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