University Assignment: System Analysis and Design - Use Case Modeling

This report delves into the significance of use case modeling within the object-oriented (OO) approach, particularly in system analysis and design. It begins by defining use cases and their role in capturing functional requirements, emphasizing that while originating in the OO development method, us...Read More

Running head: SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
System Analysis and Design
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
Table of Contents
1. Introduction......................................................................................................................2
2. What is a use case?..........................................................................................................2
3. Use cases are not inherently object oriented....................................................................2
4. Why is use case modeling important in object oriented approach..................................3
5. Importance.......................................................................................................................4
6. Advantages and Disadvantages.......................................................................................5
7. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................5
8. References........................................................................................................................7

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SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
1. Introduction
Use case generally explains the process of interaction of an actor or an external entity to a
particular system related to a particular business. It generally deals with the function of a
particular system provide an actor. Use case is generally employed to model the different
business processes functional requirements of the system or the internal operations of the system.
It describes the different functions required in a system or an application. However, uses cases
are not object oriented. They have originated as a part of the object oriented development method
and therefore, use case modeling is very important in OO approach. There is nothing inherently
object oriented in relation to the use cases. It is generally employed for modeling of the
functional requirements of a system or an application (Dennis, Wixom and Tegarden 2015). The
use case is widely used for understanding the requirements of the object oriented software
development and are commonly supported in the modeling languages. The report discusses the
use of use case modeling in Object Oriented (OO) approach along with its advantages and
disadvantages.
2. What is a use case?
Use cases are generally a detailed description of the process by which a person uses or
interacts with a system to accomplish a certain goal. It is generally associated with the software
systems but can be used as a reference or clear understanding of any process. There are mainly
three elements of a use case, which are actor, system and goal. Actor denotes a user or a group of
users that interacts with the system. System here refers to the process that awaits the outcome
and goal denotes the successful user outcome. A complex use case may also include other
elements such as stakeholders, preconditions and triggers as well (Kulak and Guiney 2012).

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SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
3. Use cases are not inherently object oriented
Use cases are generally drawn to identify the functional requirements of a problem
domain. However, it does not give out the information about the class or data flow diagrams.
Although use cases have extensive usage in object oriented analysis and design purposes, it is not
considered as object oriented.
Use case finds their roots in object oriented system analysis and design. This approach
has numerous advantages over traditional SDLC approaches. This approach uses notion of an
object-oriented approach in order to encapsulate the entire data and the process. Use case
diagrams find extensive use in development of platform architecture (Larman 2012).
The main functionality of use cases is to identify the major functions and processes of the
system. This work does not require the concept of object oriented approach. Use cases can be
used in any types of analysis and helps in expressing the different perspective of a system in a
unified manner.
4. Why is use case modeling important in object oriented approach
Object oriented systems are used to describe the entities of a system as an object. Objects
are part of the general concepts, which are called classes. Proper analysis and design of a
software system is documented by the standardized set of tools that are provided by the use
cases. Since use case is based on OO or object-oriented technique, use cases are important in
object-oriented approach. A use case model is generally used to describe what a system does,
without describing how the system does it (Seidl et al. 2015). Use Cases have gradually evolved
to be an important component for determination of the requirements of a new system. Since the

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SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
use case have originated as a part of the object oriented world, it is accepted as an important tool
for object oriented modeling as well.
Object oriented modeling mainly deals with the constriction of objects that generally
contains stored values inside them. Use cases are therefore used to overview the usage
requirements and explore the structure of the object oriented software.
5. Importance
UML or specifically Use case is gradually becoming increasingly important in modern
software development. Object oriented approach is an integral part of the software development
process. Use cases have extensive usage in real projects. The process of visualization,
specification, construction and documentation of software intensive system is effectively done
with the help of Use cases. It further provides a standard way of designing and documenting the
blueprint covering the conceptual portions of a project or software development. The use case
diagram therefore, is important in organizing and modeling the behavior of a system and
therefore it is widely used in object-oriented approach. Use case modeling assists the project
manager in managing the development of complex software projects (Chitchyan et al. 2015). It
provides a scaffolding construct that is used by the project managers and the program managers
in linking the requirements of the project with the software development process. The structuring
of the project planning process becomes easier with the help of use cases. This is done by
providing a strategic framework to keep a track of the vital processes of the organization, which
includes the development status, the date of release and project priorities.
The project team can further make use of Use Cases in tracking the results of a particular
user interface designing and components and system tests in relation to the project (Jorgensen

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SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
2016). Therefore, the importance of use case is very significant in the object-oriented approach
of project development. It is considered as an important part of object-oriented approach and has
increasing use in identifying the performance requirements, UI and performing a proper analysis
of a system and its design.
6. Advantages and Disadvantages
Use case modeling has significantly gathered utmost importance in OOP community. Use
case modeling has the ability to predict the behavior of the system, which is one of the main
advantages of Use case modeling. It enables the end user to have a clear idea about the
functionality of a system under development. Use case adds value to the implementation process
of a software development project and the person who is responsible for developing the use case
identifies all the possible condition that can result in the system failure (Henderson-Sellers and
Bulthuis 2012). It helps in identifying the critical process of the project.
The major disadvantage of Use case modeling is that the writing of the failure condition
of the use case is a time consuming process. However, it is an important process for the proper
system design and analysis (Rumpe 2014).
7. Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be concluded that although use case is
inherently object oriented, it is significantly used in object-oriented approach. Use case is an
integral part of the software development process as it helps in identifying the different integral
processes of a design and analysis phase. It is used to represent the type of contract between the
stakeholders and the different processes of a project. The project managers generally construct it
in order to link the different requirements of a software development project. The article

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discusses the different usage of use case modeling in the object-oriented approach especially in
system analysis and design. Use case is used to higlight the major functionalities of a system and
emphasizes in the perspective presentation of any project. Use cases make the process of
business modeling even simpler and therefore used significantly. The responsibility of the use
cases is to provide a proper way to detect the critical processes of a system along with the
detection of the process that may result in the failure of the project. This helps in executing a
project in a more efficient way and therefore Use case are generally used in OO approach.
Although Use cases are not inherently object oriented, it finds its root in it.

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8. References
Chitchyan, R., Rashid, A., Sawyer, P., Garcia, A., Alarcon, M.P., Bakker, J., Tekinerdogan, B.,
Clarke, S. and Jackson, A., 2015. Survey of aspect-oriented analysis and design approaches.
Dennis, A., Wixom, B.H. and Tegarden, D., 2015. Systems analysis and design: An object-
oriented approach with UML. John Wiley & Sons.
Henderson-Sellers, B. and Bulthuis, A., 2012. Object-oriented metamethods. Springer Science &
Business Media.
Jorgensen, P.C., 2016. Software testing: a craftsman’s approach. CRC press.
Kulak, D. and Guiney, E., 2012. Use cases: requirements in context. Addison-Wesley.
Larman, C., 2012. Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object Oriented Analysis and
Design and Interative Development. Pearson Education India.
Rumpe, B., 2014. Executable Modeling with UML. A Vision or a Nightmare?. arXiv preprint
arXiv:1409.6597.
Seidl, M., Scholz, M., Huemer, C. and Kappel, G., 2015. The Use Case Diagram. In UML@
Classroom (pp. 23-47). Springer International Publishing.