Moving Towards Specifications

• What functions will the new system

provide?
Lecture 9, Part 1:
– How will people interact with it?
Modelling Interactions – Describe functions from a user’s perspective

Jennifer Campbell • UML Use Cases

– Used to show:
CSC340 - Winter 2007 • the functions to be provided by the system
• which actors will use which functions

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UML Use Case Diagrams Notation for Use Case Diagrams

Communication
Capture the relationships between actors association Use case

and use cases.

Change a
client contact Place book order
Add a Staff contact
Campaign
new client
Manager Customer
Actor
Record
client payment
Accountant System
boundary

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Use cases and Actors Example: Staff Management

Add new Staff

• Use case: staff member Management

System
– a pattern of behavior that the new system is required Add new
to exhibit staff category
– a sequence of related actions performed by an actor
and the system via a dialogue. Change rate
for staff category
• Actor:
– anything that needs to interact with the system: Accountant
Change category
• a person for staff member

• a role that different people may play

• another (external) system. Calculate staff
bonuses

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 <<extends>> <<uses>>
When one use case adds behaviour to a base case One use case invokes another (like a procedure call);
– used to model a part of a use case that the user may see as – used to avoid describing the same flow of events several times
optional system behavior;
– puts the common behavior in a use case of its own.
– also models a separate sub-case which is executed conditionally.

Check out item

Distribute info
to students Cashier <<uses>>
Registrar <<extends>>

Swipe UPC
Distribute schedule code
info to students
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Example: Car Example: Meeting Scheduler

Driver GasAttendant Mechanic
Initiator Participant

<<uses>> <<uses>>
Fill Up Check Oil Fix Car Edit <<extends>> Provide
Generate Withdraw constraints
Drive Schedule Constraints
Schedule
<<us
<<uses>>

>
<<uses>> meeing

s>
<<extends>>

se
es>>
<<

<<uses>>

u
Turn On

<<
us

Fix car on
Engine >>
es

the road ses

<<u
>>

Validate
User

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Identifying Actors Finding Use Cases

• Look for: • For each actor, ask the following questions:
– the users who directly use the system – Which functions does the actor require from the system?
– also others who need services from the system – What does the actor need to do ?
• To find actors that are people/roles ask: – Does the actor need to read, create, destroy, modify, or store
some kinds of information in the system ?
– Who will be a primary user of the system? (primary actor)
– Does the actor have to be notified about events in the system?
– Who will need support from the system to do her daily tasks?
– Does the actor need to notify the system about something?
– Who will maintain, administrate, keep the system working?
(secondary actor) – What do those events require in terms of system functionality?
– Who or what has an interest in the results that the system – Could the actor’s daily work be simplified or made more efficient
produces ? through new functions provided by the system?
• To find actors that are external systems ask:
– Which hardware devices does the system need?
– With which other systems does the system need to interact with?

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 Generalizations Exercise: Online Order System
Generalization relations: “is a” • Actor classes
– It’s sometimes useful to identify
classes of actor Prepare a use case diagram for the online order
• E.g. where several actors belong
to a single class system:
• Some use cases are needed by
all members in the class
• Other use cases are only needed
by some members of the class • Using the online order system, the customer
– Actors inherit use cases from places his order (by adding items, possibly
the class
• Use Case classes removing items, and then submitting the order).
– Sometimes useful to identify a
generalization of several use • The order clerk retrieves the order from the
cases system and assigns it to a delivery person.
• The delivery person delivers the order to the
customer.
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Example: Place
UML Sequence Diagrams book order
Place book order Customer
Customer Customer Invokes
• Describe a Use Case using Sequence Diagrams initiates the the search method
– Sequence diagrams show step-by-step what’s sequence in OnlineStore
involved in a use case
:OnlineStore :OrderDepartment :Bank
• Which objects are relevant to the use case :Customer

• How those objects participate in the function

search for book
– You may need several sequence diagrams to
describe a single use case.
• Each sequence diagram describes one possible scenario for Time [book exists] order book

the use case submit order request

– Sequence diagrams…
• …should remain easy to read and understand. debit account

• …do not include complex control logic

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Example: Calculate staff bonuses Example: Add an advertisement

iteration

:Accountant :PayrollSystem :Staff :Bank

list payroll
[for each staff] *get account

Activation
[for each staff] *calculate bonus

update payroll

*[for each staff] update account

*[for each staff] schedule direct deposit

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 Modelling Sequences of Events Exercise: Online Order System
• Objects “own” information and behaviour • Prepare a sequence diagram for the Assign
– Objects don’t “know” about other objects’ Driver use case:
information, but can ask for it.
– To carry out business processes, objects The order clerk requests a list of drivers from the
have to collaborate. system. Using the system, he selects a driver
• …by sending messages to one another to invoke and the system checks the driver’s availability.
each others’ operations This is repeated until a driver has be selected
– Objects can only send messages to one (until an available driver is found). Then the
another if they “know” each other order clerk assigns the driver using the system,
• I.e. if there is an association between them. and the system notifies the delivery person.

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References
[Amb03] Ambler, S. W. 2003. The Elements of UML
Style. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
Press.
[BMF99] Bennett S., McRobb S., and Farmer R. 1999.
Object-Oriented System Analysis and Design
using UML. Berkshire, UK: McGraw Hill.

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