How
to develop Use Cases to capture Scenarios
Most
Concept of Operations document I’ve written
have been a combination of a Word document (describing the
current/proposed system from a non-technical perspective) and
use case diagrams (usually in Microsoft Visio) that illustrate how a
process works.
Download your template
here
Sometimes, I expand on this by showing
an As Is (how things operate today) process flow and a To Be (how it
will be) process diagram.
A typical scenario (use case) describes
the interactions between the individuals involved,
policies/restraints/limitation that influence these operations, and any
data that goes in and comes back out!
Use cases describes system-related
activities.
These describe a specific situation, or
set of circumstances, where the user interacts with the system.
Tip: Write your use cases in
the present tense.
Avoid saying, ‘the user will’ or ‘the
user would.’ Write, “the user enters the credit card details into screen
x” etc.
The project stakeholders (i.e. those
who are responsible for signing off/funding of this project) will then
review these scenarios.
Write the use cases in plain language—avoid technical jargon—and include
reference to supporting material if necessary.
If another need must be added to the
list, then you need to locate its origin in the scenarios and update the
documents accordingly.
Read more:
1.
How to write the Concept Operations Document
2.
What it a Concept Operations Document?
3.
How to Define the Goals, Objectives and Rationale
4.
What you need to put into a Concept Operations Document
5.
How to Justify the New System to Project Stakeholders
6.
How to develop Use Cases to capture Work Scenarios
7.
What's the Connection Between the Concept of Operations and
Functional Requirements Document
|
