We've done this from the very start with TFS and EA. We made our own Use Case workitem, and made an add-in to EA which exports the use cases as workitems into TFS. The current release of EA also allows you to export one and one use case over to TFS as workitems. Ours preceded that, and in addition takes all items over. We maintain the EA -> TFS link, so that we can update information in EA and re-export to update that in TFS. We have had little use for a direct backward link, but one could easily add the TFS workitem nume and a http link to the same to the EA use case as tags, and then use that as a link to open the workitems from inside TFS. The add-in will be made available public, keep a tag on http://www.osiris.no/tfs/Pages/default.aspx (English version soon), which will get a list of these add-ins. We based in on the Scenario workitem from the Agile template, and modified on that. We use the use case as THE driving force for the project side of the development. They're even used for the developers to post their workhours on. The new TFS 2010 adds the User Story workitem to the Microsoft templates. In 2010 they also have hierarchical workitems, which is used to connect up testcases and bugs, etc directly to the use case. Even if the terms Use Case, User Story and Scenario are strictly related to each other, normally people use them very much alike. So to be pragmatic, assume the practice of Use Case modeling and use any of these for that purpose. See this for a little discussion on that http://thomaseyde.blogspot.com/2009/05/user-story-maps-and-use-cases.html . I find that the combination of EA and TFS/VS is a very strong combination. EA approach the problem from the modeling side, VS Arch Ed still goes from the Developer viewpoint, so I see these more as complementary tools rather than competitive tools. MS has increased the UML support in the 2010 version though, but EA's use of a common repository, which one always should use, is a very strong point too. Over the years we have used Use Case models in all forms, some are detailed with flows and scenarios clearly defined. Some are very basic, Scrum-like (User Story approach) so to say, with only a short description. Both approaches works, which one to use depends on the project, the customer - and the customers involvement, the development team - it's maturity, and the contract between these parties. And one always has to make a balance, so that the details of an use case doesn't get too much into the "how", but rather concentrates on the "what". In EA we in many cases add more information to the model, traced to the use case, like navigation models (GUI screen -> buttons -> GUI screens) and tracing models - connecting GUI model elements to their corresponding use cases.
_________________________ best regards Terje Sandstrøm Team System MVP Osiris Data AS http://www.osiris.no Blog at: http://geekswithblogs.net/terje Mobile (+47) 95750354 From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Guger, Larry Sent: 22. mai 2009 05:33 To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Use Cases, I like the idea of a use case work item. That would be a nice touch and linking from the use case in the model to work items is already there, unfortunately there isn't an automatic link back to the diagram from the work item. The only thing I could think of would be to add a link from the work item to a versioned item but that's not particularly clean. I think that Team Arch will be a tough sell against a product like Enterprise Architect especially given how much market traction EA has. MS will have to add focus on the architect explorer in addition to the UML side of the story to help round out the offering. Larry From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Luis Esteban Valencia Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 7:39 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Use Cases, If you go to enterprise architect from sparx systems, it has the option to define basic flows and exceptional flows. A use case diagram at all without all that info is very much useless, at least thats the way I have worked in the last 9 years, in the last 3 companies, all of them use use cases to define flows. I am thinking very seriusly to implement a use case work item with all that info, it would be better than the diagram, and maybe the diagram can be linked to the work item However its very strange, because in a screenshot somewhere I saw that the architecture explorer would allow preconditions, postconditions, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_case Thanks From: Guger, Larry<mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 9:28 PM To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: RE: Use Cases, I'm assuming you are talking about the use case diagram with TeamArch. The diagram doesn't support that. You would need to add that information into a textual version of the use case. My suggestion would be to create a text format of the use case (ala Alistair Cockburn) and add an artifact element to the diagram that links to the document. Use cases usually don't indicate flow, I would suggest going to an activity or sequence diagram for that. Larry From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Luis Esteban Valencia Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 7:13 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Use Cases, How can I put preconditions, postconditions, basic flow, etc to an use case? I cant find how Thanks ________________________________ Support procedure: https://www.codify.com/lists/support List address: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subscribe: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Unsubscribe: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> List FAQ: http://www.codify.com/lists/oztfs Other lists you might want to join: http://www.codify.com/lists ________________________________ Support procedure: https://www.codify.com/lists/support List address: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subscribe: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Unsubscribe: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> List FAQ: http://www.codify.com/lists/oztfs Other lists you might want to join: http://www.codify.com/lists ________________________________ Support procedure: https://www.codify.com/lists/support List address: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subscribe: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Unsubscribe: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> List FAQ: http://www.codify.com/lists/oztfs Other lists you might want to join: http://www.codify.com/lists ________________________________ Support procedure: https://www.codify.com/lists/support List address: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subscribe: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Unsubscribe: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> List FAQ: http://www.codify.com/lists/oztfs Other lists you might want to join: http://www.codify.com/lists -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support procedure: https://www.codify.com/lists/support List address: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] List FAQ: http://www.codify.com/lists/oztfs Other lists you might want to join: http://www.codify.com/lists
