Writing Use Cases - Basic & Advanced Use Case Modeling, UML

Public and Teleseminar Class Schedule

Prerequisites: none

Duration: 5 days at a site, 10 weeks teleseminar series

Public class price: $2500.00 includes instructor, meeting space, all course materials, and lunch each day.

Public class size: 10 - 20 delegates

Teleseminar class price: $1750.00 includes 2 meetings a week with the instructor (one instructional, one Q&A) and all course materials. Homework is assigned, and delegates interact through a Facebook Fan page. Meetings are recorded and available for delegates to download after the meeting, making it possible for people to attend who have a schedule conflict at the meeting times.

Teleseminar minimum class size: 5 delegates

Description: This class is concerned with developing the Use Case Model for a software or business process project. The Use Case Model includes at a minimum Use Case diagrams and Use Case specifications. It may also include several UML diagrams, such as activity or sequence diagrams to model dynamic behavior, and class or package diagrams to model relationships between elements and people in the system.

The class touches only lightly on the software development process and the roles within it, just enough to give context to the development of the Use Case Model.

We will be writing a lot and creating UML models. Use of a word processing tool and an OO development tool is encouraged, but not required. Delegates may choose to download free word processing and UML modeling tools to use during the course or may choose to create diagrams on whiteboard or paper.

This course is appropriate for anyone interested in learning to write and manage requirements in the form of use cases. This includes business analysts, system analysts, requirements analysts, testers, tech writers, project architects, product managers, project managers, and other project stakeholders.

Benefits of this Course:

  • Know how to write a basic use case and how to extend the use case
  • Know when it is appropriate to use a basic use case, and when you need the extended form in your project
  • Know what a domain model is, how to obtain it from the use cases, and how to use it on the project
  • Know how to map the use cases into the project architecture
  • Know how to create and use UML - use case, activity, class, sequence, and state diagrams
  • Know how to create use cases from a variety of viewpoints, such as business and system, when to use each and how they are related
  • Know what to look for in a use case review

Topics

  • Getting Started
    • The Business Analyst
    • The Use Case Model
    • Software Development Processes
    • History of Use Cases
  • Identifying System Boundaries
    • What are System Boundaries
    • Identifying Actors
    • Identifying Use Cases
  • The Use Case Model Survey
    • What is a use case model survey
    • Use Case diagrams
    • Views and packages
    • Describing Actors and Use Cases
    • Describing packages
  • Documenting Use Cases
    • The basic Use Case
    • Guidelines for writing a Use Case
    • Updating the Use Case Diagram
  • Handling Complex Use Cases
    • Repetition: For, While, and Repeat
    • In Any Order ...
    • Alternatives: If, Alternative Flow
    • Errors
    • Finding Alternate Flows
    • Interrupts
    • Special Requirements
  • Activity Diagrams
    • Introduction to Activity Diagrams
    • UML Notation - action, control flow, initial and final, guard, decision and merge, fork and join, activity partition, data flow
    • Converting Use Case text to Activity Diagrams - repetition, conditional, in any order, at any time
  • Level of Detail
    • Determining the Level of detail - business process and system use cases
    • Relationship between use cases at different levels of detail
    • Adding use case levels
    • Methods for adding details - in text, as paragraph, as subordinate use cases
    • Traceability between use cases
    • Version control
  • Advanced Use Cases
    • Advanced Use Case Design
    • Include, extend, and generalization
    • Adding use case levels
    • Use Case patterns - Login, CRUD, Online help
    • Special actors - time, databases
  • Simple State Diagrams
    • State diagram and when to use it
    • Identifying state-driven elements
    • Basic notation - state, initial, final, transition
    • Transitions and events
    • Forks and Joins
    • Using state diagrams to determine completeness of the Use Case model
  • Simple Sequence Diagrams
    • Sequence diagram and when to use it
    • Scenarios
    • Actors and system objects
    • Object Lifelines
    • Use Case behavior into messages
    • Common mistake
    • Replies to messages
    • Combined fragment
    • Co-region
    • The relationship between Sequence and Activity diagrams
  • Class Diagrams
    • Domain objects
    • Finding domain objects - review use cases, ask experts, noun/verb decomposition, categorization
    • Class diagrams and their use
    • Hierarchy of domain objects
    • Class vs sequence diagrams
    • Domain objects vs database items
  • Use Case Realizations
    • What is a use case realization and when to use it
    • Collaboration
    • Analysis model
    • Detailed sequence diagram
    • Creating objects in computer memory
    • Only use domain objects
    • Detailed class diagram
    • Create the analysis model
  • Reviewing use cases
    • The quick use case review
    • Review the guidelines
    • Test the use case with scenarios
    • Common mistakes - work flow on use case diagram, use case too small, use case too large, using vague terms, business vs technical requirements
    • Project team reviews - requirements analyst, completeness, potential problems, end users, customers, development team, flexibility
  • Uses for Use Cases
    • Aspects of Use Cases
    • Requirements
    • Analysis
    • Architecture
    • Design
    • Test
    • Documentation
    • Project Planning
  • Resources for your continuing education
    • Certifications
    • Books
    • Websites

Instructors: Geri Schneider Winters. Ms. Winters is the primary author of the first book published on how to write and use Use Cases. Applying Use Cases: A Practical Guide was first released in 1998 and has remained continuously in print ever since. Ms. Winters is well-known and widely sought as an expert on software requirements, particularly those written as use cases. She is both a trainer and expert practitioner in this area, at a wide variety of companies throughout the US and Canada.

Contact us to schedule an on-site class!

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Comments


"You class has been very helpful and I am already putting things I have learned to good use. Thank you again for all your help!"

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Illinois, USA


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... I'll be in an interview for a BA position! Hooray!
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Suggested Reading

Applying Use Cases: A Practical Guide (2nd Edition)



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