UML Everywhere

A standardized and widely used diagramming notation is a sign of a profession's maturity. Yet in software engineering, we still use diverse and ad hoc notations. Here, the author proposes that engineers should put their differences aside and make a concerted effort to use UML for drawing diagrams. Through this approach, software engineers will become more effective in reading and understanding those diagrams, and the diagrams will be more expressive and precise. As more and more people adopt UML diagrams, network effects will kick in and act as a virtuous self-reinforcing mechanism. Although UML isn't a perfect choice, using a standard notation is always better than using an ad hoc one. So, for the benefit of the profession, software engineers should agree to use UML's notation, concentrating on the substance of designs rather than their appearance.