Use Cases

Two kinds of use case documents: a use case diagram and use case text.
Text provides the detailed description of a particular use case
Diagram provides an overview of interactions between actors and use cases
Here's an example of a use case (text) (from owler and !cott" UML Distilled):
Use Case: Buy a Product
#. $ustomer browsers through catalog and selects items to bu%
&. $ustomer goes to check out
'. $ustomer fills in shipping information (address( next)da% or ')da% deliver%)
*. !%stem presents full pricing information" including shipping
+. $ustomer fills in credit card information
,. !%stem authori-es purchase
.. !%stem confirms sale immediatel%
/. !%stem sends confirming email to customer
Alternative: Authorization Failure
0t step ," s%stem fails to authori-e credit purchase
0llow customer to re)enter credit card information and re)tr%
Alternative: 1egular customer
'a. !%stem displa%s current shipping information" pricing information"
and last four digits of credit card information
'b. $ustomer ma% accept or override these defaults
1eturn to primar% scenario at step ,
Here's an example of a use case diagram:
!tick figures represent actors (human or
computer s%stems in roles)" such as
Trader
2llipses represent use cases
(behavior as seen b% users)
3hat can user do with the s%stem4
2.g." Trader interacts with Trader
$ontract via a Trade
$ommodities transaction
<<include>> inserts a chunk of
behavior