AWebFactory
Robustness Diagram

The Robustness Diagram is explained in the ICONIX methodology, and there is a good explanation of it on the Agile Modeling website.


In Use Case Driven Object Modeling With UML Doug Rosenberg and Kendall Scott describe a technique called robustness analysis.  The basic idea is that you can analyze the steps of a use case to validate the business logic within it and to ensure that the terminology is consistent with other use cases that you have previously analyzed – in other words you can use them to ensure that your use cases are sufficiently robust to represent the usage requirements for the system you’re building. Another use is to identify potential objects or object responsibilities to support the logic called out in the use case, effectively acting as a bridge to other diagrams such UML sequence diagrams and UML class diagrams.

Another good example, including listing of rules for relationships between entitites, boundaries and controllers, can be found on the Cern Site ICONIX Robustness Analysis page.

Strictly speaking, the writing of the Use Case Text precedes the developoment of the Robustness Diagram (both of which will be in a state of flux for a time). In actual practice, and with the more practice you have, both have a tendency to be worked on simultaneously, since the elaboration of the diagram will lead to a clearer, more consistent Use Case Text. The diagram also serves as a springboard towards the Anaysis (Sequence) and Design (Class) diagrams.

Examples on this web: Content Copyleft Victor Kane (ProjectMaster) and awebfactory.com.ar
Email me at info at awebfactory dot com dot ar
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