How to Write a Use Case

A use case is a powerful business analysis technique that analyzes the functional requirements for a software application and get everyone on the same page about what the software needs to do to meet the business needs.
DOWNLOAD THE USE CASE TEMPLATE (it's free):
bridging-the-gap.com/uctemplate
As a business user,  you’ll be able to write use cases even if you don’t understand or want to use the technical jargon. In fact, as you’ll learn in the video, they can help you ask smart questions about the tech even if you don’t really understand the tech and clearly communicate what you want the software system to do. This is what business analysts call the functional requirements.
And if you are more technically inclined, this technique helps you communicate with your business users about technology without using “tech speak” - i.e. getting to the "what" of the functional requirements and avoiding getting too detailed into the technical or system requirements.
Use cases are an incredibly powerful functional requirements analysis technique - and I hope you find this tutorial useful in applying use cases in your analytical work today.
DOWNLOAD THE USE CASE TEMPLATE (it's free):
bridging-the-gap.com/uctemplate
WATCH THESE VIDEOS NEXT:
User Stories vs. Use Cases
• User Stories vs Use Cases
How to Analyze a Business Process:
• How to Analyze a Busin...
View the Full-Text Transcript Here:
www.bridging-the-gap.com/what...
00:00 How to Write a Use Case
00:41 Why Should You Write a Use Case
2:00 What is a Use Case?
3:24 What is in a Use Case?
9:05 What if I Don't Know Tech?

[@abrahaminikori4289]

Always a valuable time spent watching BRIDGING THE GAP videos

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Thank you! So glad you are finding the resources you need to take your carer to the next level.

[@nielsreyngoud2870]

Laura, thank you for this clear explanation! Working on user stories and use cases for a project right now and this is really helpful!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

So glad to hear that!

[@bambynaa]

You are so helpful Laura, thank you! The BRIDGING THE GAP videos are such a knowledgeable resource.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome. Thank you for your positive feedback!

[@Channel1234abc]

I have watched so many videos, and this is is the only one with such a great explanation! Thank you!!!! All the other videos get stuck in the description of what UC diagram is, but they don't show how to create it.

[@michelereid72]

Thank you so much Laura. Wow! What a difference an alternative perspective can make?!

[@OshadhiVindhyani]

Dear Laura, you have no idea how this video helping me. I was stuck at the design phase lost in all the requirements and all the tech details. Thank you so much for this valuable content.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome. We're so glad to hear this video helped you have a break-through and get your analysis back on track.

[@anasdawood1]

This is a very helpful video. Thank you for clarifying all these points in such a simple way.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are welcome! I love use cases.

[@ibraheemahmad605]

I am a newbie and the ping pong makes a lot of sense. You also made me get the Clare difference between use case and user story. Thank you so much. You are building the gap.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

So glad this video resonated with you Ibraheem - sounds like you have the mindset of a business analyst!

[@agustinlawtaro]

The best explanation of how to write a use case. Thanks!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome!

[@leandroalfonso3096]

LOVED how you explained it all.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

I'm so glad you found this helpful!

[@weedosutra]

Thank you, Laura! You have explained it so well!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Thanks for the great feedback!

[@duinneacha]

Liked the video and your clear explanation of this subject - thanks!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

So glad you found it helpful!

[@efarias000]

Dear Laura - Timeless video, thank you. It helped me to setup a BAU service specifically to replace aged PCs connected to laboratory instruments at the University of Newcastle.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Thank you! I am glad this video helped.

[@ranjan_v]

Thank you so much

[@salesforcereasun3394]

Again you put the ABCs in writing a use case. 😁 You make it seem so doable. I love you style of teaching. By describing the players as actors gives you allot of creative space. Thanks again

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome Rafeal! Laura certainly has a teaching style that many find help them break what are often abstract BA concepts down and make them concrete and actionable.

[@casandra_4751]

Thank you Laura. You are so right. I finally found my role after listening to you. I love systems and I love Python programming. You are right about the non tech speak. As I am learning Python, we are always told to leave comments and write code that is readable and to give descriptive meaningful names. So, even in coding the human interaction and basic understanding is still true.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome Casandra! And that sounds like a wonderful, human-oriented coding practice as well.

[@rbfreitas]

Great video! REALLY helpful! :) I am using all this information right away.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

That's so great to hear! Use cases will make such a difference in how you approach the functional software requirements for your projects.

[@ayushsinha9410]

Very well explained. Thank You

[@katiem6773]

Really helpful and clear. Thanks Laura.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome!

[@planorarmadesign5522]

Very helpful explanation of use cases. It made sense, as I imagined the use case perspective is sitting above both the user and system to document the "ping pong" between them, whereas user stories are written as if I was sitting in the chair of the user to document interaction from his/her perspective primarily. In a way, the difference between describing via 3rd person omniscient vs. first person singular.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

We're so glad you found it helpful!

[@AlexanderPauls]

Laura, thank you very much! Such a great explanation

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome. My goal is to provide practical training for business analysts that helps them succeed in the real-world.

[@louisemurphy4693]

Thank you Laura that was so helpful and interesting.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome Louise!

[@jojojawjaw]

GREAT TUTORIAL! Thank you

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome!

[@mikemott3305]

I was writing Use Cases before they were cool. Your presentation was a great explanation of the tool. We wrote them in workshops with the customer, technical lead, and facilitator. Our first step would be a brainstorming session to identify the Use Cases. They had to be named noun-verb as you said in the video. Once we had the list, we would go through the process of filling out the Use Case Form. When that task was complete, the technical team decomposed the system using Sequence Diagrams to lay out the top-level system design. The test team used them to begin writing their top-level test plans. This material would be used to put together the project plan. They are indeed a very powerful tool.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

There was a time when use cases weren't cool?!? Says who? 🙂 This sounds like a great approach, and very engaging with the end users, to ensure they got what they wanted and needed out of the project!

[@mikemott3305]

@@BridgingtheGapBA It was back in the 90s, and I knew a number of people who thought the idea was another gimmick. I did too, at first. End users took ownership and became good partners in the development phase. The noun-verb structure of the use cases made it very easy for the entire team to talk about the project. It is good stuff. Thanks to you for a good presentation.

[@ctjanney]

great, clear explanation. Thank you.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome.

[@louisecrowe4968]

Fantastic video, thank you!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so very welcome! Good luck with your use cases!

[@autumnrose2437]

Thanks so much for the information! I am really enjoying your videos! I have a question, if you don't mind. If you are working on a large system project with many different features, how do you decide where to break up the use cases? Or do you break up the use cases? Thanks

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Hi Autumn, You want to make sure that each use case has a specific goal that is meaningful to the user and that the system can accomplish. The reality is that often as you start digging into use cases, the flow is more complex than you thought, and you begin to break them apart as you go.

[@andrescruzgrimaldos6531]

Thanks for the info Laura! I have one question. How do you manage your Use Cases? In what format do you create a Use Case Repository? Thanks!

[@imransufi9013]

Thank you Laura. Bless you. You are priceless.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome. I'm glad you are benefiting from the videos Imran.

[@tesfayekf]

Thank you!

[@carmenahlborn6017]

Excellent! Thank you, Laura!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome! Glad you found this tutorial helpful.

[@beerwisdom]

Very helpful! Thank you very much!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome!

[@natminame3092]

Very helpful! I gave you a thumbs up and a comment!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Thanks! So glad you found this helpful.

[@dickwooden4496]

Laura- these videos are for all types of businesses and professionals. They are easier to follow, practical in use, and increase engagement for improved productivity.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

So great to hear! Please feel free to share them with your team or colleagues.

[@mejorgabrielcandia]

Very clear!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Thank you!

[@essiemw809]

Wow, l love this.... This is more clear

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

I'm so glad you found it helpful!

[@user-qn4zj1vo8n]

Laura hello from Ukraine, thank you very much! It is very informative video.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome

[@nadiahermassi1569]

Thank you Laura!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome!

[@jeanchery7452]

Beautiful 😍 and great 👍 teaching ❤️

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Thank you for the comment.

[@trader9559]

Awesome :)

[@stanislavgolodov1398]

Hey. Thanks for the great video. I've got 2 questions about breaking the rules, if you don't mind. 1) What should I do if I have a vision of the algorithm behind the scenes and I want to capture this in requirements? Let's say we are developing a new feature that gets some tasks and processes them one by one in the background (asynchronously) and I want to specify in requirements how should it actually work (I mean the 'queue', statuses of tasks, logs, etc.). What would you do? I described this background logic in a separate use case with 'system' as an actor. Is this acceptable? 2) Also, some business analysts say that a 'fully-dressed' use cases are hard to read and scan (look through). So, many business analysts remove some of the unnecessary use case attributes. Even more, they say that if you have one or two minor variations/exceptions, then it's okay to include them right into the 'main scenario' as it improves the readability of the use case. So I wonder to know what you are thinking about it. Thank you!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

HI Stanislav, There are definitely scenarios where it makes sense to do a system-level use case to specify specific business rules and logic, and it sounds like this might be the case for you. Once you know the rules, you can certainly decide to break them. We always teach those new to use cases to break out exceptions as it encourages strong analytical thinking. And what makes a short use case more readable can quickly make a more complex use case confusing. So, as always, use your judgement and collaborate with your team to apply best practices in a way that works for you.

[@silky2204]

Thank you.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are welcome.

[@lunarmodule6419]

Interesting - thank you.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome Lunar.

[@nadimshaikh9211]

Thanks a lot

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome.

[@Adharsh6]

Hi Laura, Thank you for the video. When we will write Acceptance criteria in UCD?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are welcome. Typically acceptance criteria are part of user stories, and not part of the use case document.

[@hoanganhhuynh6476]

Thank you Laura for the video. I am practicing BA and have a question relates to Use Case that hope you can help to explain. Given I know the starting point A and the ending point B. While analyzing the steps, I found that there may be some set of steps like: "ping - ping - pong" or "ping - pong - pong" or "ping - pong - pong - ping",... also work with the use case. I wonder which set of steps should I choose to put into the Use case document? Should I choose the first one I found, then go to another use case. Or should I keep analyzing until I found some more set, then compare them to select the most valuable one? When can I step to another use case? Thank you.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

HI Hoang, It's not uncommon to have more than 1 user step or system steps in a row - you just wouldn't want the use case to be two lopsided, there should always be some back and forth. Typically a separate use case is only broken apart when there is a repeatable set of functionality that might be referenced by multiple use cases.

[@adamdagosto570]

Best part of the video....'What's the observable piece that user can see that the system has done?'

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Thanks for sharing Adam. That's such a key point in terms of getting to the right level of detail in a use case or any type of functional software requirement. Glad you picked up on that.

[@losaisaitoti1550]

thanks much

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You are so welcome!

[@dokin22]

Can you say if u know of course,whats master degree is good for business analyst (i mean in which university/school the best programm for future ba?)?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Starting a BA career does not require a masters degree. We see more success with our participants going through a practical and application-focused BA training program, like what we offer with The Business Analyst Blueprint certification program. bridging-the-gap.com/business-analyst-blueprint

[@nallurilavanya2636]

Laura, could you tell me the difference between use case diagrams and process flow diagrams and what point we create this during the agile scrum? Do we have separate documentation to create those or do we do it in jira?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

As a next step, check out this video about analyzing a business process. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a17VaKKHrL9oi9E We don't teach use case diagrams at BTG, because we don't find them particularly practical and useful except in very rare situations. And there is no one answer to your question - finding the answer starts by learning these techniques and WHY you do them, and then forming a process that works for you and your stakeholders.

[@wizofaffect]

Hi Laura, I have bought your book and other materials. I have displayed it all on my resume. I want to get into BA. After a year, I had no chance in getting in to BA role. Should I start as a trainee instead of BA Entry level?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Nes, There are a lot of factors to that decision, and we are not in a position to provide specific career advice here. But here's a video Laura did on entry-level business analyst roles, and how to know if they are a good fit for you. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWG5hoOhnKqobac&t

[@wizofaffect]

@@BridgingtheGapBA thank you so much

[@jagroop200]

Hello Mam, is n’t the use case template is somewhat similar to business process analysis framework? Also please tell is use case is part of BRD or FRD?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

They are similar! But they capture information at different levels and with different perspectives.

[@sabreenahussien8468]

Shloud I make one use case for all ping pongs in the system, or seperate them in many use cases?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Most likely one system will require several use cases.

[@Itstollol]

Hi, where do you usually store use cases, some confluence space?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

It really depends on the organization, and how they manage/store requirements. Some definitely use Confluence.

[@shakeelkhan9595]

what is the user is another system which is interacting with your system and just one way. ex. System1 will do something which impacts system2 and then system2 has to perform a series of operations and alternative steps based on what System1 has done. there is also system3 which will get impacted due to system 2 changes . so how to capture this in use case

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Hi Shakeel, System-to-system use cases is a more advanced and less common technique for getting into more technical requirements. However, the same basic concepts apply, your users are all systems. When working on the requirements, I would still start by modeling the user-system interaction (where "system" is a compilation of all 3 integrated systems) and the "user" is the actual human user who has a goal to achieve to get clear on the functional requirements first before digging deeper.

[@sowmyas5731]

Hi Laura Here is one of the interview questions related to use case, so what should be the answer, please give your points Question: Suppose you have 30 applications built up and maintained by system 1, now the requirement is only 10 applications you need to move to system 2? how do you write use cases for this?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Hi Sowmya, That's a great interview question that enables you to show your practical application of use cases and system migration projects. It's out of scope for me to provide a full answer for you here, but I would suggest leaning on your past experience doing a project like this to provide an example of what you did.

[@sowmyas5731]

@@BridgingtheGapBA Thank you! I am not from a BA background. I have experience as a QA, Now I want to switch my role as BA. So I got this question in of the Job interview.

[@jagroop200]

Mam, I have a question do the use cases come under FRD and BRD ?

[@ajitvikrambhargava8824]

They come under scope which is part of BRD.

[@LilDeEdS2506]

What the difference between user stories and use cases?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Here is a video I recorded answering this question. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJ_JZKudaNSMaqM

[@VahidRanaei]

unfortunately I can not download the template.

[@elylabong222]

How to create cedula by using use case?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Can you define how you are using cedula?

[@samsbuzz9272]

Great Video , Just my perception on how do i define/describe and Alternate flow would be - If lets say am able to navigate to a page by clicking on a hyperlink directly- This is the basic flow of the use case Now an alternative flow would be - To right click on the same URL copying the link and pasting the URL in a new window. An Alternative flow would describe how the same objective can be achieved in one or more different ways. Correct me if am wrong..Thanks.

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Thanks for sharing. Best practice is not to use words like click in a use case, or other specific UI details. So different functions for executing the same system behavior would be captured as one alternate flow.

[@Pragatkasana]

💯

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

So glad you found the video helpful! Be sure to check my channel - I have a lot more to share on use cases and software requirements!

[@CarelleKiam-he8yg]

please madam I can't download the use case template can you help me please

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Here's a link to the form to download: www.bridging-the-gap.com/uctemplate/ If this doesn't work, please contact us at [e-mail] and we'll help you trouble shoot!

[@MM-ow2md]

I think I need to 'see' an example of how a use case is actually done...can anybody recommend a video?

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

HI M M. We cover this topic in much more depth inside our training program: www.bridging-the-gap.com/business-analyst-blueprint

[@prabhat5515]

Ping ping pong pong pong is an easier way to recall the concept :) thanks

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

So glad you found that helpful!

[@ihtiyorhasanov4972]

use case is a ping pong ))

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

Yep! Love that analogy.

[@IntraFinesse]

The material is fine, but the presentation is too verbose. I suggest cutting down the excess verbiage. The material would be clearer and easier to digest if the video was refined down to around 8-9 minutes.

[@KatherineElrod]

Thank you!

[@BridgingtheGapBA]

You ate so welcomed!