Overview

"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly."

(14th Dalai Lama)

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) was originally specified as a modeling language for software development. Thanks to its wide proliferation and its integrated extension mechanisms, such as stereotypes, it has been used successfully in other areas as well. Together with the new UML Version 2.0, the bandwidth of its use possibilities has been further extended (see, e.g., [33]). One field of use that has moved closer into focus is systems engineering.

Systems engineering is a discipline that has not had a uniform modeling language. It requires a language that is independent of specific disciplines like software, hardware, or mechanics. UML 2 looks like a good candidate. First, it meets the most important requirements of systems engineering, and second, it is already popular and widely used. In addition, there is a considerable amount of literature, and many seminar programs are offered. The mighty extension mechanisms of this language allow you to adapt it to the needs of systems engineering.

The International Council of Systems Engineering (INCOSE) the worldwide systems engineering organization set itself the objective in 2001 to establish UML as a standard language for systems engineering. The language has been expanded by several elements, such as a possibility to explicitly model requirements and continuous systems. The adapted UML is called Systems Modeling Language, or SysML for short.

Now, UML is pretty extensive. This is one of the points the language is...