Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers in Industry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compind Improving information system design: Using UML and axiomatic design ☆ Luís Cavique a, ⁎ , Mariana Cavique b , Armando Mendes c , Miguel Cavique d a Universidade Aberta and LASIGE-FCUL, Portugal b Universidade Europeia and ISCTE-UL, Portugal c Universidade Açores and LIACC, Portugal d Escola Naval, Portugal article info Article history: Received 11 June 2021 Received in revised form 26 September 2021 Accepted 28 October 2021 Available online xxxx Keywords: Enterprise architecture Organization alignment UML CRUD matrix Axiomatic Design abstract A unifed view of the Information System (IS) design is essential for dealing with complexity. However, the literature proposes many denominations, depending on the layer, methodology, framework, or tool. This multitude of approaches does not allow a holistic view of the system. Besides, in Information Systems, the search for good practices in design is still a relevant issue. A subset of essential Unifed Modeling Language (UML) diagrams is chosen to create a broad view of the IS. CRUD matrix is one of the preferred approaches to articulate the sub-systems of applications and data. Axiomatic Design (AD) provides rules for the im- provement of the IS design. This work presents a method to create object-oriented elements based on the CRUD matrix aligned with the business strategy. An integrated student-based case study on logistics is provided. In the discussion, a new IS architect role is proposed supported by the CRUD/AD method. © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Information Systems (IS) are an input/output mechanism that collects data, store it, and distribute information. However, new legislation, new entities, and new interactions create challenges in information management. The alignment of business strategy with technology is crucial. The alignment asks of the information tech- nology (IT) process to achieve business objectives in any business organization. Software development is far from having a genuine impact on organizations. The Standish Group International (2010)) says 64% of software features are rarely or never used. Besides, the cost of poor software quality in 2018 in the USA is two trillion dollars (Krasner, 2021). This value includes unsuccessful software projects, poor quality in legacy systems, and operational software failures. There- fore, a better-quality software design is needed. Despite the high number of methodologies (Van-Bon and Verheijen, 2006) in Information Systems, the search for good prac- tices in design is still a relevant issue. What a good design is, is still a subject of controversy in IS. UML (Unifed Modeling Language) (Fowler, 2003) is a powerful toolbox that facilitates systems analysis and is an essential vehicle for design quality improvement. The use of UML iteratively in ana- lysis and design allows the fulfllment of the system requirements with object-oriented design and relational databases models. The bibliography on UML tools is vast, and it is presented at different levels and formats. Despite that, the UML bibliography gives a disconnected view of the systems, as each chapter refers to use-case diagrams, class dia- grams, activity diagrams, state diagrams, sequence diagrams, and physical diagrams. UML joined a set of diagrams of different authors without merging them. Each UML diagram corresponds to a partial view of the system. As a result, UML is usually presented in frag- ments in a poorly unifed vision. Most design methodologies are too detailed and allow incon- sistency in process descriptions instead of providing a global over- view. Enterprise Architecture (EA) (Lankhorst, 2013) promises an integrated approach to deal with complexity. EA goes beyond the symbolic models, such as UML diagrams, and achieves more co- herent and meaningful tools, the so-called semantic models. Returning to the origins, BSP (Business Systems Planning) (IBM, 1978) presents four essential elements for Information Systems Planning, coined as the Iron Cross: actors, applications, data, and technological systems (Rocha and Freixo, 2015). This work demon- strates that they can create a unifed IS view using a subset of es- sential UML diagrams. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2021.103569 0166-3615/© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ☆ The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of WorldCIST 2021 conference. ]] ]] ]]]]]] ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: luis.cavique@uab.pt (L. Cavique), mariana.cavique@universidadeeuropeia.pt (M. Cavique), armando.b.mendes@uac.pt (A. Mendes), cavique.santos@marinha.pt (M. Cavique). Computers in Industry 135 (2021) 103569