UML: Use Case Part 3

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The Use Case is simply a way for you to take your high level requirements and put them into an image form.  It might even be a good idea to use sticky notes to help you visualize the way that the different use case might be related.  Sticky notes are included with Win7 and an improved version is available for free from the Office Lab Sticky Notes page, I am impressed with the Sticky Notes and will be doing a blog about creating your own sticky notes projects through the API for Win7. 

Working directly with the Use Cases in Win7 is not a creative process, I find the interface with the VS 2010 a little clunky, and this goes for all of the UML editors ever created:

  • Rational Rose
  • Visual UML which is worth the price if you don’t want to use Microsoft products
  • and so forth.

I would use the flexibility of the StickySorter to organize your thoughts initially.  Likely the business partner in our example did it using paper post-its, but the problem I have with paper is that eventually I throw them away and lose the train of thought.  With StickySorter, which are completely free, I can share them with others through shared view for example, and connect with up to 15 people!  No cost, easy installation, your customers can use it to organize what they want you to do.

 

In our case of your business partner putting together the successful game Use Cases in college, they went naturally with the easiest process of organizing their thoughts and ideas: Post-its (tm) or similar would be easiest way to organize your use cases, back then.  Then to generate the use cases you like used the UML tool that was included with Visual Studio 6 as I recall, or Visio which has been free in MSDNAA for student and professors forever. 

Now with StickySorter, you can ask others to use this completely free tool to organize how the use cases inside of your new game should be organized.  You could use the old game use cases to illustrate how the new game will utilize the old material (good for investors to see) and to draw in new thinking in the design.  Of course as you do your design, some of your Use Cases will become Activity Cases.

 

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