SysML

Purpose

SysML (Systems Modeling Language) is an extension of UML for the needs of systems engineering. It is used in projects developing complex technical systems: aerospace, defense, automotive, medical.

In a BPM context SysML is interesting for its activity diagrams, which in the SysML variant are augmented with extensions for modeling physical flows, constraints and parametric dependencies.

Nine kinds of diagram

SysML includes nine diagram types, four borrowed from UML and five new:

• Block Definition Diagram
• Internal Block Diagram
• Parametric Diagram
• Requirement Diagram
• Use Case Diagram
• Activity Diagram
• Sequence Diagram
• State Machine Diagram
• Package Diagram

Use in BPM

SysML is rarely used for purely organizational business processes. Its niche is describing processes tightly bound to physical objects and technical constraints. Examples:

• Aircraft maintenance processes
• Commissioning of industrial installations
• The lifecycle of medical equipment

Limitations

• A high entry barrier even for a technical audience
• Overkill for routine business tasks
• A narrow niche of applicability in BPM