Using Tree Diagram Concepts to model Use Case Flows

The level and quality of the abstraction applied during the analysis phase are key factors for the product robustness and project success. There are not so much techniques to organize the abstraction performed. Also, in the software development process, the analysis phase suffers of a lack of formality at the level of the use cases analysis and description. In this paper we present an approach based on the analogy between probabilistic sequential events and the steps of a use case flow. This analogy represents a kind of formalization that supports the use case flows characterization. Using this approach, the use cases analysis can be performed in a methodological way supported by formal fundamentals.