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Everything about Use case

Potential scenario for use of a system

In both software and systems engineering, a use case is a structured description of a system’s behavior as it responds to requests from external actors, aiming to achieve a specific goal. The term is also used outside software/systems engineering to describe how something can be used. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: Use caseA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: Risk factors and disease profile of post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection in UK users of the COVID Symptom Study app: a prospective, community-based, nested, case-control studyInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: AwakeningsThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Supporting use case based requirements engineeringCited 65 times
  5. Go sideways: Scenario (computing)A closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: Use case diagramA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

Noun A potential scenario in which a system receives an external request (such as user input) and responds to it.

Noun A usage scenario for a piece of software; often used in the plural to suggest situations where a piece of software may be useful.

Noun A usage scenario for a product, such as a piece of equipment or a tool.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Differences between systems and software engineering use cases
  2. Definition
  3. History
  4. General principle
  5. Templates
  6. Actors
  7. Business use case
  8. Visual modeling
  9. Examples
  10. Advantages
  11. Limitations
  12. Misconceptions

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics