Why do use cases? A use case is a formalized story that describes how someone or something procedurally interacts with an existing or proposed system. Basically it is a list of steps, typically defining interactions between a role (actor) and a system, to achieve a goal. The actor can be a human or an external system. Use cases provide the requirements, development, and testing phases a guidebook to describe complex systems and processes in an easy to understand way. They help document, categorize and prioritize requirements as well as validate stakeholders at various levels.
Steps:
- Identify: Distinguish the actors and end users of the process or system
- Analyze and Understand: Document the workflow or business process you are automating in the system
- Review: Completely describe the functional processes involved in getting that particular process completed from start to finish
Basic elements of a use case:
Element |
Description |
Title |
Enter the goal of the use case – preferably as a short, active verb phrase |
Description |
Describe the goal and context of this use case. This is usually an expanded version of what you entered in the “Title” field |
Primary Actor |
A person or a software/hardware system that interacts with your system to achieve the goal of this use case |
Precondition |
Describe the state the system is in before the first event in this use case |
Postcondition |
Describe the state the system is in after all the events in this use case have taken place |
Main Success Scenario |
The flow of events from preconditions to postconditions, when nothing goes wrong |
Extensions |
Describe all the other scenarios for this use case – including exceptions and error cases |
Overview
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