science

Modeling Maturity Levels

Modeling Maturity Levels is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Modeling Maturity Levels rather than just read about it. In short: Modeling Maturity Levels is a classification system defined by Anneke Kleppe and Jos Warmer in their book MDA Explained (published by Addison-Wesley). The levels characterize the role of modeling in a software project.

Key takeaways

Modeling Maturity Levels belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Modeling Maturity Levels to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Modeling Maturity Levels from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Modeling Maturity Levels is a classification system defined by Anneke Kleppe and Jos Warmer in their book MDA Explained (published by Addison-Wesley). The levels characterize the role of modeling in a software project. The concept shows resemblance to the way software processes are rated with the Capability Maturity Model. There are 6 levels:

Level 0 No Specification: the specification of software is not written down. It is kept in the minds of the developers Level 1 Textual Specification: the software is specified by a natural language text (be it English or Chinese or something else), written down in one or more documents Level 2 Text with Models: a textual specification is enhanced with several models to show some of the main structures of the system Level 3 Models with Text: the specification of software is written down in one or more models. In addition to these models, natural language text is used to explain details, the background, and the motivation of the models, but the core of the specifications lies in the models. Level 4 Precise Models: the specification of the software is written down in one or more models. Natural language can still be used to explain the background and motivation of the models, but it takes on the same role as comments in source code. Level 5 Models only: the models are precise and detailed enough to allow complete code generation. The code generators at this level have become as trustworthy as compilers, therefore no developer needs to even look at the generated code.

References T. Mettler, Thinking in terms of design decisions when developing maturity models, International Journal of Strategic Decision Sciences, 1(4), 2010, pp. 76-87. T. Mettler, P. Rohner, and R. Winter, Towards a Classification of Maturity Models in Information Systems, Management of the Interconnected World, in: A. D'Atri, M. De Marco, A.M. Braccini, and F. Cabiddu (Eds.), Berlin, Heidelberg: Physica, 2010, pp. 333-340. Anneke Kleppe and Jos Warmer in their book MDA Explained Addison-Wesley Book: MDA Explained: The Model Driven Architecture : Practice and Promise" by Anneke G. Kleppe, Jos B. Warmer, Wim Bast, Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional, Release Date: April 2003, ISBN 0-321-19442-X

External links Getting Started with Modeling Maturity Levels

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Modeling Maturity Levels

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Modeling Maturity Levels claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Modeling Maturity Levels before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Modeling Maturity Levels ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Modeling Maturity Levels

In research: Modeling Maturity Levels appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Modeling Maturity Levels in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Modeling Maturity Levels is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Maturity models, Unified Modeling Language, Unified Modeling Language stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Modeling Maturity Levels outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Modeling Maturity Levels in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Modeling Maturity Levels means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Modeling Maturity Levels out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Modeling Maturity Levels in simple terms?

Why does Modeling Maturity Levels matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Modeling Maturity Levels?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Modeling Maturity Levels.