How to Write Use Cases – A Tutorial

Use cases can be used to document any type of system. They can be used to document a software system or to document a company’s business processes. Use cases are useful because they quickly and early clarify how the system will behave when the users interact with it. Use cases are easy for users to understand. In addition, use cases are helpful for brainstorming conditions under which the system may fail and working out solutions to the problems that fulfill the stakeholders’ interests. How to Write Use Cases Develop a list of usage goals from your stake holders. This is your initial list of use cases. Develop a short paragraph describing each use case this will be your summary or description.

What is a Use Case?

A use case is a description of how a system’s behavior in response to a request from a stakeholder known as an actor. The actor could be a person or an external system that interacts with the system being described.

The actor initiates an action with the system with the purpose of accomplishing a goal. The system responds to the actor’s action in a way that fulfills the interests of all of its stakeholders. A use case summarizes a complete series of related scenarios that may unfold.