CSC/ECE 517 Fall 2007/wiki2 4 dj
Assignment
Use cases. There are even more pages on the Web on use cases than on MVC. If someone wants to learn about them, what should (s)he do? Look at the first few hits in Google? I expect we can do better than that. Write a review of the use-case sites on the Web. Which are best for learning about the concept? Which have the most instructive examples? Which teach advanced concepts that are not apparent in perusing most use-case sites? Read at least several dozen pages before deciding how to organize your overview.
Best for learning about the concept
Use case Wikipedia
Likes
Provides good basic understanding
Also provides Use case templates
Discusses benefits and limitations of use cases.
Provides good references and External links.
Drawbacks
Information maybe incorrect/ old
No examples are provided to ease learning.
Review
Wikipedia, the most common information source, seems to carry lot of information on Use Cases and also goes into discussing their benefits and limitations. The page also provides references and external links
Use Case Diagram Wikipedia
Likes
-Precise explanation of Use Case Diagrams and its notations.
-Also explains advanced concepts like different types of relationships.
-Illustrates the concept with an easy example making it easier for first time readers.
Drawbacks
-Does not provide a basic understanding of why use cases are required.
-The page uses technical language which might be deterrent for novices.
-Again since it is a wiki page the information could be tampered by anyone.
Review
-Though the page contains all elements which are instrumental in understanding use cases and use cases diagrams the semantics of use cases could have been better expressed if simple language was used.
Teaches advanced concepts
Structuring use cases with goals – AC
Likes
Written by Alistair Cockburn, the author of Jolt Productivity Award winning book Writing Effective Use Cases.
Provides a more detailed and practical view of Use Case usage.
Describes scenarios and howto control Scenario explosion
Also talks about cases where goal-phrase structure can be used
Identifies shortcomings of Use Case
Drawbacks
Maybe too much information for some people.
Text is difficult to understand and read.
Text is not formatted, to make it visually appealing
Review
A very good page written, by a well known person on Use cases. The page has been written in a very informal tone and contains more information than the space. However, the page is not properly formatted which desont make reading it very intresting.
Has the most instructive examples
Writing effective Use Case Examples
Likes
Gets right to point without any fluff
Easy to understand, with diagrams and examples
Drawbacks
Has lot of ads and the “Try it” (example) link takes you somewhere else.
Review
Simply loved the website, its just what someone like me looks for to gets things done. Explains howto write Use Cases alongwith an example.
Excellent walkthrough with understanding and example
Likes
-The page serves as an excellent resource for learning all facets of Use Cases and Use Case diagrams.
-The entire tutorial is divided in a logical manner starting from basic topics right through advanced stuff.
-The page uses very natural examples from the real world to explain each concept related to Use cases.
Drawbacks
-Very little has been said about the theory behind Use cases and its evolution i.e. why was a need felt to create an Object Oriented instrument like use cases.
Review
- An excellent page for people who wish to start off developing Use cases and use cases diagrams just by reading a single webpage.
Use Cases for Example ATM System
Likes
One of the best pages found, which explains an example in full length
Drawbacks
Has no diagrams
Skips on basic explaining basic terms
Has no inline links to explain, some of the terms used.
Review
A very good page for anyone who’s looking for a Use Cases for Example ATM System or for an example Use case application for that matter
External Links
http://www.protoolkits.com/Analysisandrequirements/Analysistechniques/usecases.html
http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~maier/386/usecase06.pdf