Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0201708531, Paperback)

While many titles on software engineering get bogged down in software engineering theory, this book is a friendly and intelligent exception to the rule. The authors deliver a clearly presented tour of the basics of designing effective use cases organized around a single large case study for an order-processing system. The key steps in developing and refining use cases are illustrated with dialogues between hypothetical participants, framed by commentary. From defining a project scope to identifying risks and then creating basic and advanced use cases, guidelines and sample documents are provided to help you get started.

The material on integrating how-to document success and failure scenarios as actors work with software is particularly good. (The successful "basic path" is documented first, and then you learn about what can go wrong in alternative failure paths.) The authors are very clear about how use cases work together, even including or inheriting from one another. Managers will appreciate the presentation of a method (and formula) to calculate how long a given project will take based on the number and complexity of its use cases. This title makes judicious use of UML throughout (including activity diagrams) that can supplement written textual descriptions of use cases. Final chapters examine how to fit use cases into the entire project development lifecycle, from implementing to deploying a design.

Applying Use Cases proves that computer books don't have to be 1,000 pages long to provide real expertise on writing better applications. This is an extremely worthwhile choice for any developer or IT manager seeking to deliver higher quality software in less time. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:Overview of use cases The iterative software design process A case study for an ordering system for a mail order company Identifying risks, actors, and use cases Handling time System boundaries Sample text-based and graphical use case documents Basic and alternative paths to processing Using include Extend and inheritance relationships between use cases Getting the right level of detail for use cases Documentation templates and sample use case styles Documenting common system features (login and CRUD functions) Reviewing use cases with different stakeholders Common mistakes with use cases Dividing large systems Architectural patterns and multitiered applications UML notations for use case and sequence diagrams Project estimates based on use cases Use cases during the construction and deployment project phases UML quick reference