Reviews for Writing Effective Use Cases (Crystal Series for Software Development)

1. Excellent guide to use case modeling for both novice and experienced

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2009

   I reviewed this book as I believe there is little out there in the way of training or guidance on how to do use case modeling well. This is one of the few books that has a specific use case focus.
   
   Author
   
   Alistair Cockburn is a name you will come across if you spend any time researching use cases as he has been doing use case modeling and both writing and training on that subject since the mid nineties.
   
   
   
   Presentation
   
   The book is presented clearly and is written in a manner that does not require any specific background, technical or otherwise. Diagrams are used to illustrate where possible but, considering use cases are a narrative form, it's reasonable that there aren't many. There are plenty of examples and exercises are provided for you to tackle.
   
   
   
   Usability
   
   It is well structured with early chapters taking you through the principles of use case modeling and the various elements of the use case model. The latter chapters provide more concise, focussed material for the more experienced reader to refer to, including guidelines on use case construction and common mistakes.
   
   
   
   Content
   
   The book itself covers the following areas (amongst others):
   
   Principles for a use case - what should a use case aim to deliver?
   
   High level vs low level use cases, various styles from 'casual' to formal and how a use case can evolve depending on its purpose
   I found this useful as guidance on the perennial problem of business stakeholders preferring high level use cases and IT stakeholders requiring detailed, very precise use cases
   
   Good practice for writing use cases with later chapter including some very specific check lists
   
   Complete method for writing use cases from project initiation through to completing the use case model
   This is quite high level but still quite useful as an example.
   
   Relationship between use case modeling and other activities including project planning, design, test and other, more detailed analysis (e.g. screen design)
   This includes useful guidance on how use cases relate to and influence other activities and project artefacts
   
   
   Relevance
   
   This book was originally written in 2001 which makes it relatively old. I don't think it has dated and, to be honest, the same problems exist in use case modeling today that are discussed in this book. These problems do not change with time.
   
   
   
   Overall
   
   I rate this book highly both for novices looking for an introduction to use case modeling and for more experienced people looking to refine their techniques and eliminate some bad habits (like me!).
   
   It is a practical view borne from experience and I would agree with most of the guidance that is expressed.
   
   It is NOT a book for someone who wants an end to end method for completing analysis on a project as it doesn't cover detailed activities such as screen and report design. However, it does contain a high level method and some useful guidance for how use cases interact with other activities on the project. I believe this is a strength as its very specific focus on use cases produces good guidance that I believe is lacking.
   
   Alex Papworth
   (owner of bamentor, online resource for business analysts)

2. Good introduction to Use Cases

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, September 12th, 2008

   Good introduction to the art of writing good Use Cases with examples of good and bad. I also found it was written in an easy to read mannor.

3. Genuinely a very very good book

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2006

   I have read a number of books about modelling requirements on the back of endorsements such as "It's the industry bible for X". Writing Effective Use Cases was similarly recommended to me.

   Having read it I can only wholeheartedly agree. It is well written, the lessons coming to life through numerous real-world examples and summaries for busy readers. There is plenty of content here, but the technique is expertly unravelled, each element dealt with in its turn.

   In some ways I wish I had read this book a long time ago. In other ways, the mistakes that I have made over the last year have made me appreciate the true value of this book.

4. I wish I had read this book years ago.

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2005

   I have read a number of UML books in the past and nearly all of them have passed off Use Case writing with a sentence like "A complete discussion of this is a topic for a whole other book." Well this is the other book.

   In just 230 pages (there is little waffle here), Alistair manages to give the topic very thorough coverage. The number of different Use Case styles presented and the discussion about when to use each particularly impressed me. The examples too are surprisingly complete with almost no ... in.

   My only criticism is the books structuring with some chapters being 20 pages and others less than a whole side. Also the amount of forward and backward referencing can get a bit much at times.

   This book has definatly improved my use cases. All in all, though, I wish I had read this book years ago.

5. Its a brilliant book!

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 2003

   This book is brilliant. Having gone through the pain of RUP for analysis, this is the book I wish we'd had before we started. The book is clear and easy to read, and most important of all, it makes sense.

   Having begun to rework the approach that I take based on the recommendations in this book, all I can say, is get this book and read it! It will make your analysis life so much easier and provide a good clear approach to differentiating between business use cases and functional (decomposition) use cases amongst many other things.