Introduction
The Use Case Document is a business document which provides a story of how a system, and its actors, will be utilized to achieve a specific goal. An effective Use Case should provide a detailed step-by-step description of how the system will be used by its actors to achieve the planned outcome. The purpose of the Use Case is to tie the business needs of the system to the design parameters of the system to ensure that the completed system achieves the goals established by the business requirements. The level of detail in Use Cases may vary greatly depending on the size and complexity of the system being designed. This Use Case template provides you with everything you need to develop your Use Case Document.
This Use Case has been developed for ABC Corporation’s new system for ordering material based on the design team’s gathering of business and functional area requirements. The Material Ordering System will replace the manual material ordering processes currently utilized by ABC Corp. ABC Corp. has identified business needs for reducing man hours for material ordering and leveraging existing software platforms (i.e. SAP) to help manage material ordering and inventory management. The new Material Ordering System will be designed to meet these business needs and improve ABC Corp.’s overall business strategy.
Explanation of Use Case Contents
Use Case formats and contents may vary based on system requirements, organizational standards, or unique situations. However, a majority of Use Cases consist of some fundamental contents which may be applied across a wide range of system types. This section will provide explanations for each section of the Use Case.
Name of Use Case: Provide a short name for the use case which should lend itself to the objective of the system.
Description: This section should provide a description of both the reason for using the use case and the expected outcome of the use case.
Actors: Actors may be primary or secondary. Primary actors are the people who will be initiating the system described in the use case. Secondary actors are those will participate in the completion of the use case.
Precondition: This section should describe any conditions that must be true or activities that must be completed prior to executing the use case.
Postcondition: This section should describe the state of the system at the conclusion of the use case. Postconditions may include conditions for both successful and unsuccessful execution of the use case.
Flow: This section should describe all actions of the user and the expected system responses for planned normal execution of the use case. The description should be sequential and provide adequate detail to understand all user actions and system responses.
Alternative Flows: Many use cases have varying or special extensions or conditions which are separate from the main flow but also necessary. Alternative flows are usually the result of options or exceptions built into the use case which may alter the primary flow.
Exceptions: When use cases are executed, there may be various conditions which result in errors. This section should describe any errors that may result during use case execution and how the system will react or respond to those errors.
Requirements: This section should describe any non-functional or special requirements for the system as the use case is executed. These requirements may consist of legal or regulatory requirements, quality standards, or organizational requirements that are outside of the functional requirements the system is expected to perform.
Sample Use Case
| Name of Use Case: | Order Materials | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Created By: | ABC Corporations | Last Updated By: | J. Doe |
| Date Created: | 02/15/xx | Last Revision Date: | 02/22/xx |
| Description: | ABC Corp. buyer submits material order to one of a pre-approved list of material vendors | ||
| Actors: | ABC Corp. buyer, SAP material module, pre-approved vendor | ||
| Preconditions: | 1. Vendor has pre-approval in ABC Corp.’s ordering system 2. Funding is available for material ordering 3. Material being ordered is available for purchase | ||
| Postconditions: | 1. Vendor receives funds for purchase of materials 2. ABC Corp. receives materials within the designated timeframe 3. ABC Corp.’s material account is reduced by the cost of the material order 4. ABC Corp.’s inventory numbers are successfully updated once material is received | ||
| Flow: | 1. ABC Corp. buyer identifies material needing to be ordered 2. ABC Corp. buyer consults pre-approved list of vendors to identify supplier 3. ABC Corp. buyer confirms funding is available 4. ABC Corp. buyer submits order to pre-approved vendor 5. Vendor receives order and verifies material is available and accepts funding transfer 6. Vendor pulls material order and submits shipping order to ship material 7. ABC Corp. receives material 8. ABC Corp. enters material receipt verification into SAP and inventory levels are updated 9. Funding transactions are confirmed between ABC Corp. buyer and vendor | ||
| Alternative Flows: | 5. In step 5 of the normal flow, if the vendor does not have the material available 1. Vendor places order in a hold status and notifies the ABC Corp. buyer 2. Vendor provides updates and estimated timeframe of material receipt 3. Once material arrives the Use Case resumes at step 6 of the normal flow | ||
| Exceptions: | 2. In step 2 of the normal flow, if ABC Corp. identifies material needed with no pre-approved vendor 1. ABC Corp. buyer initiates internal process to identify suppliers for new material 2. ABC Corp. buyer coordinates agreement between ABC Corp. and potential vendor 3. Upon obtaining agreement and approval, vendor is added to pre-approved vendor list 4. Use Case resumes on step 3 of normal flow | ||
| Requirements: | The following requirements must be met before execution of the use case 1. Funding availability must be verified prior to submitting any material purchases 2. All material orders must comply with internal ABC Corp. ordering guidelines and procedures | ||