I had a discussion recently with a colleague about how to assure your project team to cover the entire scope of the project with usecases. The example was associated with a rectangle as the scope of the projectand some small rectangle, covering each other, and trying to cover the entire scope.
Although the problem of defining a use case is difficult,now I want to talk about how to cover entirely some area, not with shape, bu twith method.
Rectangle are simple, so are some projects. Most projects are difficult and their scope reveal to the team as time passes by and as more experience is acquired. As a parallel to geometrical figures we can imagine a project as being complex irregular geometry figure, which in order to becovered require different shapes, and rectangles are in most cases a bad choice.
Let’s introduce some theory: “A fractal is generally "arough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of whichis (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole”
In order to generate a fractal figure you have to have a starting figure and a method, and by applying the same method, over and over, you get the final figure. The more you work on, the more detailed the fractal figure gets.
Another interesting fact about fractal figures is that theycan have factionary dimension. It is well known that points have no dimension,lines are one dimension and the surface has 2 dimensions, space 3, and so on.
Fractals figure can face 1.5 dimensions, meaning that it ismore than a line, but not a surface. There are also fractal figures which have dimension two. This means that they can be assimilated to a surface, they can cover a surface. xample the Dragon Curve
You have a starting figure and a method. Apply the same method over and over and you will cover a surface, any figure.
Now, back to our problem, we must cover with use cases aproblem scope. We must find two things: the shape of the starting point, the method to be applied over and over, and not least the starting point.
Now, where should be good starting point ? Inside the shape given by all the actors of the system.
Conclusion: wisdom for the figure, and perseverance in applying the method will get you to cover the entire scope.
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