Hi..Neetha,

I would be happy to try to help out.

Last year, I completed a long-term consulting project as lead requirements analyst/assistant PM in a complex regulatory SEC/FASB (US GAAP) accounting compliance project in the financial services sector.

Due to the number of legacy systems, business rules, issues and internal/external stakeholders involved, I needed a requirements management/business analysis/design exploration tool.

I also needed a tool and methodology that could be assimilated by a relatively small/midsize IT department and applications support team with a limited budget.

I – with client consent and buy-in – utilized the Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect (EA) product with considerable success.

I used the UML-based tool for integrated (1)domain (logical) modeling, (2) requirements capture/elaboration/visual modeling -- of business/regulatory requirements, business rules and systems requirements; (3) use case analysis/modeling, (4) requirements traceability, and (5) project documentation.

As you know, UML can be overwhelming and cumbersome without guidance as how to approach and constrain one’s use of it--particuliarly for business analysis, where one must be careful not to alienate stakeholders.

For guidance, I used -- and I recommend to you -- the approach called ‘ICONIX’ as presented by Doug Rosenberg and Matt Stephens in their book entitled, ‘Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML’.

In addition the Sparx Systems’ website has a valuable ‘Resources’ page with tutorials, example models and white papers for your use. Also, the EA tool includes UML stereotypes to support the ICONIX method.

Regarding documentation: The EA product has a built-in report generation tool that I found useful for creating HTML-based documentation that features a tree-view navigation capability, making it easily deployable to non-technical end-users. It is also possible to create Word-compatible RTF documents with excellent rendering of graphics.

In addition, I was able to embed URL-links in the HTML-based documentation set to link to client SharePoint document repositories for enterprise work papers, correspondence and regulatory mandates.

If you are willing to invest in an object-oriented based approach to requirements analysis and modeling, then the ICONIX methodology combined with Sparx Systems’ Enterprise Architect tool may be an appropriate path for you.

As I mentioned, a UML tool by itself without establishing a mindset, framework and strategy for its use is like falling into a bottomless pit.

Please know that I do not have a financial or other relationship with either Sparx Systems or the authors/inventors and publisher of the ICONIX process.

Finally, regarding the topic of using multiple requirements engineering tools that you are exploring: I appreciate your frustration, as no tool has all the features that one would like that address all aspects of business analysis, but the potential cost overhead and risk of getting bogged down in a tools quagmire may overwhelm the project.
Let's hope the tools and tool vendors mature and converge over time. In the meantime, I have turned to our old friends: Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Visio, in modest doses, to fill tool gaps.

Good luck with your project!

Steve Steinberg
New York, NY