Objectives

Chapter 7
• Describe the benefits of use-case modeling.
• Define actors and use cases and be able to identify
them from context diagrams and other sources.
• Describe the relationships that can appear on a use-
case model diagram.
Modeling System • Describe the steps for preparing a use-case model.
Requirements with Use • Describe how to construct a use-case model diagram.
• Describe the various sections of a use-case narrative
Cases and be able to prepare one.
• Define the purpose of the use-case ranking and priority
matrix and the use-case dependency diagram.

7-2
McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

An Introduction to
Use-Case Modeling
• One of the primary challenges is the ability to
elicit the correct and necessary system
requirements from the stakeholders and
specify them in a manner understandable to
them so those requirements can be verified
and validated.

The hardest single part of building a software system is deciding precisely

what to build. No other part of the conceptual work is a difficult as
establishing the detailed technical requirements, including all the interfaces
to people, to machines, and to other software systems. No other work so
cripples the resulting system if done wrong. No other part is more difficult to
rectify later. Fred Brooks
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 IS Development Project User-Centered Development
Track Record and Use-Case Modeling
User-centered development – a process of
systems development based on understanding
the needs of the stakeholders and the reasons
why the system should be developed.

Use-case modeling – the process of modeling

a system’s functions in terms of business
events, who initiated the events, and how the
system responds to those events.
• Use-case modeling has roots in object-oriented modeling.
canceled Over budget, • Gaining popularity in non-object development
before late, or without environments because of its usefulness in communicating
completion needed features with users.
• Compliments traditional modeling tools.
7-5 Source: The Standish Group International, Inc., “Chaos: A Recipe for Success” 7-6

Benefits of Use-Case Modeling

Benefits of Use-Case Modeling (continued)
• Provides tool for capturing functional requirements. • Aids in defining test plans and test cases.
• Assists in decomposing system into manageable • Provides baseline for user documentation.
pieces. • Provides tool for requirements traceability.
• Provides means of communicating with • Provides starting point for identification of data
users/stakeholders concerning system functionality objects or entities.
in language they understand. • Provides specifications for designing user and
• Provides means of identifying, assigning, tracking, system interfaces.
controlling, and management system development • Provides means of defining database access
activities. requirements.
• Provides aid in estimating project scope, effort, • Provides framework for driving the system
and schedule. development project.
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 System Concepts for Sample Use-Case Model
Use-Case Modeling Diagram
Use case – a behaviorally related sequence of steps
(scenario), both automated and manual, for the purpose
of completing a single business task.
• Description of system functions from the perspective of external
users in terminology they understand.

Use-case diagram – a diagram that depicts the

interactions between the system and external systems
and users.
• graphically describes who will use the system and in what ways
the user expects to interact with the system.

Use-case narrative – a textual description of the

business event and how the user will interact with the
system to accomplish the task.
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Basic Use-Case Symbols Four Types of Actors

Use case – subset of the overall system functionality • Primary business actor
• Represented by a horizontal ellipse with name • The stakeholder that primarily benefits from the execution of
of use case above, below, or inside the ellipse. the use case.
• e.g. the employee receiving the paycheck
• Primary system actor
• The stakeholder that directly interfaces with the system to
Actor – anyone or anything that needs to interact initiate or trigger the business or system event.
with the system to exchange information. • e.g. the bank teller entering deposit information
• human, organization, another information system, • External server actor
external device, even time. • The stakeholder that responds to a request from the use case.
• e.g. the credit bureau authorizing a credit card charge
• External receiver actor
Temporal event – a system event triggered by time. • The stakeholder that is not the primary actor but receives
• The actor is time. something of value from the use case.
7-11 7-12 • e.g. the warehouse receiving a packing slip
 Use Case Association
Use Case Extends Relationship
Relationship
Association – a relationship between an actor and a Extension use case –use case consisting of steps
use case in which an interaction occurs between them. extracted from another use case to simplify the original.
• Association modeled as a solid line connecting the actor and the • Extends the functionality of the original use case.
use case. • Generally not identified in the requirements phase
• Association with an arrowhead touching the use case indicates • Extends relationship represented as arrow beginning at the
that the use case was initiated by the actor. (1) extension use case and pointing to use case it is extending.
• Association lacking arrowhead indicates a receiver actor. (2)
• Labeled <<extends>>.
• Associations may be bidirectional or unidirectional.

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Use Case Depends On

Use Case Uses Relationship
Relationship
Abstract use case – use case that reduces redundancy in Depends On – use case relationship that specifies
two or more other use cases by combining common steps which other use cases must be performed before the
found in both.
• Available by any other use case that requires its functionality.
current use case.
• Can help determine
• Generally not identified sequence in which
in requirements phase use cases need to
• Relationship between be developed.
abstract use case
and use case that • Depicted as arrow
uses it is called a beginning at one
uses (or includes) use case and
relationship. pointing to use case
• Depicted as arrow it depends on.
beginning at • Labeled
original use case <<depends on>>.
and pointing to
use case it is using.
• Labeled <<uses>>.
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 Use Case Inheritance Use Case Inheritance
Relationship Relationship
Inheritance – a use case relationship in
which the common behavior of two actors
initiating the same use case is
extrapolated and assigned to a new
abstract actor to reduce redundancy.
• Other actors can inherit the interactions of the
abstract actor.
• Depicted as an arrow beginning at one
actor and pointing to the abstract actor whose
interactions the first actor inherits.
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The Process of Requirements

Step 1: identify Business Actors
Use-Case Modeling
• Objective is to elicit and analyze enough requirements • When looking for actors, ask the following
information to prepare a model that: questions:
• Communicates what is required from a user perspective.
• Who or what provides inputs to the system?
• Is free of specific details about how system will be
implemented. • Who or what receives outputs from the system?
• To effectively estimate and schedule project, may need • Are interfaces required to other systems?
to include preliminary implementation assumptions. • Are there events that are automatically triggered at a
• Steps predetermined time?
1. Identify business actors. • Who will maintain information in the system?
2. Identify business use cases.
• Actors should be named with a noun or noun
3. Construct use-case model diagram.
4. Documents business requirements use-case narratives.
phrase
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 Step 2: Identify Business
Sample List of Actors
Requirements Use Cases
Business Requirements Use Case - a
use case created during requirements
analysis to capture the interactions
between a user and the system free of
technology and implementation details.

• During requirements analysis, strive to

identify and document only the most critical,
complex, and important use cases, often
called essential use cases.
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Step 2: Identify Business

Requirements Use Cases (cont.)
Sample Context Diagram

• When looking for use cases, ask the following

questions:
• What are the main tasks of the actor?
• What information does the actor need form the system?
• What information does the actor provide to the system?
• Does the system need to inform the actor of any changes or
events that have occurred?
• Does the actor need to inform the system of any changes or
events that have occurred?
• Use cases should be named with a verb phrase
specifying the goal of the actor (i.e. Submit
Subscription Order)
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 Sample Use-Case Glossary
Sample Use-Case Glossary
(cont.)

7-25 continued 7-26 continued

Sample Use-Case Glossary Step 3: Construct Use-Case

(cont.) Model Diagram

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 Step 4: Document Business Sample High-Level Version
Requirements Use-Case Narratives of a Use-Case Narrative
• Document first at high level to quickly
obtain an understanding of the events and
magnitude of the system.
• Then expand to a fully-documented
business requirement narrative.
• Include the use case’s typical course of
events and its alternate courses.

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Sample Expanded Version Sample Expanded Version

of a Use-Case Narrative of a Use-Case Narrative (cont)

7-31 7-32 continued

continued
 Sample Expanded Version Use Cases and Project
of a Use-Case Narrative (cont) Management
• Use-case model can drive entire development
effort.
• Project manager or systems analyst uses
business requirements use cases to estimate
and schedule the build cycles of the project.
• Build cycles are scoped on the basis of the
importance of the use case and the time it takes to
implement the use case.
• To determine importance of use cases, will
create:
• Use-case ranking and evaluation matrix
• Use-case dependency diagram
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concluded

Use-Case Ranking Sample Use-Case Ranking

and Priority Matrix and Priority Matrix
• In most projects, the most important use cases
are developed first.

Use-case ranking and priority matrix – a tool used to

evaluate use cases and determine their priority.

• Evaluates use cases on 1-5 scale against six criteria.

1. Significant impact on the architectural design.
2. Easy to implement but contains significant functionality.
3. Includes risky, time-critical, or complex functions.
4. Involves significant research or new or risky technology.
5. Includes primary business functions.
7-35 6. Will increase revenue or decrease costs. 7-36
 Use-Case Dependency Sample Use-Case
Diagram Dependency Diagram
Use-case dependency diagram –
graphical depiction of the dependencies
among use cases.

• Provides the following benefits:

• Graphical depiction of the system’s events and
their states enhances understanding of system
functionality.
• Helps identify missing use cases.
• Helps facilitate project management by
depicting which use cases are more critical.
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