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SysML: How to Use Activity Diagrams to

Model System Behavior?

SysML: How to Use An activity diagram is a kind of behavior diagram; it’s a dynamic view of the system
Activity Diagrams to that expresses sequences of behaviors and event occurrences over time. In SysML,
Model System Behavior? an activity diagram is inherited from UML with some minor modifications.
Why Activity Diagram?
Activity diagrams, sequence diagrams, and state machine diagrams are the three
Activity Diagram – Learn options that SysML offers you to specify system behavior. All three can express
by Examples sequential and concurrent behaviors and event occurrences over time. However,
each one has strengths and weaknesses that make it more or less appropriate
Activity Diagram
Notation Summary based on the needs of your target audience.

Describe High-Level
Interactions between a
System and External
Systems

Model the Interaction

within a Sub-System

Why Activity Diagram?

Activity diagrams can express complex control logic better than sequence diagrams
and state machine diagrams. An activity diagram is particularly good at expressing
the flow of objects—matter, energy, or data—through a behavior, with a focus on
how the objects can be accessed and modified in the execution of that behavior
during system operation. Thus, it is typically used to specify behavior, with a focus
on the flow of control and the transformation of inputs into outputs through a
sequence of actions. Common usages of an activity diagram in SysML includes:

Activity diagrams are commonly used as an analysis tool to understand and

express the desired behavior of a system.
 Activity diagrams are often used to create graphical use case specifications which
tend to be more concise and less ambiguous than the traditional text form of a
use case specification.

In addition, an activity diagram is also a common technique is to dissect a single-

use case specification either a text specification or an activity diagram, and
subsequently for creating a set of sequence diagrams, one per path (scenario).

Activity Diagram – Learn by Examples

A basic activity diagram – flowchart like

Activity Diagram Notation Summary

Notation Description UML Notation

Activity

Is used to represent a set of actions

Action

A task to be performed
Control Flow

Shows the sequence of execution

Object Flow

Show the flow of an object from one activity (or action) to

another activity (or action).

Initial Node

Portrays the beginning of a set of actions or activities

Activity Final Node

Stop all control flows and object flows in an activity (or

action)

Object Node

Represent an object that is connected to a set of Object

Flows

Decision Node

Represent a test condition to ensure that the control flow

or object flow only goes down one path

Merge Node

Bring back together with different decision paths that were

created using a decision-node.

Fork Node

Split behavior into a set of parallel or concurrent flows of

activities (or actions)
 Join Node

Bring back together with a set of parallel or concurrent

flows of activities (or actions).

Swimlane and Partition

A way to group activities performed by the same actor on

an activity diagram or to group activities in a single thread

Describe High-Level Interactions between a

System and External Systems
The figure below specifies how the Air Compressor interacts with the external
systems, including the Air Tool, the Atmosphere, and indirectly with the Operator.

(*Source – Example extracted from – The Practical Guide to SysML 3rd ed by Morgan
Kaufmann 2014)

The Block Definition Diagram includes a block called the Air Compressor Context
that is composed of the Air Compressor and the entities that are external to the Air
Compressor representing the user (Operator), external system (Air Tool), and the
physical environment (Atmosphere).

The Air Compressor and the external systems are shown as activity partitions.

(*Source – Example extracted from – The Practical Guide to SysML 3rd ed by Morgan
Kaufmann 2014)
 1. The activity begins at the initial node (i.e., dark-filled circle), and
then the Operator executes the Control Tool action.

2. The activity completes its execution at the activity final node (i.e.,
bulls-eye symbol) after the Operator completes the Control Tool
action.

3. The Air Compressor performs the function (i.e., action) called

Compress Air, which has a low-pressure air input and a high-
pressure air output.

Model the Interaction within a Sub-System

The Compress Air action is further decomposed. Now, let’s continue the Air
Compressor example, we can use an internal block diagram below to show how the
components of the Air Compressor are interconnected.

(*Source – Example extracted from – The Practical Guide to SysML 3rd ed by Morgan
Kaufmann 2014)

We can use the activity diagram to shows how the components interact within the
Air Compressor when performing a compress Air action. The activity partitions in
this activity diagram correspond to the four components of the air compressor as
shown in the Swimlane Activity Diagram below:

The Motor Controller performs actions to Sense Pressure and Control Motor

The Motor performs the action to Generate Torque

The Pump performs the action to Pump Air

The Tank performs the action to Store Air.

 (*Source – Example extracted from – The Practical Guide to SysML 3rd Ed by Morgan
Kaufmann 2014)

The low-pressure air input and high-pressure air output are consistent with the
input and output of the Compress Air action contained in the Behavior package
along with the Operate Air Tool activity in the previous high-level activity diagram
example.

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