Fields of a Use Case

• Mandatory Fields
  • ID
  • Name
  • Actors and Goals
• Optional Fields
  • Scope
  • Initiator
  • Level
  • Priority
  • State
  • Notes
  • Goal
  • Initial Situation
  • Final State on Success
  • Final State on Failure
  • Triggering Event

Mandatory Fields

ID

The attribute ID represents a unique identifier for this use case.

Name

The attribute Name represents a short readable identifier for this use case.

Actors and Goals

At least one main actor and his goal is necessary per use case. The main actor is the stakeholder who or which initiates an interaction with the system under discussion (SuD).

With the Button Add you are able to insert any actors more.

The list of actors of a project are entered in a own dialog which can be called by the use case toolbar menu Edit actors for project...

Optional Fields

Initiator

The stakeholder who originated the use case. The initiator is the source of the use case.

Scope

The scope defines, what is really the system under discussion (SuD).

Level

The level of detail of the use case. The level can have the following values:

• Summary - This use case addresses multiple users goals
• User Goal - This use case addresses one specific goal that the main actor (typically a user) wants to accomplish
• Subfunction - This use case addresses a specific function of the system which is required for accomplishing a user goal

Priority

The attribute priority can have one of the three values "low", "medium" or "high". The exact semantics of this attribute can be defined on a project basis.

State

The state of the use case. The state can have the following values:

• Draft - This use case was just written, it has not yet been accepted. Perhaps it is not even complete
• Accepted - This use case is an offically accepted use case
• Modified - This use case has already been accepted but was modified afterwards
• Rejected - This use case was rejected and needs to be reworked
• In Process - The definition process of this use case continues
• Finished
• Tested

Notes

Any additional notes for the use case.

Optional Fields in the Tab Goal and Context

Goal

The abstract goal of the whole use case.

Initial Situation

The Initial Situation that is ensured by the system before the use case starts. The precondition need not be checked during the use case.

Final State on Success

The postcondition of the system after the use case has been finished succesfully.

Final State on Failure

The postcondition of the system after the use case has been finished with a failure.

Triggering Event

If the use case is not triggered by the main actor, an external trigger can be described.