umlcrudmodelinguse-caseuse-case-diagram

Multiple CRUD use cases in a use case diagram


I have seen examples of people representing CRUD use cases in use case diagrams as "Manage X", but I wanted to know whether I can use a generalisation like the one in the screenshot to group many of them.

My intention is that "manage item" applies to the current catalogue being browsed. Would this be fine?

Use case diagram:

enter image description here


Solution

  • Yes, you can use a generalization to convey the intent that the actor manages items, and that items can be of different kind.

    But your diagram looks very detailed and appears to be more a user interface model rather than a real goal-oriented use-case. I.e it describes more the “how” than the “what”. This is not forbidden according to the UML specifications, but not advised, as it leads to complex diagrams, distracts the modeler from the user goals, and leads to a premature design of a user-interface, whereas other modeling techniques are better suited to ensure an optimal user experience.

    See also this question, that addresses similar concerns but at a lower level of abstraction.

    P.S - Unrelated thoughts: The diagram might create ambiguity, since it suggests on one side that browsing is specialized by types of items (browse X and browse Y), but at the same time it suggests that any browsing can be extended with managing any kind of items (manage X, manage Y). This could be one more symptom that the use case was created with some class design in mind and not centered on user goals