Use cases

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Purpose

Use cases describe interactions with the application from the end-users' point of view. Use cases provide tests of the application's functionality and identify issues that need to be addressed in future releases.

Structure

Use cases are clustered around the same broad categories as the functional requirements. Like the latter, use cases are organized hierarchy with high-level scenarios broken down into more specific tests (sub- and sub-sub-cases). To facilitate cross-references and links, each case has been assigned an alpha-numeric code: the alpha prefix designates its type (USC = use case), the number establishes its position in the hierarchy. Six main use cases have been identified:

• USC-1 Implement a system of control
• USC-2 Add / edit content
• USC-3 Translate content
• USC-4 Access content
• USC-5 Import / export content
• USC-6 Administer the system

Use case actors

The following generic actors are invoked in the use cases:

• Institution: a body having custody and control of archival materials.
• Archivist: a staff member of an Institution.
• Network: a group of Institutions sharing descriptions and other information relating to archival materials.
• Administrator: a person responsible for the application of an Institution or Network.
• Researcher: a person who accesses the archival materials held by Institutions.

Information

Each use case includes the following information:

USC-x.x.x (unique tracking number assigned to case).
Summary	Use case name	Descriptive name assigned to use case
	Overview	Brief description of the scenario.
	Primary actor	The main actor involved in the scenario.
	Secondary actor	Other actors involved in the scenario in less central roles.
Description	Preconditions	Other use cases whose completion is a precondition for the current case.
	Trigger	The event that initiates the current case.
	Successful outcome	The outcomes of a successful resolution of the scenario.
	Main scenario	Step-by-step breakdown description of the scenario ("Scenario A").
	Exceptions / variations	Other possible variations, including unsuccessful outcomes ("Scenario B", "Scenario C" etc).
Requirements	Functional requirements	Links to associated functional requirements (FNC-x).
	Metadata requirements	Links to associated metadata requirements (MTD-x).
	Technical requirements	Links to associated technical requirements (TCN-x).
Diagrams	Work-flow or other diagrams illustrating the scenario.

Note that most of this detail will only be found at the lower-level cases. Higher-level cases will typically only include the case name, number, and overview, with links to the lower-level sub-requirements.

Index

• USC-1 Implement a system of control
• USC-2 Add / edit content
• USC-3 Translate content
• USC-4 Access content
• USC-5 Import / export content
• USC-6 Administer the system