HN Academy

UML was useful for visually communicating document architectures in the Web 1.0 world. But what's a UML diagram for a dynamic web application? Server<-->Database, done? If the tool doesn't fit the problem, don't use it.

And then there's the domain specific UMLs, such as Operations Management and BPMN, where the diagram can be programmatically "powered up" to analyze operational efficiency. If you work in a hierarchical organization where you need deliverables that filter to other departments, and there is a perceived value, then someone is going to be tasked to make it. But in a flat organization in startup mode, it's a waste of money.

If you're working across organizations, in public/private partnerships; if your government organization needs to be accountable at diverse levels, then UML is visual language that communicates a lot of information at once--in one artifact. Tax dollars going for new transportation infrastructure in New York City, maybe there's a need to get diverse groups on board. But you're going to pave potholes in Levittown, NY--who cares? Get it done; stop wasting money.

And finally, there is a the language-cultural dimension. Europe is multi-lingual, so it's no surprise the Open-Education Resources offering UML-like education materials are from European universities [1][2], and not American Universities. That's not our language problem (yet).

If you have a customer asking for UML, you need to understand their problems. Once you do that, then you can decide if the problem vector they present is profitable sector for your company.

To put all this in other words, UML is a tool and a visual language. Use it or not, it's not going away--ever.

[1]: https://open.hpi.de/courses/bpm2016

[2]: https://www.edx.org/course/creative-problem-solving-decision...