BES Playbook

Back to Phase 1: Research & Discovery

3.3.2.5 Use Cases

A use case is a simple depiction of a sequence of actions in a system that result in a meaningful outcome for the actor (who is typically an end user of the system, but could also be support personnel in the case of a service).

When to use

Create use cases to identify and catalog all of the tasks and sub-tasks that the system needs to support in order to fulfill your users’ needs within it. They can be derived by decomposing stakeholder requirements around system purpose and intent, or by decomposing journey maps into discrete tasks and system interactions.

Product/output

Use cases are typically written in a two-column format. The left column lists the intention of the actor and the right column lists the system's responsibilities and responses. In this way, the use case can resemble a dialogue between actor and system. Any prerequisites should be identified and noted. Use cases are good building blocks for user stories and helpful references while identifying a scope of work for a given sprint or release.

Practical considerations

  • Use cases function most effectively when they are written simply, technology-free and implementation-agnostic. That is, they are written unaware of their eventual technical solutions. This keeps the focus on task accomplishment from the user’s perspective, and keeps the cases relevant even as the system’s technology and architecture change.

Reference

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