Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques

Use Case Diagrams

Roel Wuyts
ULB 2005/2006 http://decomp.ulb.ac.be/education/ami0506/

UML Use Cases

Can be used to discover requirements

and write them down

Central to UML

Link users and system builders

Tend to be better to nd out functional user requirements (focus on interaction)

not well suited to nd out about constraints, high-level business and non-functional requirements, or domain requirements
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Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Parts of a Use Case Diagram...

System Systems
Name_Of_System Actors

Use cases

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Parts of a Use Case Diagram...

The system

Could be any system, not just SW systems. Dene clear and precise boundaries:
Dont be too ambitious - think small ! Identify basic functionality and concentrate on dening a stable and well-dened architecture. More functionality can always be added later!

Compile a catalog of central concepts or entities

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Parts of a Use Case Diagram...

The actors

Who or what uses the system

Represents a role, not an individual user!

Communicates with the system by sending and receiving messages Actors are in control and initiate actions Actors can be ranked :
Primary and secondary actors

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Parts of a Use Case Diagram.

Use cases

A set of sequences of actions a system performs

A textual description !

Always initiated by an actor Delivers an observable result of value to an actor Is connected to an actor through associations
Normally bidirected one-to-one relations

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Use case
Specify desired behaviour

not how it is carried out (implemented) Therefore it is useful for communication between users and developers

carries out some tangible amount fo work

not too big, nor too small does something thats of value to an actor

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Use case diagram Example

Insurances

Process loan LoanOfficer

actor association

use case system

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Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Describing the use case

Flows of events specify the behaviour of a use case

clearly enough for an outsider to understand it what a system does, not how!

Several ways

structured text (without/with pre-post conditions) pseudo-code sequence diagrams state diagrams
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Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Use case descriptions

A description should include:

how and when the use case starts and ends when it interacts with actors and what objects are exchanged the basic ow and alternative ows of the behaviour

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Use Case Specication Structure Example

Actors Pre-conditions Post-conditions Basic Flow Alternative Flows Special Requirements Use case relationships

(for complex systems)

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Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Description Example
Main ow of events: The use case starts when the system prompts the Customer for a PIN Number. The Customer can now enter a PIN number via the keypad. The Customer commits the entry by pressing the Enter button. The system then checks this PIN number to see if it is valid. If the PIN number is valid, the system acknowledges the entry, thus ending the use case. Exceptional ow of events: The Customer can cancel a transaction at any time by pressing the Cancel button, thus restarting the use case. No changes are made to the Customers account. Exceptional ow of events: The Customer can clear a PIN number anytime before committing it and reenter a new PIN number. Exceptional ow of events: If the Customer enters an invalid PIN number, the use case restarts. If this happens three times in a row, the system cancels the entire transaction, preventing the Customer from interacting with the ATM for 60 seconds.
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Describing a Use Case

Use cases are goal oriented !

What is it trying to achieve Which functions does the actor require, what does he/ she need to do? Which actor initiates the use case and in which situations? Which messages or events are necessary

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Describing a Use Case.

What is the ow of messages between actors and the use case?

Depends on conditions and exceptions

Be cautious : dont be too detailed Specic exceptions can be claried by scenarios

Which entities are modied and/or used? When is the use case considered to be nished and what kind of value is delivered to the actor?

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Relationships
Between actors

generalization

Between use cases

generalization inclusion extension

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Actor generalization
Can have general kinds of actors, and specialize them with the generalization relationship

Customer

Commercial Customer

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Use case generalization

child use case inherits behaviour and meaning from the parent use case

and can override

child use case can be used wherever the parent use case is used

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Use case generalization example

Validate User

Check password

Retinal Scan

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Includes relationship
A base use case including a supplier use case means that the base use case explicitly incorporates the supplier use case at a certain location

the included use case never exists alone think of include as: the base case pulling behavior from the supplier case

Used to model common behaviour in one place, and afterwards use it in several other places

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Includes relationship example

Signing Insurance Policy <include> <include>

Signing Car Insurance

Signing Life Insurance

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Includes relation description

<include> Track Order Validate User

Description of Track Order use case: Main ow of events: Obtain and verify the order number. include (Validate User). For each part in the order, query its status, then report back to the user.
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Extends relationship
A base use case extends an extension use case means that the base use case implicitly incorporates the behaviour of the extension use case at a location specied by the extension use case

the location is called the extension point

Used to model optional system behaviour

So mandatory behaviour can be modeled separately from optional behaviour

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Extends relationship
extend relationship

Place order Extension points set priority

<extends> (set priority)

Place rush order

<include>

extension point

Validate User

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Extends relationship description

Description of Place Order use case: Main ow of events: include (Validate user). Collect the users order items. (set priority). Submit the order for processing.

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Example
Cellular Telephone <extend> Place phone call Cellular Network Place conference call

<extend> Receive phone call User

Receive additional call

Use scheduler

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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What to model with use cases?

Behavior of an element

what a element does

Context of a system

interaction of outside actors with the system

Requirements of a system

make contract between outside and system

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Modeling element behaviour

Advantages

let domain experts specify outward view (what) so that developers can construct inside view (how) let developers approach an element and understand it basis for testing

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Modeling element behaviour

Identify the actors that interact with the element Organize actors by identifying general and more specialized roles For each actor, consider the primary ways it interacts with the element Consider exceptional ways of interaction Organize these behaviours as use cases

Every behaviour -> one use case

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Example
Bill customer Place order <include>

<include> Track order <include>

Validate customer

Ship order Extension points materials ready

<extend> Ship partial order

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Modeling the System Context

Systems have an inside and an outside

Those inside carry out behaviour that those on the outside expect

Can be modeled explicitly with use cases

Focus lies on actors surrounding the system What to include as an actor

and what not

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Modeling the System Context

Identify the actors that surround the system

which groups require help from the system which groups are needed to execute the system which groups interact with external hardware which groups perform secondary functions for administration and maintenance

Organize the actors (generalization relationships) When needed, stereotype actors Put them in a use case and connect to use cases
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Modeling the System Context

Credit Card Verification System Perform card transaction Customer Process customer bill Retail institution

Individual Customer

Corporate Customer

Reconcile transactions Sponsoring financial institution Manage customer account

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Modeling System Requirements

Establish outside actors For each actor, model expected or required behaviour name these common behaviour with use cases model relations between actors and use cases Adorn the use cases with notes that assert nonfunctional requirements of the system

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Modeling System Requirements

Credit Card Verification System Perform card transaction Customer

Report on account status

Process customer bill Retail institution Reconcile transactions

Detect card fraud

Sponsoring financial institution

Manage customer account

Manage network outage

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Notes and Tips

A well-structured use case:

names a single identiable behaviour of the system factors common behaviour by using inclusion factors variants by using extension describes the ow of events clearly enough for an outsider to easily understand it uses a minimal set of descriptions that specify the normal and variant semantics of the use case

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Notes and tips: drawing

When drawing a use case:

show only those use case that are important to understand the behaviour show only the actors relating to these use cases

When drawing a use case diagram:

give it a name communicating its purpose minimize lines that cross semantically close elements should be physically close Use different diagrams when needed
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Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

Examples
University Camera

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Example 1 : University

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Example 2 : University

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Example 3 : Camera
Camera

Open Shutter

Flash Photographer Close Shutter

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Example 4 : Camera

Camera

Take Picture

Photographer

Change Film

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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Conclusion
Use Use Case Diagrams to capture user requirements

Note that there is the diagram and the descriptions

Can have relations between use cases: generalization, inclusion and extension

Roel Wuyts - ULB - Analyse et Mthodologie Informatiques - 2005/2006

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