How do you keep UML diagrams in sync with the actual code?

[dianereesee]

Hi all,

I make nice UML diagrams in EA to explain the design, but after a few months of coding… the diagrams no longer match reality.

-> The class structure changes in code, but the diagrams don’t get updated.
-> Sometimes developers ignore the diagrams completely because they’re “out of date.”
-> Reverse engineering helps, but it can also create too much detail.
-> Forward engineering is nice, but doesn’t capture everything.

[Geert Bellekens]

There's no easy solution to that problem, but here are some tips that might help

- Make "Model and documentation up-to-date" part of your Definition of Done. An issue is not done if the model isn't updated (and should not be deployed to the next environment if not Done)

- Make sure the model and code differ enough in levels of abstraction. In general try to keep the model at a higher level of abstraction so that most code changes don't impact the model.

Geert