ABSTRACT
In the use case approach, the user requirements are captured as use cases, each of which encapsulates a well-defined functionality or feature. This encapsulation allows the development team to better manage and track requirements and, more significantly, plan the development process. For example, the functionality specified in a use case can be validated with the user, and the use case implementation itself can be validated with respect to the use case specification. Furthermore, because a ranking of the use cases by the users captures the perceived importance of one set of requirements over another to the users, the use case implementation can be prioritized in terms of the functionality that the user needs most. On the other hand, because these use cases can also be ranked by the project manager in terms of their complexity and risk, management can balance the complexity, risk, and user importance to determine the order of implementation of the requirements. Because use cases also provide the backbone for developing the systems test plan and for performing acceptance testing, the use case approach is more effective in involving the users throughout the project.
