View and Edit Use case

Question

I've got a snippet out of my use case diagram (refer to figure). I'm not sure how to arrange View account details use case. In order to edit an account Agent must first open account details (as pictured above). Then he can proceed to actually change account details.

But what if the agent only wants to check account details, should I initiate View account details (as pictured), or is it enough to execute Edit Account Details up to the point of actually performing an edit and then stopping?

Answer 1

The answer to your question, based on the description of the use cases, is yes. The reason that you are having trouble conceptually is because you are placing an include relationship between view account details and edit account details. (You are actually saying that edit account details always includes view account details, which is probably true, but that doesn't get at what you are trying to model.)

The way to model this out is to change your includes to an extends. This means that while you will always view account details, you may or may not edit them as well. In that case, also, the Agent actor will interact with view but only indirectly with edit, as a consequence of extending the view use case.

So, change include to extend, and remove the association bar between agent and the edit use case.

p. s. If you don't like putting a human for the Repository actor, you can always put a rectangle with the << actor >> stereotype above it.

Answer 2

UseCase definition says that system during the UseCase execution collaborates (interacts) with external entities (Actors). I think that "View Account Details" UseCase involve interaction with Agent. It is correct to connect this usecase with Agent actor.

By the way, by your diagram, system can execute "View Account Details" without execution of "Edit Account Details". So, Agent should be connected to UseCase if there is some kind of interaction with system and Agent.