1. Modeling Uncertain and Imprecise Information in Process Modeling with UML Jing XIAO LATTIS, INSA-Toulouse, France jxiao@etud.insa-toulouse.fr 14th International Conference on Management of Data COMAD 2008, December 17-19, 2008 Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India

2. Table of contents 1. Context and problem 2. Objectives 3. What types of uncertainty and imprecision are in product development processes ? 4. How to use UML to model uncertainty and imprecision ? 5. Conclusions and Perspectives

3. 1. Context and problem  Product Development (PD) processes  Processes modeling with Unified Modeling Language (UML)  Exchanged information is often incomplete, vague and not entirely determined at the beginning of the project and during its evolution.

4. 2. Objectives  Identify uncertainty and imprecision related to product development (PD) process.  Meta-modeling of identified uncertainty and imprecision.  Integrate uncertainty and imprecision representation in UML-based project with a new UML profile “Uncertainty-of” and “Imprecision-of”.

5. 3. What types of uncertainty and imprecision are in product development processes ?  Role uncertainty and imprecision.  Activity uncertainty and imprecision.  Deliverable uncertainty and imprecision.  Iteration uncertainty and imprecision.

6. 4. How to use UML to model uncertainty and imprecision ? 4.1 UML extension mechanisms. 4.2 The modeling workflow. 4.3 Validation of the modeling workflow.

7. 4.1 UML extension mechanisms Extension mechanisms are the means for extending UML at the meta-model level to support a new technology. Three concepts are used :  Stereotypes  Tagged values  Constraints

8. 4.2 The modeling workflow

9. 4.3 Validation of the modeling workflow 4.3.1 Meta-model of “uncertainty-of” 4.3.2 New UML profile and its application

10. 4.3.1 Meta-model of “uncertainty- of” (partial)

11. 4.3.2 New UML profile and its application  We created the new profile - “uncertainty-of” profile - semi-automatically with a new prototype tool named Meta-Model To UML Profile (MM2UP) based on an Eclipse platform, proposed by one of the authors Vincent Aranega.

12. 4.3.2 New UML profile and its application  Partial list of stereotypes of the new profile

13. 4.3.2 New UML profile and its application  Application of this profile

14. 5. Conclusions and Perspectives We have :  identified four types of uncertainty and imprecision related to PD processes;  proposed a new Unified Modeling Language (UML) profile to integrate description of imperfect information. We will :  refine our meta-models’ textual descriptions for the naming rules, legality rules and semantics;  propose a framework for uncertainty and imprecision management in product design process, planning and evolution.

15. Thank You!