Goal Directed Analysis with Use Cases

Use-cases are touted as means to manage the complexity of object-oriented software specification. The UML use-case relationships provide the means to organize usecases, which in turn, organize use-case requirements. Analysts, unfortunately, have difficulty in determining the scope of a single use-case, as well as defining its elaborations. In response, we define a goal-directed modeling approach based upon foundational definitions for domain property, goal, requirement, and specification. The more formally defined goals guide use-case definition, organization, and enable analyses otherwise unavailable to conventional object-oriented analysis. Goal directed analysis with use-cases helps manage specification complexity. 1 MODELING WITH GOALS Software specification by use-cases has grown with the popularity of object-oriented software engineering [Weidenhaupt 1998]. Use-cases are now part of every objectoriented analysis method [Regnell 1996], including the popular Unified Modeling Language (UML) and methodology [Fowler 1997]. Analysts, however, have difficulty in decomposing and structuring use-cases. One solution appears to be the use of high-level software goals. Goals can guide use-case development, as well as enable early analysis of software specifications.