Its almost 30 years that we are coming across the use cases in varying flavors for requirements modeling. Use Cases are now adopted not only for software systems but for embedded systems, business,Industrial internet , Internet of things (IOT) and many more. Now there is a new use case driven approach coming up , Use Case 2.0. It is inspired by user stories and agile methodologies Kanban and Scrum. It not only supports user requirements but the design,test, user experience and architecture. That properties make it lean , light and agile .

Use Case 2.0 : Slicing a use case into use case slices is one of the new ideas.

usecase-slices

In this short review we will try to encompass the breadths of Use Case 2.0 , which is a proven practice comparable with other software development practices such as test-driven development , intentional architecture and continues integration. It has the flexibility to support teams that work in a lean or agile way. Not only it has flexibility but it also supports the rigor and completeness required by teams , deeming to adopt the formal or waterfall environment.

There are six Principles of use case Adoption as described by IVAR Jacobson, IAN Spence and Brian Kerr:-

  1. Keep it simple by telling stories
  2. understand the big picture
  3. focus on the value
  4. build the system in slices
  5. deliver the system in increments
  6. Adapt to meet the teams need

At the heart of Use Case 2.0 are the use case, the use case slice and the story. Where , use case is the sequence of actions a system performs that yeilds an observable result of value to particular user.  use case undergoes several defined state changes and cover many related stories of varying priorities and importance.Therefore there is a need for dividing use cases into smaller pieces termed as use case slices. a use case slice is one or more stories selected from the use case to devise the work item that has clear value to customer.use case slice is the most important element of the use case 2.0.It not only help with the requirements but also to drive the development of system to fulfill it.

Developers commonly explore use cases with stakeholders by narrating the requirements in a form of stories that can be functional or nonfunctional in nature.It also captures the system wide requirements that apply to all use cases.an important aspect of use case 2.0 is its ability to adapt to existing team structures and job functions to increase efficiency and eliminate waste.It does not define the team roles but a set of states for each of the core elements that are use cases and use cases slices.

In this short review about use case 2.0 we have tried to encompass the important aspects regarding the use case 2.0 which insists that you continuously adapt its usage to eliminate waste , increase throughput and keep pace with the ever changing demands of customers.

 

references :

Use-Case 2.0, The Guide to Succeeding with Use Cases.