Beginning C# 2008 Objects: From Concept to Code

Chapter 9. Formalizing Requirements Through Use Cases

When you get ready to leave on a vacation, you might run through a mental or written checklist. Did you pack everything you need to take? Did you pack too much? Did you arrange to have the appropriate services (newspaper, mail delivery, and so on) stopped? Did you arrange for someone to water the plants and feed your pet rat? Once you depart on your trip, you want to enjoy yourself and know that when you arrive home again, you won't find any disasters waiting for you.

This isn't unlike a software development project. We need to organize a checklist of the things that must be provided for by the system before we embark on its development, so that the project runs smoothly and we don't create ...