Use Cases and Scenarios
05-Use-Cases 1
We Will Cover
What is a use-case
Use-case versus user interaction
Use-Case diagrams
The constructs in the use-case diagrams
Capturing the use-case
High-level use-case
Extended use-case
Difference between use case and scenario
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What is a Use-Case
A use-case captures some user visible function
This may be a large or small function
Depends on the level of detail in your modeling effort
A use-case achieves a discrete goal for the user
Examples
Format a document
Request an elevator
How are the use cases found (captured or elicited)?
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User Goals versus User
Interactions
Consider the following when formatting a document
Define a style
Change a style
Copy a style from one document to the next
versus
Format a document
Ensure consistent formatting of two documents
The latter is a user goal
Something the user wants to achieve
The former are user interactions
Things the user does to the system to achieve the goal
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Goals and Interactions
There is a place for both goals and interactions
Understand what the system shall do
Capture the user goals
Understand how the user will achieve the goals
Capture user interactions
Sequences of user interactions
Thus, start with the user goals and then refine the user
goals into several (many) user interactions
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Use-Case Diagrams (POST)
POST: Point of Sale Terminal
Use Case
POST
System Boundary
Buy Item
Log In
Cashier Customer
Refund a Purchased Item
Adapted from Larman Applying UML and Patterns
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Another Example
Set Limits
Update Accounts Accounting System
Trading Manager
Analyze Risk
includes
Valuation
includes
Price Deal
Trader
Capture Deal
Salesperson
extends
Adapted from Fowler UML Distilled
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Includes and Extends
Includes Extends
You have a piece of behavior A use-case is similar to another
that is similar across many use one but does a little bit more
cases Put the normal behavior in one
Break this out as a separate use-case and the exceptional
use-case and let the other behavior somewhere else
ones include it Capture the normal behavior
Examples include Try to figure out what can go
wrong in each step
Valuation
Capture the exceptional cases in
Validate user interaction separate use-cases
Sanity check on sensor inputs
Makes it a lot easier to
Check for proper authorization
understand
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Setting the System Boundary
The system boundary will affect your actors and
use-cases
POST
Buy Item
Log In
Cashier Customer
Refund a Purchased Item
Adapted from Larman Applying UML and Patterns MH
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A Different Boundary
Let us view the whole store as our system
Store
Buy Item
Refund a Purchased Item
Customer
Adapted from Larman Applying UML and Patterns
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Embedded System
Onion Skin
*
Perception/Action
Sensors/Actuators
Interfaces
System
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Partial POST
POST
Buy Item
Log In
Cashier Customer
Refund a Purchased Item
Start Up
Manager
Manage Users
System Administrator
Adapted from Larman Applying UML and Patterns And a Lot More
MH
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POST Use-Case
Use case: Buy Item
Actors: Customer (initiator), Cashier
Type: Primary
Description: The Customer arrives at the
checkout with items to purchase.
The Cashier records the purchase
items and collects a payment.
On completion the Customer
leaves with the items
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POST Expanded Use-Case
Use case: Buy Item
Actors: Customer (initiator), Cashier
Type: Primary and essential
Description: The Customer arrives at the checkout with items
to purchase. The Cashier records the purchase
items and collects a payment. On completion the
Customer leaves with the items.
Cross Ref.: Requirements XX, YY, and ZZ
Use-Cases: Cashier must have completed the Log In use-case
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The Home Heating System
*
Temp Sensor
Water Pump Water Valve
Hot Water Home
Controller
Burner
Fuel Valve
90
80 Off
70
On
Fuel 60
50
Control Panel
Temp Sensor
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Home Heating Use-Case Diagram
Home Heating
Power Up
Power Down
Home Owner
Change Temp.
MH
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Home Heating Use-Cases
Use case: Power Up
Actors: Home Owner (initiator)
Type: Primary and essential
Description: The Home Owner turns the power on. Each room
is temperature checked. If a room is below the
the desired temperature the valve for the room is
opened, the water pump started. If the water temp falls
below threshold, the fuel valve is
opened, and the burner ignited.
If the temperature in all rooms is above the desired
temperature, no actions are taken.
Cross Ref.: Requirements XX, YY, and ZZ
Use-Cases: None
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Modified Home Heating
Home Heating
Power Up Temp. High
includes
includes
Power Down Adjust Temp
includes
Home Owner
includes
Change Temp. Temp. Low
MH
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Modified:
Home Heating Use-Cases
*
Use case: Power Up
Actors: Home Owner (initiator)
Type: Primary and essential
Description: The Home Owner turns the power on.
Perform Adjust Temp. If the temperature
in all rooms is
above the desired temperature, no actions are taken.
Cross Ref.: Requirements XX, YY, and ZZ
Use-Cases: Perform Adjust Temp
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Modified:
Home Heating Use-Cases
*
Use case: Adjust Temp
Actors: System (initiator)
Type: Secondary and essential
Description: Check the temperature in each room. For each room:
Below target: Perform Temp Low
Above target: Perform Temp High
Cross Ref.: Requirements XX, YY, and ZZ
Use-Cases: Temp Low, Temp High
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Modified:
Home Heating Use-Cases
*
Use case: Temp Low
Actors: System (initiator)
Type: Secondary and essential
Description: Open room valve, start pump if not started.
If water temp falls below threshold,
open fuel value and ignite burner.
Cross Ref.: Requirements XX, YY, and ZZ
Use-Cases: None
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Scenarios -- One Use Case
Power-up All temps OK
Power-up All temps too low Open valves
Ignite burner Open fuel valve Start pump
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Scenarios -- One Use Case
Power-up All temps too low Open valves
Ignite burner Open fuel valve Start pump
Burner fails Shut off fuel Stop pump Notify error
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HACS
Homework assignment and collection are an integral part of any educational
system. Today, this task is performed manually. What we want the homework
assignment distribution and collection system (HACS for short) to do is to
automate this process.
HACS will be used by the instructor to distribute the homework assignments,
review the students solutions, distribute suggested solution, and distribute
student grades on each assignment.
HACS shall also help the students by automatically distributing the
assignments to the students, provide a facility where the students can submit
their solutions, remind the students when an assignment is almost due,
remind the students when an assignment is overdue.
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HACS Use-Case Diagram
HACS
Configure HACS Remind Student
Distribute Asignments Get Assignment
System Admin
Post Solutions Submit Assignment
Student
Distribute Grade
Get Solution
Instructor
Get Grade
MH
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HACS Use-Cases
Use case: Distribute Assignments
Actors: Instructor (initiator)
Type: Primary and essential
Description: The Instructor completes an assignment and submits
it to the system. The instructor will also submit the
due date and the class the assignment is assigned for.
Cross Ref.: Requirements XX, YY, and ZZ
Use-Cases: Configure HACS must be done before any user
(Instructor or Student) can use HACS
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Alternate HACS
HACS
Configure HACS
Distribute Asignments
System Admin
Post Solutions
Distribute Grade
Student
Instructor
Remind Student
Submit Assignment
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MH
Alternate HACS Use-Cases
Use case: Distribute Assignments
Actors: Instructor (initiator), Student
Type: Primary and essential
Description: The Instructor completes an assignment and submits
it to the system. The instructor will also submit the
delivery date, due date, and the class the assignment
is assigned for. The system will at the due date mail
the assignment to the student.
Cross Ref.: Requirements XX, YY, and ZZ
Use-Cases: Configure HACS must be done before any user
(Instructor or Student) can use HACS
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When to use Use-Cases
In short, always!!!
Requirements is the toughest part of software development
Use-Cases is a powerful tool to understand
Who your users are (including interacting systems)
What functions the system shall provide
How these functions work at a high level
Spend adequate time on requirements and in the elaboration phase
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How it Fits Together
Preliminary Requirements Specification
Investigation
Report
Use-Cases
a. All High Level
b. Some Expanded
Prototypes
Use-Case Diagram
Budget,
Schedule Draft Conceptual Model
Adapted from Larman Applying UML and Patterns
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