Effective Use Case Development

Effective Use Case Development

Goals

Without proper capture of requirements software projects have a high probability of failure. This 2-day course presents the use case technique which has become a norm for capturing functional requirements in object-oriented projects, yet can be used just as successfully with procedural development projects. Structured around a problem-driven approach, students will learn use case techniques and concepts in a "just-in-time" manner, emphasizing the semantics of each technique and not just its notation. Numerous examples, and two, parallel case studies let students see how a concept is described in a use case model, and then immediately apply their understanding. Endorsed by the IIBA for conformance to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK).

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

Write effective use cases for gaining consensus on the desired behavior of a software system.
Recognize and understand the UML use case notation and semantics.
Describe the iterative process for developing use cases.
Describe the degree of detail needed to write successful use cases.
Recognize improper use case descriptions.
Understand how to apply use cases directly to software testing.

Duration

Two days (3rd and 4th days conducted as facilitated use case workshops on your projects may be included).

Prerequisites

Experience in requirements gathering, or systems analysis is desirable, but not mandatory.

Description

This 2-day course is designed to provide students with intensive, practical training in the concepts of requirements specification through use cases. During the course the students write at least three non-trivial use cases. At course completion, students will have a comprehensive understanding of use cases, how to write useful and effective use cases, and will have a keen appreciation of both the value and limitations of use cases in either procedural or object-oriented development lifecycles. This course provides detailed coverage of sections 2, 3, and 5 of the current IIBA Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK)

Cost

Please call 803-781-7628 for public enrollment and private, on-site pricing.

Topics

Introduction

Requirements Definition & Activities

– The Problem with Requirements

– The CHAOS Report

– Goals of Requirements Modeling

– What is a Requirement?

– Requirements Specification: Inputs, Activities, and Outputs

– Small Group Discussion: Requirements in Your Organization

Use Cases - An Executive Summary

– What is a Use Case?

– Where Do Use Cases Fit?

– Example: Review a Use Case

– Five (5) Necessary Concepts

– Dimensions of Use Case Descriptions

– Use Cases & Traditional Specifications

Use Case Development Process

Identify the System Vision

– Introduce Example Case Study

– Introduce Exercise Case Study

– Exercise: Write a Use Case #1

Identify the Major System Services

– Event Modeling – The Event List

– What is an Event?

– Components of the Event List

– Event Modeling Traps

– Example: Building an Event List

– Exercise: Building an Event List

– Mapping Events to Use Cases & Actors

– Alternative Sources for Use Cases

Identify the System Actors

– Actors as Roles

– Actor Types / Stereotypes

– Discovering Actors from the Event List

– Example: Defining Actors

– Exercise: Defining Actors

Develop the Use Case Diagram

– Use Case Diagram Anatomy

– Constructing the Use Case Diagram

– Example: Event List to Use Case Diagram

– Exercise: Event List to Use Cases Diagram

Use Cases & Non-Functional Requirements

– Non-Functional Requirements that Apply to One Use Case, to Multiple Use Cases

– Use Cases Alone Are Not Enough

Scope and presentation format

– System-level vs. business-level use cases

– Casual vs. Formal Presentation

– Sentence Format

– Paragraph Format

– Two-column Format

Essential Use Cases

– Why Essential Use Cases Are Best

– How Much Detail to Add?

Use Case Flows of Events

– Basic Flows

– Exception Flows

– Write the Happy Path First!

– Examples: Case Study Use Case Exceptions

Writing the Use Case Descriptions

– The Three ‘C’s

– Use Cases Have Goals

– Example: Review Complex Use Cases

– Exercise: Write a Use Case #2

– Exercise: Write a Use Case #3

Advanced Use Case Diagramming

– The <<include>> Relationship

– The <<extend>> Relationship

– The generalization Relationship

– When to Use These Relationships

Use Case Pitfalls and Abuses

– CRUD-Based Use Case Partitioning

– Use Case Normalization

– Treating Steps as Use Cases

Who Should Write the Use Cases?

– Subject Matter Experts?

– Developers?

– Analysts?

Use Cases and Testing

– Use Cases and Scenarios

– Deriving Test Cases from Scenarios

Use Cases and CASE Tools

– Are CASE Tools Useful for Use Cases?

– What is the Most Effective Tool?

Wrapup

Audience

Business or system analysts, technical managers, and software developers who wish to learn use case techniques for capturing requirements for software system development.

For more information about this course or other courses please contact Evanetics at 1-803-781-7628.