Software Engineering
Activity Diagrams
What is an Activity Diagram?
Activity diagrams represent the dynamic (behavioral) view of a system
Activity diagrams are typically used for business (transaction) process
modeling and modeling the logic captured by a single use-case or usage
scenario
Activity diagram is used to represent the flow across use cases or to
represent flow within a particular use case
UML activity diagrams are the object oriented equivalent of flow chart and
data flow diagrams in function-oriented design approach
Activity diagram contains activities, transitions between activities, decision
points, synchronization bars, swim lanes and many more…
Student Enrollment in IIT
(SEIIT)
System
IIT
Enrollment
Student Registrar
<<include>>
Course registration
SEIIT System
Here different activities are:
Received enrollment form filled by the student
Registrar checks the form
Input data to the system
System authenticate the environment
Pay fees by the student
Registrar checks the amount to be remitted and prepare a bill
System acknowledge fee receipts and print receipt
Hostel allotment
Allot hostel
Receive hostel charge
Allot room
Medical check up
Create hostel record
Conduct medical bill
Enter record
Issue library card
Issue identity card
Activity Diagram for the Use Case
Received form
Hostel
Payment fees Medical check
allotment
Issue identity Issue library
card card
Basic Components in an Activity
Diagram
Initial node
The filled circle is the starting point
of the diagram
Received form
Final node
The filled circle with a boarder is the
ending point. An activity diagram
can have zero or more activity final Payment fees
Hostel
Medical check
state. allotment
Activity
The rounded circle represents
activities that occur. An activity is Issue identity Issue library
card card
not necessarily a program, it may be
a manual thing also
Flow/ edge
The arrows in the diagram. No label
is necessary
Basic Components in an Activity
Diagram Received form
Fork
A black bar ( horizontal/vertical )
with one flow going into it and
several leaving it. This denotes the Payment fees
Hostel
allotment
Medical check
beginning of parallel activities
Join
A block bar with several flows Issue identity Issue library
card card
entering it and one leaving it. this
denotes the end of parallel activities
Merge
A diamond with several flows
entering and one leaving. The
implication is that all incoming flow
to reach this point until processing
continues
Basic Components in an Activity
Diagram
Difference between Join and Merge
A join is different from a merge in that the join
synchronizes two inflows and produces a single
outflow. The outflow from a join cannot execute
until all inflows have been received
A merge passes any control flows straight through it.
If two or more inflows are received by a merge
symbol, the action pointed to by its outflow is
executed two or more times
Basic Components in an Activity
Diagram
Decision
A diamond with one flow
entering and several leaving. The
flow leaving includes conditions
as yes/ no state
Flow final
The circle with X though it. This
indicates that Process stop at this
point
Swim lane Received form
A partition in activity diagram by Payment fees
Hostel
Medical check
means of dashed line, called
allotment
swim lane. This swim lane may Issue identity
card
Issue library
card
be horizontal or vertical
Detailed Activity Diagram of SEIIT
1
Received form
Hostel
Payment fees Medical check
allotment
2
Issue identity Issue library
card card
Detailed Activity Diagram of SEIIT
Fill-in Check
form form
[Incorrect]
Regret message
[Correct]
Display student [Not Found]
screen
Verify the [Found]
Input student applications
information
Create record 1
Search for Student [Match]
selection list [No Match]
Regret
registration
Detailed Activity Diagram of SEIIT
Display Calculate
1 enrollment form registration fees
Dispaly fees
payable screen
Process
payment
Pay fee 2
Print receipt
Activity Diagram of SEIIT with Swim Lane
Student
Fill-in
form
Verify the [Found]
[Incorrect]
applications
[Not Found]
Check
Regret message
Registrar
form
[Correct]
Display student
screen
Create record
System
Input student
information
[Match]
1
Search for Student
selection list [No Match]
Regret
registration
Importance of Activity
Diagram
An activity diagram can depict a model in several ways
It can also depicts “Basic course of action” as well as “detailed courses”
Activity diagram can also be drawn that cross several use cases, or that address
just a small portion of use case
Activity diagrams are normally employed in business process modeling. This is
carried out during the initial stages of requirement analysis and specification
Activity diagrams can be very useful to understand the complex processing
activities involving many components
The activity diagram can be used to develop interaction diagrams which help to
allocate activities to classes
