Lets remember what the sytem boundaries are to the system that you are
building.  Time is orginated from the OS and below, so an actor of Time
could be used.  I would be careful how I describe the actor of Time.  A
clear definition should be documented for the actor Time.  It is really
a common problem that I have seen.  I have seen several systems deing
defined that an actor Time is needed.  But also you should look at it a
bit farther, it is Time or something else.  Does the result get passed
back to an another actor?  If so, that actor will initiate that Use
Case.
 
I hope this sheds some light on this.

        -----Original Message----- 
        From: Frank I. Reiter 
        Sent: Wed 3/21/2001 3:41 PM 
        To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
        Cc: 
        Subject: (ROSE) Use cases: When its not clear who gets the value
        
        


        I'd like to hear some opinions about how to handle something
that has me a
        bit stumped.
        
        I am writing use cases for a system.  For the most part I am
finding that
        pretty straight forward.  In one instance however there is
behaviour that I
        want to document and I can't see quite how to make it a use
case.  (On
        possible answer is that I shouldn't try!)
        
        The system has a cache of data which originates elsewhere and
can change
        over time.  Periodically the system checks with the source of
truth for
        updates.  The question that really stumps me is "Who is the
actor in this
        use case?"
        
        The obvious answer is time or the system clock.  I don't really
want to do
        that because the rule of thumb that resonates best with me is
that the actor
        is a party outside of the system that gets value from the use
case.  Time
        gets no value from this.
        
        So who does?
        
        Well, I could say that the system does.  That would make this a
use case of
        the external system, with my system as the actor, rather than a
use case of
        my system.  That wouldn't really belong in my document.
        
        Various users benefit in that they are working with more up to
date data,
        but they get that value through other use cases already written.
They do
        not participate in this use case at all.
        
        How do people handle this?
        
        Frank.
        
        -----
        The very act of seeking sets something in motion to meet us;
        something in the universe, or in the unconscious responds as if
        to an invitation.  - Jean Shinoda Bolen
        
        
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