Artifact: Component
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A component represents a piece of software code (source, binary or executable), or a file containing information (for example, a startup file or a ReadMe file). A component can also be an aggregate of other components, for example, an application consisting of several executables. |
| UML representation: | Components, possibly stereotyped as, for example, ½application╗, ½document╗, ½executable╗, ½file╗, ½library╗, ½page╗, ½table╗ or ½test component╗ |
| Worker: | Implementer |
| Optionality: | Use of any of the stereotypes is optional |
| More information: | Guidelines: Component |
| Input to Activities: | Output from Activities: |
Purpose 
A component represents a physical asset of the development process: files of some sort which contain source, configurations, executables and other physical products of development.
Properties
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Property Name |
Brief Description |
UML Representation |
| Name | Component name | The attribute "Name" on model element |
Timing
Components may be created in the Inception Phase during the creation of User Interface Prototypes; though this is relatively minor. Architecturally significant components are created in the Elaboration Phase as the architectural prototypes are developed. Remaining components are created in the Construction Phase. Components are updated during the Transition Phase as defects are found and fixed.
Responsibility
An implementer is responsible for the component, and ensures that:
- The component implements the corresponding design correctly, and fulfills the design specifications.
- The component is readable.
- Source code files are unit tested.
Tailoring
Which types to use depends on the programming language and the implementation
environment in general. For examples of different types of components, see Guidelines:
Component.
