Use case pitfalls: top 10 problems from real projects using use cases

One of the beauties of use cases is their accessible, informal format. Use cases are easy to write, and the graphical notation is trivial. Because of their simplicity, use cases are not intimidating, even for teams that have little experience with formal requirements specification and management. However, the simplicity can be deceptive; writing good use cases takes some skill and practice. Many groups writing use cases for the first time run into similar kinds of problems. The paper presents the author's "Top Ten" list of use case pitfalls and problems, based on observations from a number of real projects. The paper outlines the symptoms of the problems, and recommends pragmatic cures for each. Examples are provided to illustrate the problems and their solutions.