Designing a database involves building a formal model of the application area or universe of discourse (UoD). To do this properly requires a good understanding of the UoD and a means of specifying this understanding in a clear, unambiguous way. Object Role Modeling (ORM) simplifies the design process by using natural language, as well as intuitive diagrams which can be populated with examples, and by examining the information in terms of simple or elementary facts. By expressing the model in terms of natural concepts, like objects and roles, it provides a conceptual approach to modeling.
Early versions of object role modeling were developed in Europe in the mid-1970s (for example, binary relationship modeling and Natural Language Information Analysis Method (NIAM)).
See also: Object Role Modeling: An Overview, orm.net, ormcentral.com, objectrolemodeling.com