Begin Use Case Names with a Strong Verb

Good use case names include Withdraw Funds, Register Student in Seminar, and Deliver Shipment because it is clear what each use case does. Use case names beginning with weak verbs such as “process,” “perform,” and “do” are often problematic. Such names often result in communication difficulties with your project stakeholders, people who are far more likely to say that they withdraw funds from accounts instead of process withdrawal transactions. These communication difficulties are likely to decrease your ability to understand their requirements. Furthermore, names such as Process Withdrawal Transaction or Perform Student Enrollment Request often indicate that the use case was written with a technically oriented view instead of a user-oriented view, and therefore may be at risk of not reflecting the actual needs of your project stakeholders.

UML Use Case Diagrams

A UML use case diagram shows the relationships among actors and use cases within a system. They are often used to provide an overview of all or part of the usage requirements for a system or organization in the form of an essential model (Constantine and Lockwood 1999; Ambler 2001) or a business model (Rational Corporation 2002), communicate the scope of a development project, and model your analysis of your usage requirements in the form of a system use case model (Cockburn 2001; Ambler 2001).

A use case model is comprised of one or more use case diagrams and any supporting documentation such as use case specifications and actor definitions. Within most use case models, the use case specifications tend to be the primary artifact, with UML use case diagrams filling a supporting role as the “glue” that keeps your requirements model together. Use case models should be developed from the point of view of your project stakeholders and not from the (often technical) point of view of developers.