Publications

Use Cases - The Ultimate Guide …this guide describes how to apply use cases in an agile and scalable fashion. It builds on the current state of the art to present an evolution of the use-case technique that we call Use-Case 2.0. The goal is to provide you with a foundation to help you get the most out of your use cases; one that is not only applicable for small co-located agile teams but also large distributed teams, outsourcing, and complex multi-system developments.

In this first of a new series of blog articles, author Roly Stimson discusses how Use-Case slices are a simple but powerful technique to identify and prioritize small increments of releasable value and how these can be split (if and when needed) into smaller items that you can independently prioritize, schedule, build, test and demonstrate.

In this article I base my observations and opinions on my experience of applying the Use Case 2.0 Practice and Behavior Driven Development’s Gherkin language, within an online products division of a major US Bank that is undergoing an Agile transformation. “I’m not dead yet,” Is a classic line from the movies that Monty Python fans will instantly recognize. I start with this because I could win a lot of money betting on the response from Agile practitioners when I tell them I am using Use Cases in an Agile environment to great benefit. “Use Cases? They’re dead and buried!” “That’s RUP! (Rational Unified Process). They aren’t agile.” “What are you thinking? Use Cases are dinosaurs.” “You should know better, Bernie.” Rarely, I get a response from an experienced coach who will not poke fun, but seek the powerful questions such as, “Now why do you think that’s a good idea?”, and a valuable conversation ensues.

Use-Case 2.0 brings together the lightness of user stories with the power of modeling, into a single agile requirements management framework. Learn how to quickly and simply build a use-case model, and prepare use cases in an agile fashion. This online eLearning course will equip learners with the skills and techniques necessary to effectively elicit, communicate, and manage their requirements using use cases.

In the second of this Use Cases in Practice series of blog articles, author Roly Stimson discusses how a use case model provides a simple, big, visible picture that provides critical value context, which represents a powerful tool that can be used as part of Scrum sprint reviews to ensure that the team and the stakeholders reflect meaningfully on what has been achieved in the context of the overall solution goals and value, and adjust future work objectives, priorities and plans accordingly.

In this first of a new series of blog articles, author Roly Stimson discusses how Use-Case slices are a simple but powerful technique to identify and prioritize small increments of releasable value and how these can be split (if and when needed) into smaller items that you can independently prioritize, schedule, build, test and demonstrate.

Use-Case adoption is growing again: In this interview 'Use Cases and its role in Agile Software Development' by Blueprint Systems, Dr. Ivar Jacobson explains how Use-Case 2.0 includes everything important about user stories, but offer significantly more for larger systems, larger teams, and more complex and demanding development projects than user stories alone. They are as lightweight as user stories but can also scale in a smooth and structured way to incorporate as much detail as needed. Most importantly, they drive and connect many other aspects of software development.