About UML models

The Microsoft Office Visio UML Model Diagram template provides full support for creating object-oriented models of complex software systems.

Use case diagrams

In the early stages of a development project, use use case diagrams to describe real-world activities and motivations. You can refine the diagrams in later stages to reflect user interface and design details.

Create a UML use case diagram

Static structure diagrams

Use static structure diagrams to create conceptual diagrams that represent concepts from the real world and the relationships between them, or class diagrams that decompose a software system into its parts.

Create a UML static structure diagram

Package diagrams

Use package diagrams to group related elements in a system. One package can contain subordinate packages, diagrams, or single elements.

Create a UML package diagram

Activity diagrams

Use an activity diagram to describe the internal behavior of a method and represent a flow driven by internally generated actions.

Create a UML activity diagram

Statechart diagrams

Use a statechart diagram to show the sequence of states an object goes through during its life.

Create a UML statechart diagram

Sequence diagrams

Use a sequence diagram to show the actors or objects participating in an interaction and the events they generate arranged in a time sequence.

Create a UML sequence diagram

Collaboration diagram

Use a collaboration diagram to show relationships among object roles such as the set of messages exchanged among the objects to achieve an operation or result.

Create a UML collaboration diagram

Component diagrams

Use a component diagram to partition a system into cohesive components and show the structure of the code itself.

Create a UML component diagram

Deployment diagrams

Use a deployment diagram to show the structure of the run-time system and communicate how the hardware and software elements that make up an application will be configured and deployed.

Create a UML deployment diagram