UML Fever: Diagnosis and Recovery

Abstract

The Institute of Infectious Diseases has recently published research confirming that the many and varied strains of UML Fever1 continue to spread worldwide, indiscriminately infecting software analysts, engineers, and managers alike. One of the fever’s most serious side effects has been observed to be a significant increase in both the cost and duration of developing software products. This increase is largely attributable to a decrease in productivity resulting from fever-stricken individuals investing time and effort in activities that are of little or no value to producing deliverable products. For example, afflictees of Open Loop Fever continue to create UML (Unified Modeling Language) diagrams for unknown stakeholders. Victims of Comfort Zone Fever remain glued in the modeling space, postponing the development of software. And those suffering from Gnat’s Eyebrow Fever continue creating models that glorify each and every Boolean value of prospective software implementations.