Friday, July 7, 2006
Use Cases: A Holistic Approach to Requirements Extraction - Terrell Hull
Abstract
What if there were a way to document use-case scenarios in such a way that you would at once have the detail, rigor, completeness, and traceability offered by traditional requirements practices used, say, for the aerospace industry? What if you could add non-functional requirements, real-time specifications, iteration, conditional branching, and other elements to these use cases, while maintaining the user-centric and scenario-based focus inherent in the use-case approach? What if you had a more prescriptive means of estimating projects as these use cases evolve? What if you could begin developing test plans earlier in the software lifecycle? And what if you could do all of this using tools you already have?
This discussion will assume a basic understanding of the use-case approach, and will cover techniques for applying use cases to specify software requirements for those systems whose complexity lies predominantly inside the “black box”.
Topics Will Include:
- The value of the use-case approach, especially for test planning, project planning and estimation, and identifying and resolving requirements gaps
- Key attributes of the use case detail
- Using post-conditions to determine the right granularity for the use case
- The continuum of use-case detail: finding the right level of detail for your project
- Matching the required level of rigor to the appropriate use-case documentation methodology
- Refining the requirements extraction process to meet the needs of your project and your customer
- A process for facilitating and documenting use-case sessions
Terrell Hull, Sun-certified Architect for J2EE, Rational-qualified Practitioner in OOA/D (UML), RUP, Rose, and iRUP.
E-mail: Terrell.Hull@cox.net . Web: http://members.cox.net/terrell.hull
Your Presenter: Terrell Hull is a leading authority on object technology, C++ and the J2EE platform. With almost two decades of experience in object technology, he has a passion for disciplined software architecture and a ruthless focus on helping companies gain a sustainable competitive advantage through better software processes, supported by a broad base of experience in both business and embedded systems.
As Engagement Manager for Logicalis, Terrell performed hands-on management, architecture and consulting to realize post-merger cost reduction goals through application and architecture rationalization, integration, consolidation, and data flow mapping across the DHL Worldwide Express, Airborne Express, Danzas, and Loomis enterprises.
At Amgen, Terrell developed a consistent architecture, comprehensive development methodology, and best practices for the bioinformatics and cheminformatics research teams to better enable them to build reusable component-based software architectures in support of all genetic research activities (finding genomic pathways, etc.), providing them with a consistent, predictable approach to architecture definition that led to first-quality component-based software, placing Amgen in a more competitive position.
Terrell has mentored companies globally in large-scale distributed object-oriented architecture such as Philip Morris, Volkswagen, Daimler/Chrysler, Amgen, American Express, US West Dex, Norwest Financial/Wells Fargo, UNISYS, Union Pacific, MCI, and ISOSA (the Mexican “IRS”, Mexico City , MX). He has also mentored companies in embedded systems architecture and development such as Motorola Space & Science Technology Group, AlliedSignal Aerospace, and NORAD Space and Missile Warning Center. In addition to his expertise in the Unified Modeling Language (UML), Terrell has worked with Grady Booch, Dr. Harvey Deitel and Paul Deitel, and Martin Fowler, working with numerous methodologies over the years, including Booch, OMT, OOSE, ROOM, Convergent Engineering, Shlær-Mellor, HP Fusion, and the Select Perspective.
Terrell is a Senior Technical Reviewer for Prentice Hall Publishing, reviewing object-oriented books for technical accuracy before they go to print. In recognition of his mentoring experience, Dr. Harvey and Paul Deitel, authors of Java: How to Program (Prentice Hall's best-selling Java book, and 2001 Book of the Year), dedicated the 5th edition to him for his “steadfast commitment to excellence in teaching and writing about Java and object technology,” and for his “extraordinary contributions” as a “consummate software professional.” He is currently authoring the educational series The Discipline of Object Technology: Analysis, Design, Implementation and Component Frameworks , aimed at graduate students in computer science, as well as computer professionals interested in gaining a deeper understanding of object technology from a scientific and analytical perspective.
Terrell is recognized for his contributions to object-oriented design metrics (which were presented at the World Software Technology Conference in Salt Lake City, UT in 1996), and in the January issue of Business 2.0 magazine, his Volkswagen Special Edition New Beetle site was named the “2000 Web Site of the Year,” which was not only a testament to his architecture abilities, but the site sold out VW's entire inventory of Beetles in just under 3 weeks. Terrell has taught over a hundred courses in North America (in both Spanish and English), as well as live videocast courses to capacity audiences across 13 time zones in 7 cities and 3 continents around the world. He has been featured as a distinguished speaker at numerous industry conferences, including the Int'l Advisor DevCon Java/Websphere conference, ObjectWest, LogicWorks Int'l, and other conferences.If you wish to receive email flyers of future meetings please send a blank email, with a subject line of "subscribe" to: spin@uces.csulb.edu
Logistics
Location:Northrop Grumman E2 Presentation Center (in tall building off of Entrance 2), Redondo Beach, CA (formerly TRW) - 2299 Marine Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Directions: Take the 405 Inglewood exit (southbound it's the exit after Rosecrans East, northbound it's the exit just after Hawthorne) and go north on Inglewood Avenue (southbound, turn left at the end of the ramp, northbound, turn right). Turn left at Marine. Go west under the freeway past the railroad tracks and Redondo Beach Avenue to Entrance 2 at Mettler Drive. Turn left into the parking lot . E2 is the tall building to your right. (See page 733 A5 of the Thomas Brothers Guide.)
Time: 9 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Admission: Free
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