发都通常都使用典型场景(scenarios)来理解一个系统的需要是什么和系统是怎样工作的。不幸的是，尽管开发都已经这样做了，但它极少用有效的形式归档。用例(Use Cases)就是将这些场景获取正式化、形式化的技术。

用例是Jacobson在面象对象的软件工程中提出的，但它实际上是独立于面象对象的。用例是获取业务过程和系统需求的有效方式。而且技术本身是非常简单易学的。

使需求可被浏览

形式化场景获取是为了使用户和开发者都可以浏览-This article is the first in a series of five that will provide a prepublication look at the annotated example from the workbook (to be called Applied Use Case Driven Object Modeling, conveniently enough) as it evolves. We ll be following the process detailed in our book (also known as the ICONIX process), which sits somewhere between the very large Rational Unified Process (RUP) and the very small Extreme Programming (XP) approach.



The ICONIX process is use case driven, like RUP, but lacks a lot of the overhead that RUP brings to the table. It s also relatively small and tight, like XP, but it doesn t discard analysis and design like XP does. This process also makes streamlined use of UML while keeping a sharp focus on the traceability of requirements. And, the process stays true to Jacobson s original vision