Abstract:

In this paper, we analyze the problems of keeping up with diagrammatic changes being made within a collaborative software design tool.  With these graphical tools, one software engineer may specify possible software architectures e.g., through a UML editor.  A second software engineer may then modify the diagram.  The problem is how the original engineer can track what changes had been made.  Most systems provide little or no support for this, and we believe that relying on the engineer's memory is inadequate.  We propose several graphical representations that can illustrate to an author what has changed.  Issues in graphical representation of changes include how changes can be portrayed, as well as ways to filter the view to ensure the designers only see relevant changes at an appropriate level of detail.