6.7. Notation: What are Three Common Use Case Formats?
Use cases can be written in different formats and levels of formality:
- brief
Terse one-paragraph summary, usually of the main success scenario. The prior Process Sale example was brief.example p. 63- When? During early requirements analysis, to get a quick sense of subject and scope. May take only a few minutes to create.
- casual
Informal paragraph format. Multiple paragraphs that cover various scenarios. The prior Handle Returns example was casual.example p. 63- When? As above.
- fully dressed
All steps and variations are written in detail, and there are supporting sections, such as preconditions and success guarantees.example p. 68- When? After many use cases have been identified and written in a brief format, then during the first requirements workshop a few (such as 10%) of the architecturally significant and high-value use cases are written in detail.
95 The following example is a fully dressed case for our NextGen case study.