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Use case diagram

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A UML use case diagram for the interaction of a client (the actor) within a restaurant (the system)
UML diagram types
Structural UML diagrams
Behavioral UML diagrams

A use case diagram is a graphical depiction of a user's possible interactions with a system. A use case diagram shows various use cases and different types of users the system has and will often be accompanied by other types of diagrams as well. A use case is all the ways of using a system to achieve a particular goal for a particular user. Taken together the set of all the use cases gives you all of the useful ways to use the system, and illustrates the value that it will provide. [1] The use cases are represented by either circles or ellipses. The actors are often shown as stick figures.

Application

While a use case itself might drill into a lot of detail about every possibility, a use-case diagram can help provide a higher-level view of the system. It has been said before that "Use case diagrams are the blueprints for your system".[2]

Due to their simplistic nature, use case diagrams can be a good communication tool for stakeholders. The drawings attempt to mimic the real world and provide a view for the stakeholder to understand how the system is going to be designed. Siau and Lee conducted research to determine if there was a valid situation for use case diagrams at all or if they were unnecessary. What was found was that the use case diagrams conveyed the intent of the system in a more simplified manner to stakeholders and that they were "interpreted more completely than class diagrams".[3]

.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ivar Jacobson, Ian Spence; Kurt Bittner (2011). USE-CASE 2.0 The Guide to Succeeding with Use Cases (PDF). ivarjacobson: Ivar Jacobson International. p. 4.
  2. ^ McLaughlin et al, 2006, page 297
  3. ^ Siau & Lee, 2004, page 234
  4. ^ "1. Use Case Diagram". Visual Paradigm Community Circle. Retrieved 2021-04-22.

Bibliography

  • Gemino, A., Parker, D.(2009) "Use case diagrams in support of use case modeling: Deriving understanding from the picture", Journal of Database Management, 20(1), 1-24.
  • Jacobson, I., Christerson M., Jonsson P., Övergaard G., (1992). Object-Oriented Software Engineering - A Use Case Driven Approach, Addison-Wesley.
  • Kawabata, R., Kasah, K. (2007). "Systems Analysis for Collaborative System by Use Case Diagram", Journal of Integrated Design & Process Science, 11(1), 13-27.
  • McLaughlin, B., Pollice, G., West, D. (2006). Head First Object Oriented Analysis and Design, O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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