Use Cases: Requirements in Context

Use Cases: Requirements in Context describes how to gather and define software requirements using a process based on use cases. It shows systems analysts and designers how use cases can provide solutions to the most challenging requirements issues, resulting in effective, quality systems that meet the needs of users. Specifically, with use cases, you can:

Reduce the incidence of duplicate and inconsistent requirements; Communicate requirements that are understandable to both users and developers; Prototype the right system well before the design phase is underway; Document the entire requirements process clearly and efficiently.

Use Cases: Requirements in Context first examines the difficulties of requirements gathering and briefly introduces both use cases and the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Using detailed examples that run through the book, it then elaborates a four-step method for establishing requirements--an iterative process that produces increasingly refined requirements. Drawing on their own extensive experience, the authors offer practical advice on how to manage this process, including guidance on planning, scheduling and estimating. They also reveal common mistakes and pitfalls to avoid.

This detailed, hands-on book shows you how to:

Describe object relationships and interactions with use case diagrams and scenarios Specify functional and non-functional requirements Create the candidate use case list Break out detailed use cases and add detail to use case diagrams Add triggers, preconditions, basic course of events, and exceptions to use cases

Other topics include stakeholder interviews, use case name filters, the context matrix, user interface requirements, team organization, and quality assurance.

Daryl Kulak is the president and CEO of Water-Logic Software, an Internet business and technology consulting firm. Throughout his extensive career managing software development projects, he has focused on use cases, iterative/incremental development, and component design.

Eamonn Guiney is a consultant at NewtonPartners, a company that provides management consulting and system integration services to the money management industry. Eamonn creates business systems using a variety of tools, particularly object-oriented methodologies and use cases.

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