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1. Use Case Diagrams

a. Describe

It is a representation of a user's interaction with the system and depicting the specifications of a use case. A use case diagram can portray the different types of users of a system and the various ways that they interact with the system.

b. The Best Use

It shows the interaction between the system and entities external to the system. These external entities are referred to as actors. Actors represent roles which may include human users, external hardware or other systems. An actor is usually drawn as a named stick figure, or alternatively as a class rectangle with the «actor» keyword.

2. Sequence Diagrams

a. Describe

Unified Modeling Language Sequence Diagram is an interaction diagram that describes the flow of messages events and actions. Also, it shows the order of how these processes operate with each other. Sequence diagram also shows the time sequence in the system’s processes.

b. The Best Use

UML sequence diagrams are typically used in analysis and design phase to document and understand the logical flow of the system. Also, it shows how the objects interact with each other. The most important feature of the sequence diagram is that it shows the time of these interacted objects

3. Deployment Diagrams

a. Describe

Deployment diagrams are used to visualize the topology of the physical components of a system where the software components are deployed.

So deployment diagrams are used to describe the static deployment view of a system. Deployment diagrams consist of nodes and their relationships.  Deployment diagrams are used for describing the hardware components where software components are deployed. Deployment diagrams are used to model the configuration of run-time processing elements and the software components, processes, and objects that live on them.

b. The Best Use

· To model the hardware topology of a system.

· To model embedded system.

· To model hardware details for a client/server system.

· To model hardware details of a distributed application.

· Forward and reverse engineering.

4. Communication Diagrams

a. Describe

A communication diagram is a type of UML interaction diagram that illustrates the flow of messages between the objects in an interaction. You can add and modify lifelines, message pathways, and messages in communication diagrams.

b. The Best Use

Communication diagrams show a lot of the same information as sequence diagrams, but because of how the information is presented, some of it is easier to find in one diagram than the other. Communication diagrams show which elements each one interacts with better, but sequence diagrams show the order in which the interactions take place more clearly

5. Activity Diagrams:

a. Describe

Unified Modeling Language Activity Diagram describes the active parts of a system. Also, Activity Diagram represents the transition between each system operation. Activity diagram consist of four major elements that should be identified in order to create the diagram: activity, association, condition, and constraint.

b. The Best Use

Activity diagram is used to identify the order of the activity in the system. It is also identifying the starting, the ending point of the system and the workflow between them. The main purpose of Activity diagram is that it shows the different decision paths of the system clearly that is one of the most important reasons for using the activity diagram. (Patel & Patil, 2013)

6. State Diagrams:

a. Describe

Unified Modeling Language State Diagram or State Machine Diagram it state the sequence of an object of the system in its lifetime in response to events and the response those events. State diagram consist of Initial State, final state, the state, event trigger or an action, and self-transition.

b. The Best Use

State diagram is used when the engineer wants to state all the states in the system. Also, state diagram is used to state the flow of control in every state in the system. (Brown & Distler, 1991)

7. Composite Structure Diagrams

a. Describe

A composite structure diagram is a diagram that shows the internal structure of a classifier, including its interaction points to other parts of the system.

b. The Best Use

It is used to show the configuration and relationship of parts that together, perform the behavior of the containing classifier.