When and How Using Use Cases

It is not always clear when to use a use case and when not to use a use case. If a use case is used, how and what should be described in the use case?

A use case can only be used to describe a specific usage of the system. The use case clearly describes the interaction of an actor with the system: it is a sequence of "the actor does this, the system does that". An actor can be human (user) or non-human (hardware device). It is important that the actor can only be something that is outside of the system boundaries: it can't be a subsystem of the system.

The description of the flow of a use case should be limited to describing the interaction of the actor with the system. It should not include lengthy specifications related to a specific use case step. For example, when the use case flow states "the system shows display system information", the specification of the "display system information" is best done outside of the flow.

If this non-functional specification is related only to one use case, it can be added in the section of the use case document describing the non-functional specifications, for example under a heading "Display System Information". If the specification is relevant to more than one use case it can be added as a requirement of the system, for example "The system must provide display system information". The detailed specification of the requirement then describes the "display system information" in detail.

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Comments

December 4. 2008 10:01

I'd like to add just a couple of things with regard to Use Cases. I have been practicing them for a study at the FOD Finance some time ago.
Key to a Use Case - whether it be functional or non-functional - is that in normal circumstances it leads to *one* clearly defined result (= normal flow). The normal flow may have variants (= alternative flows), equally ending up in the the same result. Obviously, not all interactions between the actor and the system will be successful. This is captured in the third type of flows, being the exceptions.
Cheers, Paul B

Paul Biesbrouck

December 12. 2009 08:55

Finally! A relevant, intelligent post regarding a subject that so much logic is missing. Many thanks for sharing this inventive and intelligent commentary with the world. We definitely need lot of sense like you've shown here. I appreciate it very much Smile.

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