BA118 - Write Effective Use Cases
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Course description

A use case is a description of how a system interacts with one or more external entities called actors. Use case diagrams show collections of actors and use cases and how they all interact, and they therefore, through iterative refinement, they help stakeholders to review and agree upon the scope of a system.

When it comes to use case analysis, the use case diagram is only the "the tip of the iceberg" from the business analyst’s (BA’s) point of view. In fact, the vast majority of the BA’s time is spent not on use case diagrams, but deep inside the use cases, with the scenarios and other details that are inside the use cases. A complete use case model contains use case diagrams, text specifications of the use case details, and may be supported by other types of diagrams like activity diagrams, sequence diagrams and class diagrams. All must be organized well and presented accurately and consistently.

This course examines use case analysis in depth, addressing why, how, when, and by whom use cases are used during the project life cycle. Practical tasks and techniques are presented to equip the BA with skills and knowledge required to develop an initial use case diagram, determine conceptual business objects, develop detailed use case descriptions with alternate and exception flows, model extend and include relationships, add supplemental information including priorities, non-behavioral requirements, and business rules, and organize the wealth of requirements-related information captured by the complete set of use cases. Key characteristics that differentiate this course from others include:

Mapping to the IIBA Body of Knowledge
Boston University Corporate Education Center (BUCEC) is designated by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) as a Charter Endorsed Education Provider. As the activities and techniques of iterative projects are explored in this course, they are compared (when applicable) to the corresponding coverage of the activities and techniques within the Knowledge Areas of IIBA's current Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK).

Experiential Training
Two case studies are integrated into the course to allow participants to view demonstrations of work products and techniques and then apply learned skills within a consistent context. Much of the class time is devoted to exercises in which participants can practice the skills being taught.
In addition, near the end of the course, a completed case study is demonstrated, illustrating and summarizing the best practices of writing effective use cases that are covered throughout the course.

Experience
The course is written and delivered by professionals with extensive experience in business analysis.

Applied Focus
The Participant Guide includes dozens of job aids that are referenced throughout the course and available to the participant after training; these include work product templates and samples, as well as checklists for processes and best practices.

Who should attend

The course is intended to serve several audiences and meet a variety of needs. The material in the course is directed at both the novice looking to enter the field and the self-taught veteran looking to fill gaps in his or her skills or knowledge.

The course assumes preliminary knowledge of activity diagrams and object models; supplemental information is provided via Participant Guide appendices for those who lack this prerequisite knowledge. BA111: Core Competencies for the Business Analyst and BA114: Model and Document Your Project Requirements may also be taken as prerequisites to provide this foundational knowledge.

Individuals who perform business analysis in organizations are known by various titles including business analyst, systems analyst, business/systems analyst, functional analyst, project manager, and tester. Individuals who will benefit from this course include:

• Entry-level business analysts and their managers
• Self-taught business analysts requiring a course that fills in the gaps and puts all the pieces together
• Systems analysts and programmers interested in expanding their roles into the business area
• Project managers

What you will achieve

• Describe why, how, when, and by whom use cases are used during the project lifecycle.


• Describe how the treatment of use cases varies depending on a project’s methodology (sequential or iterative) and process rigor (disciplined or agile).


• Develop an initial use case diagram and determine/refine conceptual business objects.


• Develop use case descriptions.


• Elaborate use case descriptions with alternate and exception flows.


• Model extend, include, and generalization relationships.


• Add supplemental information to the use case model, including priorities, non-behavioral requirements, and business rules.


• Organize the use case, identify use case dependencies, and develop the system use case model.


• Incorporate best practices of use case models.

What you will learn

• Capturing project scope and requirements with use cases


• Use cases in context: relationships to planning, estimation, design, development, quality assurance, training, user acceptance testing, and customer support


• Spectrum of process rigor


• Evolution of business to system use cases


• Kickoff meeting and preliminary scope


• Use cases and context diagrams


• Conceptual business objects


• Approaches to analysis: broad/shallow and narrow/deep


• Actors


• Triggers


• Pre-conditions


• Post-conditions


• Use case briefs


• Basic flows


• Alternate and exception flows


• Expanded use cases and activity diagrams


• Relationship to business rules and project requirements


• Include relationships


• Extend relationships


• Use case priorities


• Non-functional requirements


• Interface analysis


• Use cases and object models


• Use case dependencies


• Organizing the use case model


• Best practices of use case development
  
  Course Content:
  
  Day One
  • Use Cases in Context
    • Use Cases and Actors
    • Business and System Use Cases
    • Process Rigor Spectrum
    • Use Cases, the Business Analyst, and the Project Manager
  • Initiate Projects and Use Cases
    • The Kickoff Meeting
    • Context Diagrams and Use Cases
    • Actors and Conceptual Use Cases
    • Role Maps
    • The Initial Use Case Diagram
  • Write Use Case Descriptions
    • Approaches to Analysis
    • Use Case Description Components
    • New Use Cases
  • Account for Alternate and Exception Flows
    • Business to System Transformation
    • Alternate and Exception Flows
    • Relationship to Activity Diagrams
    • Relationship to Business Rules and Project Requirements
  
  
  Day Two
  • Model Relationships and Goals
    • Include Relationship
    • Extend Relationship
  • Derive Supplemental Information
    • Use Case Priorities
    • Non-functional Requirements
    • Interface Analysis
    • Business Rules
    • Mapping Use Cases to Object Models
  • Organize Use Cases
    • Use Case Dependencies
    • Organize the Use Case
    • Best Practices
  • Demonstration of a Complete Case Study
    • Highlights of a Successful Case Study
    • Relationships to other Requirements Documents
    • Applying Use Cases Within Your Organization