There are no “IF’s” in a Use Case! That might sound like a mantra, but it describes a fundamental philosophy that makes your Use Cases significantly easier to adapt to changing situations and more understandable to a wider audience. To see how this works in action, follow along with our example on how to create Main, Alternate, and Exception paths.

Watch an Example of How to Capture Use Case Paths

Knowing how to capture the paths is one thing; the real challenge is finding them and, especially in lean environments, only developing those that are necessary for the successful implementation of the next release.

Learn 3 proven methods for discovering Use Cases early in the process. Analysis of a Vision Statement reveals implied as well as blatantly stated functions that should be described in Use Cases. Business Event-Response Analysis proves to be an extremely powerful tool for initiating a project or change initiative by asking what causes actors to use the application you are defining. Business events translate easily into Use Cases. Finally, business scenarios or examples taken from real life are also well-suited for growing a Business Use Case that is anchored in the real world.