Customizing BOM types

The final stage of capability operation analysis is to customize the Business Object Model (BOM) types in line with the data requirements of the project and the organization as a whole.

Role: business Analyst
Input: BOM
Deliverables: customized BOM

Note: while performing this task, remember that BOM is an analysis model.

When we assign data attributes and operations to classes we are expressing requirements and responsibilities, not attempting to model an implementation. Operations are added to the model to express navigation and management responsibilities, and rarely need to be expressed in more detail than a name and a good business definition. Detailed parameter definitions and design-level semantics can be left until design time within the Interface Design Model (IDM).

Capturing data requirements
Class attributes are the simplest form of expressing the detailed data requirements for a type. An attribute with a specific type, and optionally an array specifier, captures simple static data requirements.
Using a semantic model
A common issue encountered during capability operation analysis is the availability of detailed data requirements. Process analysis and early capability operation identification result in the identification of type-level requirements.
Other data requirement sources
Outside of analysis and requirements sessions, where requirements, specifically data requirements are discussed, a number of other sources of data requirements can be sourced within the organization.
Adding subtypes to BOM
Where a new business concept has been identified during analysis and that type is a further specialization of an existing type with the Business Object Model (BOM), then the new concept can be inserted as a new subtype within BOM.
Adding other types to BOM
Where a new business concept is identified, but that type is not a specialization of an existing Business Object Model (BOM) type, an entirely new class must be added to the model.
Adding relationships to BOM
If a new relationship is identified between two existing types in the Business Object Model (BOM), that relationship is added as a new Unified Modeling Language (UML) association in the model.
Adding attributes to BOM
If analysis results in new details about the data attribution of a type, new class attributes are added to existing classes within the Business Object Model (BOM).
Adding operations to BOM
If analysis results in the identification of a new operational responsibility associated with a Business Object Model (BOM) type, that responsibility is modeled within BOM using a class operation. Class operations model responsibilities relating to a single type or its immediate dependent.
Illustrating requirements using worked examples
A good way of expressing how a particular requirement is satisfied in the Business Object Model (BOM) is to draw an instance diagram, also referred to as worked example.

Parent topic: Customizing the Business Object Model