USE: Use Cases
Document Type
Code: USE
Name: Use Cases
Domain: Customer & Value
Abstract
This specification defines the Use Cases document type within the BSpec 1.0 Universal Business Specification Standard. It establishes normative requirements, structured templates, and implementation guidance for organizations documenting use cases within the customer-value domain. This specification enables systematic, machine-readable documentation that supports strategic planning, operational execution, and organizational alignment.
Purpose and Scope
The Use Cases document describes specific scenarios where customers apply the solution. It details the context, actors, preconditions, and steps involved in successful solution usage.
Document Metadata Schema
yaml
---
id: USE-{use-case-identifier}
title: "Use Case: [Use Case Name]"
type: USE
status: Draft|Review|Accepted|Deprecated
version: 1.0.0
owner: Product-Management|Solutions-Engineering
stakeholders: [product-team, engineering-team, sales-team, support-team]
domain: customer
priority: high
scope: functional
horizon: short
visibility: internal
depends_on: [JTB-*, PER-*]
enables: [REQ-*, STO-*, PRD-*]
success_criteria:
- "Use case accurately reflects customer reality"
- "Solution effectively supports use case"
- "Use case guides product development"
- "Customer success is measurable"
assumptions:
- "Use case represents significant customer value"
- "Solution capabilities match use case requirements"
- "Use case is technically feasible"
validation_method: "Customer workflow observation and testing"
frequency: "Common|Occasional|Rare"
business_value: "High|Medium|Low"
review_cycle: monthly
---Content Structure Template
markdown
# Use Case: [Use Case Name]
## Overview
*Brief description of what this use case accomplishes and why it matters*
## Use Case Summary
### Use Case Details
**Use Case ID**: USE-{identifier}
**Use Case Name**: [Descriptive name for the scenario]
**Use Case Type**: Core|Extended|Exception
**Business Value**: High|Medium|Low
**Usage Frequency**: Daily|Weekly|Monthly|Quarterly|Occasional
**Complexity Level**: Simple|Medium|Complex
**Risk Level**: Low|Medium|High
### Scope and Context
**Functional Scope**
- Primary functionality involved
- Secondary features used
- Integration requirements
- Data dependencies
**Business Context**
- Business process this supports
- Organizational impact
- Strategic importance
- Compliance considerations
**Technical Context**
- System requirements
- Platform dependencies
- Integration points
- Performance requirements
## Actors and Stakeholders
### Primary Actors
**Actor 1: [Role Name]**
- Actor description and characteristics
- Responsibilities in this use case
- Skills and expertise level
- System access and permissions
- Success criteria and motivations
**Actor 2: [Role Name]**
- Actor description and characteristics
- Responsibilities in this use case
- Skills and expertise level
- System access and permissions
- Success criteria and motivations
### Secondary Actors
**Supporting Roles**
- Approvers and reviewers
- Information providers
- System administrators
- Integration systems
**Stakeholders**
- Beneficiaries of use case success
- Impacted parties
- Decision influencers
- Success evaluators
## Use Case Scenario
### Preconditions
**System State**
- Required system configuration
- Data availability requirements
- User authentication status
- Integration connectivity
**Business State**
- Required business conditions
- Organizational readiness
- Process prerequisites
- Resource availability
**User State**
- Required user permissions
- Skill level requirements
- Training completion
- Tool access
### Trigger Events
**Primary Triggers**
- Main events that initiate use case
- Timing and frequency
- Source of trigger
- Urgency indicators
**Alternative Triggers**
- Other ways use case can start
- Emergency triggers
- Scheduled triggers
- Automated triggers
### Main Success Scenario
#### Step 1: [Initial Action]
**Actor Action**: [What the user does]
**System Response**: [How system responds]
**Business Rule**: [Any rules applied]
**Validation**: [Checks performed]
**Alternative Paths**: [What could happen differently]
#### Step 2: [Next Action]
**Actor Action**: [What the user does]
**System Response**: [How system responds]
**Business Rule**: [Any rules applied]
**Validation**: [Checks performed]
**Alternative Paths**: [What could happen differently]
#### [Continue for each step]
#### Final Step: [Completion]
**Actor Action**: [Final user action]
**System Response**: [Final system response]
**Success Confirmation**: [How success is confirmed]
**Output Generated**: [What is produced]
### Alternative Flows
#### Alternative Flow 1: [Scenario Name]
**Trigger Condition**: [When this alternative occurs]
**Flow Description**:
1. [Alternative step 1]
2. [Alternative step 2]
3. [Return to main flow or end]
**Return Point**: [Where it rejoins main flow]
**Success Criteria**: [How success is measured]
### Exception Flows
#### Exception 1: [Error Scenario]
**Error Condition**: [What goes wrong]
**Error Detection**: [How error is identified]
**Error Handling**:
1. [Error response step 1]
2. [Error response step 2]
3. [Recovery or termination]
**Recovery**: [How to recover from error]
**User Guidance**: [enable provided to user]
## Postconditions
### Success Postconditions
**System State**
- Final system configuration
- Data updates completed
- Process status
- Integration confirmations
**Business State**
- Business process advancement
- Workflow completion
- Approval status
- Compliance confirmation
**User State**
- Task completion status
- Next steps available
- Notification confirmations
- Access permissions
### Failure Postconditions
**System State**
- Rollback status
- Error logging
- Data consistency
- Security status
**Business State**
- Process interruption
- Workflow status
- Error notification
- Recovery requirements
## Business Rules
### Functional Rules
**Validation Rules**
- Data validation requirements
- Format specifications
- Range limitations
- Consistency checks
**Process Rules**
- Workflow constraints
- Approval requirements
- Sequence dependencies
- Timing restrictions
**Security Rules**
- Access control requirements
- Data protection rules
- Audit trail requirements
- Privacy compliance
### Non-Functional Rules
**Performance Requirements**
- Response time limits
- Throughput requirements
- Scalability constraints
- Resource limitations
**Quality Requirements**
- Accuracy standards
- Reliability requirements
- Availability expectations
- Usability standards
## Success Metrics
### Functional Metrics
**Completion Metrics**
- Success rate percentage
- Time to completion
- Error rates
- Retry requirements
**Quality Metrics**
- Accuracy measurements
- Completeness indicators
- Consistency validation
- Satisfaction scores
### Business Metrics
**Value Metrics**
- Business value delivered
- Cost savings achieved
- Efficiency improvements
- Revenue impact
**Adoption Metrics**
- Usage frequency
- User adoption rate
- Feature utilization
- Expansion usage
### User Experience Metrics
**Usability Metrics**
- Task completion rate
- User error rate
- Learning curve
- Satisfaction score
**Efficiency Metrics**
- Time on task
- Clicks/steps to complete
- Error recovery time
- enable usage frequency
## Requirements Traceability
### Functional Requirements
**Core Requirements**
- [REQ-001]: [Requirement description]
- [REQ-002]: [Requirement description]
- [REQ-003]: [Requirement description]
**Supporting Requirements**
- [REQ-004]: [Requirement description]
- [REQ-005]: [Requirement description]
### Non-Functional Requirements
**Performance Requirements**
- [NFR-001]: [Performance requirement]
- [NFR-002]: [Scalability requirement]
**Security Requirements**
- [SEC-001]: [Security requirement]
- [SEC-002]: [Privacy requirement]
## Integration Points
### System Integrations
**Integration 1: [System Name]**
- Integration purpose
- Data exchange format
- Timing and frequency
- Error handling
**Integration 2: [System Name]**
- Integration purpose
- Data exchange format
- Timing and frequency
- Error handling
### Data Dependencies
**Input Data**
- Required data sources
- Data quality requirements
- Timing constraints
- Validation needs
**Output Data**
- Generated data types
- Distribution requirements
- Storage needs
- Retention policies
## Risk Assessment
### Technical Risks
**Risk 1: [Technical Risk]**
- Risk description
- Probability: High|Medium|Low
- Impact: High|Medium|Low
- Mitigation strategy
### Business Risks
**Risk 1: [Business Risk]**
- Risk description
- Probability: High|Medium|Low
- Impact: High|Medium|Low
- Mitigation strategy
### User Adoption Risks
**Risk 1: [Adoption Risk]**
- Risk description
- Probability: High|Medium|Low
- Impact: High|Medium|Low
- Mitigation strategy
## Testing Considerations
### Test Scenarios
**Happy Path Testing**
- Main success scenario validation
- Performance testing
- Load testing
- User acceptance testing
**Alternative Path Testing**
- Alternative flow validation
- Edge case testing
- Boundary testing
- Integration testing
**Exception Testing**
- Error condition testing
- Recovery testing
- Failure mode testing
- Security testing
### Test Data Requirements
**Valid Test Data**
- Representative data sets
- Edge case data
- Performance test data
- Security test data
**Invalid Test Data**
- Error condition data
- Boundary violation data
- Security test data
- Stress test data
## Documentation Requirements
### User Documentation
**User Guides**
- Step-by-step procedures
- Screenshots and examples
- Troubleshooting guides
- Best practices
**Training Materials**
- Training presentations
- Interactive tutorials
- Video demonstrations
- Practice exercises
### Technical Documentation
**API Documentation**
- Integration specifications
- Data formats
- Error codes
- Examples
**Configuration Guides**
- Setup procedures
- Configuration options
- Environment setup
- Troubleshooting
## Validation
*Evidence that use case accurately reflects customer reality and solution capabilities*Quality Standards
Bronze Level (Minimum Viable)
- [ ] Use case summary with basic details and scope
- [ ] Primary actors and stakeholders identified
- [ ] Main success scenario documented
- [ ] All required metadata fields completed
Silver Level (Investment Ready)
- [ ] Comprehensive use case scenario with preconditions and postconditions
- [ ] Alternative and exception flows documented
- [ ] Business rules and success metrics defined
- [ ] Requirements traceability established
- [ ] Integration points and data dependencies mapped
- [ ] Risk assessment with mitigation strategies
Gold Level (Operational Excellence)
- [ ] Dynamic use case tracking with real-time metrics
- [ ] Automated testing scenarios and validation
- [ ] Advanced integration monitoring and optimization
- [ ] User behavior analytics and optimization
- [ ] Continuous use case evolution based on usage data
- [ ] Cross-functional use case governance and alignment
Common Pitfalls
- Solution bias: Describing how the system works rather than how customers use it
- Technical focus: Over-emphasizing technical details rather than business value
- Single path: Only documenting the happy path without considering alternatives
- Static scenarios: Creating use cases once without ongoing validation and updates
Success Patterns
- Customer-centric: Focuses on customer goals and successful outcomes
- Scenario-based: Provides realistic, detailed scenarios that teams can understand
- Testable: Creates clear criteria for validation and testing
- Traceable: Links clearly to requirements, features, and business objectives
Relationship Guidelines
Typical Dependencies
- JTB (Jobs-to-be-Done): Jobs provide context for use case scenarios
- PER (Personas): Personas define the actors in use cases
Typical Enablements
- REQ (Requirements): Use cases drive functional requirements
- STO (Stories): Use cases inform user story creation
- PRD (Product Requirements): Use cases guide product feature definition
Document Relationships
This document type commonly relates to:
- Depends on: JTB (Jobs-to-be-Done), PER (Personas)
- Enables: REQ (Requirements), STO (Stories), PRD (Product Requirements)
- Informs: Product development, testing strategy, user experience design
- Guides: Feature specification, acceptance criteria, validation planning
Validation Checklist
- [ ] Use case details include type, value, frequency, and complexity
- [ ] Functional, business, and technical scope clearly defined
- [ ] Primary and secondary actors with roles and responsibilities
- [ ] Preconditions and trigger events documented
- [ ] Main success scenario with detailed step-by-step flow
- [ ] Alternative and exception flows identified and documented
- [ ] Success and failure postconditions specified
- [ ] Business rules covering functional and non-functional aspects
- [ ] Success metrics across functional, business, and UX dimensions
- [ ] Requirements traceability to functional and non-functional requirements
- [ ] Integration points and data dependencies mapped
- [ ] Risk assessment with technical, business, and adoption risks
- [ ] Testing considerations with scenarios and data requirements
- [ ] Documentation requirements for users and technical teams