Advanced use case modeling: software systems

This book defines a wide range of techniques which may be used for use case modeling. Going beyond introductory texts, it gives the bnsinc~-oriented software analyst a variety of advanced approaches which also comply with the UML specification. The book's flexible process ~rarnework is designed to be used on large, complex projects with many developers, while also being adaptible to incremental, iterative delivery scenarios. An example of a bank loan processing system is used throughout the book. The book is divided into five parts: Fundamentals; Project Initiation; two sections on the main topic, called the Advanced Use Case Modeling Framework; and a section on additional topics. The part on Fundamentals discusses the basic concepts of actors and use cases. A thorough breakdown and definition of every conceivable type of actor is presented. The part on Project Initiation presents how to scope a system and how to balance a system using the techniques of domain analysis, interface specification, and architecture definition. Domain analysis should generate what's called a domain object model, which is a starting point for object-oriented analysis. The parts on use case modeling cover a host of topics. One interesting issue discussed is whether or not to describe use cases from a purely external perspective or from an internal perspective as well. As an illustration of how current the book is, the recently popular agile development methods are mentioned throughout the book with regards to how use case modeling may be used with them. A 22-page chapter on creating test cases documents the interrelationship between use cases and test cases. This is a topic Lhat most other books ignore or gloss over. A subsequent chapter discusses organizing use cases in relation to one another using packages and activity diagrams. Change management focussing on expecting change and working within its reality is another timely topic in today's business climate. Two chapters focus specifically on determining the correct level of detail and artifact generation for a particular project. One appendix deals with using use case analysis within the Rational Unified Process (RUP). Two other appendices show all of the use case documentation and the user interface specification for the book's loan processing system example. This is far better than only having it scattered throughout the book. Anyone who is performing use case modeling in the business application domain should seriously consider this book. The variety of topics covered almost ensures that …