Predicting the functional change status in UML activity diagram from the use case diagram

Abstract

UML diagrams became a common part of software requirement documentation, implementation, etc. In particular, the Use Case Diagram (UCD) is considered as the de-facto standard for modelling the user requirements at an early phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Each use case can be detailed by an Activity Diagram (UAD). Because Functional Changes (FC) are inevitable during the SDLC, it is required to identify the FC status at different levels of granularity. In our previous work, we proposed an approach for measuring the functional size of a FC in the UAD using COSMIC method. In this paper, we propose to extend this approach by including the UCD. In addition, we predict the status of a FC in UAD from its use case. This approach is applied before the FC implementation. It allows a rapid and an approximate evaluation of how important the FC is and it helps designers/managers in decision-making to answer the FC request.