The Elements of UML 2.0 by Scott W. Ambler
Miguel Pinilla
Technology and Supply Chain Executive @ Salduba Technologies | PhD, Manufacturing Information Systems
What it is about:
This is a small book with all the elements of UML formalisms that you will likely ever need unless you are into abstract formal models.
Imitating the approach of the classic The Elements of Style this book describes the main constructs of UML to apply them to improve technical communication in teams for aspects that are hard to convey in the code. Which is what the authors suggest is the best use of UML.
Why it changed my thinking:
I found myself agreeing with the goal of the authors about the use of UML. Early in my career I spent a couple of years working with formal specification languages and I experienced first hand how specifications can become bigger and harder to understand than the code they are supposed to specify. At the same time, working at System design and Architecture, you need a way to put your thoughts to paper before all the details of the implementation are clear. This book gave me a very handy guide to strike a good balance between too much effort generating Non-Code artifacts and not enough that prevents a team from working together in a large system effectively.
Where to get it:
Well said! I also like Martin Fowler’s UML Distilled. To me, the book emphasize UML as a way to communicate more than as a tool to design