Solution Requirements — Use Cases and User Stories

The IIBA^® defines use cases as the means to describe the interactions between the primary actor, the solution, and any secondary actors needed to achieve the primary actor’s goal. A use case describes the possible outcomes of an attempt to accomplish a particular goal that the solution will support. It details different paths that can be followed by defining primary and alternative flows. The primary or basic flow represents the most direct way to accomplish the goal of the use case. Special circumstances and exceptions that result in a failure to complete the goal of the use case are documented in alternative or exception flows. Use cases have become the de facto standard for understanding the needs of the user in collaboration with the future solution.

The format of the workshop will be interactive and collaborative with practical application of concepts and techniques during class discussions/exercises. It will serve to provide hands-on practical experience of how to identify use cases and actors, develop a use case inventory/use case diagram, model the use case behavior via an activity diagram, and write a detailed use case description. The use case components serve as a strong foundation from which to elicit detailed solution requirements.