gaps or missing elements in a model. The result demonstrates the power of modeling, namely to find issues or deficiencies before they are baked into a solution and the users of an implemented solution discover them. The rectification can be costly and time consuming and the potential damage to the brand or loss of trust with customers could be commercially damaging or in safety critical domains irretrievable.

This illustration shows how the Relationship Matrix can be used to quickly locate gaps in the decision graph by visualizing decisions without any Data Inputs. The matrix can be used to find gaps or duplications between any other related elements such as Business Knowledge Models without corresponding Knowledge Authorities. The Traceability window shows another way of visualizing the Decisions and their relationships to other elements such as Requirements. Both windows allow you to locate the elements in the Browser window and any diagrams that contain the objects.