Recently, when discussing this project with a friend, I was given a UML book to take a gander at.
Here's the thing. My role in this project is a designer and producer. My job is to to explain -clearly and as unambiguously as possible- to programmers what the program is supposed to do. I must also give clear definitions of the various parts of the program and how they will fit together.
I must do this all without actually knowing how to program.
UML seems to be where this comes in. While I have only been able to take a brief look at it, the various notations, boxes, and objects in order to create an algorithm. For a programmer to follow. This of assumes the programmer(s) also understand UML.
Now, of course, as someone who does not know how to program I don't want to issue instructions to those who do. What I want to do is draw up the UML, hand it to the programmer and ask them to change anything that needs changing. I figure that programmers know best how to program.
Learning UML, will be a task in itself. Before I invest in such a book, can any you programmers tell me if it is worth the investment, or should I invest in something else?
Personally I don't find uml useful for lower level tasks. UML could be helpful for keeping track of how an abstracted function/block of code/program module fits into the whole and keeping track of it's inputs and outputs, but I feel like visio can be used for that without needing to learn formal UML. Just my 2 c. Can't speak to how anyone else would like it.
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