Chapter 3

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 Identifying User Stories and Use
Cases

Chapter 3
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World 7 th Ed
Satzinger, Jackson & Burd

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 Chapter 3: Outline

User Stories and Use Cases

Use Cases and the User Goal Technique
Use Cases and Event Decomposition

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 Learning Objectives

Explain why identifying use cases is the key to defining

functional requirements
Write user stories with acceptance criteria
Describe the two techniques for identifying use cases
Apply the user goal technique to identify use cases
Apply the event decomposition technique to identify use cases
Describe the notation and purpose for the use case diagram

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 Overview
Chapter 2 provided an overview of systems analysis activities,
functional and non-functional requirements, modeling, and
information gathering techniques
This chapter focuses on identifying and modeling the key
aspect of functional requirements– use cases
In this chapter’s opening case Waiters on Call, examples of use
cases are Record an order, Record delivery, Update an order,
Sign in driver, Reconcile driver receipts, Produce end of day
deposit slip, and Produce weekly sales reports

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 User Stories
A User Story is a one-sentence description of a
work-related task done by a user to achieve
some goal or result
Acceptance Criteria identify the features that
must be present at the completion of the task
The template for a user story description is:
“As a <role> I want to <goal> so that <benefit>

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 Sample User Story

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 Use Cases
Use case— an activity that the system
performs, usually in response to a request by a
user
Use cases define functional requirements
Analysts decompose the system into a set of
use cases (functional decomposition)
Two techniques for Identifying use cases
User goal technique
Event decomposition technique
Name each use case using Verb-Noun

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 User Goal Technique
This technique is the most common in industry
Simple and effective
Identify all of the potential categories of users
of the system
Interview and ask them to describe the tasks
the computer can help them with
Probe further to refine the tasks into specific
user goals, “I need to Ship items, Track a
shipment, Create a return”

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 User Goal Technique: Some RMO CSMS Users and Goals

User User goal and resulting use case

Potential customer Search for item
Fill shopping cart
View product rating and comments
Marketing manager Add/update product information
Add/update promotion
Produce sales history report
Shipping personnel Ship items
Track shipment
Create item return

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 User Goal Technique: Specific
Steps (1 of 2)
1. Identify all the potential users for the new system
2. Classify the potential users in terms of their functional
role (e.g., shipping, marketing, sales)
3. Further classify potential users by organizational level
(e.g., operational, management, executive)
4. For each type of user, interview them to find a list of
specific goals they will have when using the new system
(current goals and innovative functions to add value)

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 User Goal Technique: Specific
Steps (2 of 2)
5. Create a list of preliminary use cases organized by
type of user
6. Look for duplicates with similar use case names and
resolve inconsistencies
7. Identify where different types of users need the same
use cases
8. Review the completed list with each type of user and
then with interested stakeholders

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 Event Decomposition Technique
More Comprehensive and Complete Technique
Identify the events that occur to which the system must
respond.
For each event, name a use case (verb-noun) that describes
what the system does when the event occurs
Event– something that occurs at a specific time and
place, can be described, and should be remembered
by the system

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 Events and Use Cases

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 Types of Events
External Event
an event that occurs outside the system, usually
initiated by an external agent or actor
Temporal Event
an event that occurs as a result of reaching a point
in time
State Event
an event that occurs when something happens
inside the system that triggers some process
reorder point is reached for inventory item

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 External Event Checklist
External agent or actor wants something resulting in a
transaction
Customer buys a product
External agent or actor wants some information
Customer wants to know product details
External data changed and needs to be updated
Customer has new address and phone
Management wants some information
Sales manager wants update on production plans

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 Temporal Event Checklist
Internal outputs needed at points in time
Management reports (summary or exception)
Operational reports (detailed transactions)
Internal statements and documents (including
payroll)
External outputs needed at points of time
Statements, status reports, bills, reminders

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 Finding the actual event that affects the system

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 Tracing a sequence of transactions resulting in
many events

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 Perfect Technology Assumption
Don’t worry about functions built into system because
of limits in technology and people. Wait until design.

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 Event Decomposition Technique: Specific
Steps (1 of 2)
1. Consider the external events in the system environment
that require a response from the system by using the
checklist shown in Figure 3-3
2. For each external event, identify and name the use case
that the system requires
3. Consider the temporal events that require a response from
the system by using the checklist shown in Figure 3-4
4. For each temporal event, identify and name the use case
that the system requires and then establish the point of
time that will trigger the use case

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 Event Decomposition Technique: Specific
Steps (2 of 2)
5. Consider the state events that the system might respond to,
particularly if it is a real-time system in which devices or
internal state changes trigger use cases.
6. For each state event, identify and name the use case that
the system requires and then define the state change.
7. When events and use cases are defined, check to see if they
are required by using the perfect technology assumption.
Do not include events that involve such system controls as
login, logout, change password, and backup or restore the
database, as these are put in later.

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 Event Decomposition Technique: Benefits

Events are broader than user goal: Capture temporal and

state events
Help decompose at the right level of analysis: an
elementary business process (EBP)
EBP is a fundamental business process performed by one
person, in one place, in response to a business event
Uses perfect technology assumption to make sure
functions that support the users work are identified and
not additional functions for security and system controls

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 Use Cases and Brief Use Case
Descriptions
Brief use case description is often a one sentence
description showing the main steps in a use case
Use case Brief use case description
Create customer account User/actor enters new customer account data, and the
system assigns account number, creates a customer
record, and creates an account record.
Look up customer User/actor enters customer account number, and the
system retrieves and displays customer and account data.
Process account adjustment User/actor enters order number, and the system retrieves
customer and order data; actor enters adjustment
amount, and the system creates a transaction record for
the adjustment.

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 RMO CSMS Project Use Cases (1 of 4)

CSMS Sales Subsystem

Use cases Users/actors
Search for item Customer, customer service representative, store sales representative
View product comments and ratings Customer, customer service representative, store sales representative
View accessory combinations Customer, customer service representative, store sales representative
Fill shopping cart Customer
Empty shopping cart Customer
Check out shopping cart Customer
Fill reserve cart Customer
Empty reserve cart Customer
Convert reserve cart Customer
Create phone sale Customer service representative
Create store sale Stores sales representative

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 RMO CSMS Project Use Cases (2 of 4)

CSMS Order Fulfillment Subsystem

Use cases Users/actors

Ship items Shipping
Manage shippers Shipping
Create backborder Shipping
Create item return Shipping, customer
Look up order status Shipping, customer, management
Track shipment Shipping, customer, marketing
Rate and comment on product Customer
Provide suggestion Customer
Review suggestions Management

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 RMO CSMS Project Use Cases (3 of 4)

CSMS Customer Account Subsystem

Use cases Users/actors
Create/update customer account Customer, customer service representative,
store sales representative
Process account adjustment Management
Send message Customer
Browse messages Customer
Request friend linkup Customer
Reply to linkup request Customer
Send/receive partner credits Customer
View “mountain bucks” Customer
Transfer “mountain bucks” Customer

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 RMO CSMS Project Use Cases (4 of 4)
CSMS Marketing Subsystem
Use cases Users/actors
Add/update product information Merchandising, marketing
Add/update promotion marketing
Add/update accessory package Merchandising
Add/update business partner link Marketing

CSMS Reporting Subsystem

Use cases Users/actors
Produce daily transaction summary report Management
Produce sales history report Management, marketing
Produce sales trends report Marketing
Produce customer usage report Marketing
Produce shipment history report Management, shipping
Produce promotion impact report Marketing
Produce promotional partner activity report Management, marketing

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 Use Case Diagrams
Use case diagram— a UML model used to graphically
show uses cases and their relationships to actors
Recall UML is Unified Modeling Language, the standard
for diagrams and terminology for developing
information systems
Actor is the UML name for a end user
Automation boundary— the boundary between the
computerized portion of the application and the users
who operate the application

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 Use Case Diagrams Symbols

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 Use Case
Diagrams:
Draw for each
subsystem

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 Use Case
Diagrams: Draw
for a single actor,
such as customer

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 Use Case Diagrams: Draw for internal RMO actors

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 Use Case Diagrams— The <<Includes>> relationship
A relationship between use cases where one use case is
stereotypically included within the other use case— like a
called subroutine. Arrow points to subroutine

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 Use Case Diagrams: Steps
1. Identify all the stakeholders and users who would benefit by seeing a
use case diagram
2. Determine what each stakeholder or user needs to review in a use
case diagram: each subsystem, for each type of user, for use cases that
are of interest
3. For each potential communication need, select the use cases and
actors to show and draw the use case diagram. There are many
software packages that can be used to draw use case diagrams
4. Carefully name each use case diagram and then note how and when
the diagram should be used to review use cases with stakeholders and
users

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 Summary (1 of 2)
This chapter is the first of three that focuses on modeling
functional requirements as a part of systems analysis
Use cases are the functions identified, the activities the system
carries out usually in response to a user request
Two techniques for identifying use cases are the user goal
technique and the event decomposition technique
The user goal technique begins by identifying end users called
actors and asking what specific goals they have when interacting
with the system
The event decomposition technique begins by identifying events
that occur that require the system to respond.

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 Summary (2 of 2)
Three types of events include external, temporal, and state
events
Brief use case descriptions are written for use cases
The use case diagram is the UML diagram used to show the use
cases and the actors
The use case diagram shows the actors, the automation
boundary, the uses cases that involve each actor, and the
<<includes>> relationship.
A variety of use case diagrams are draw depending on the
presentation needs of the analysis

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