How to Make a Use Case Diagram in Visio (UML for Business Analysts)
A use case diagram shows who uses a system and what they use it for. Learn the four UML use case shapes (actor, use case, system boundary, association) and draw a library system in Visio, step by step.
Step by step
Intro
- Use case diagram. A use case diagram answers two questions: who uses the system, and what do they use it for? Here we draw one in Visio for a library system.
- The UML Use Case stencil. Open the UML Use Case stencil in the Shapes pane. You only need 4 shapes from it: the system boundary, the actor, the use case and the association.
System boundary
- System boundary. Drag the Subsystem shape onto the page and label it Library System. This big box is the system boundary. Everything inside it is what the system does. Everything outside is not part of the system.
Actor
- Actor. Drag an Actor (the stick figure) onto the page, outside the box, and label it Member. An actor is a role, not a person's name.
Use cases
- Use case. Drag a Use Case oval inside the boundary and label it Borrow book. Each use case is a goal the actor wants to reach, written as a verb and a noun. Add a second use case, Return book. Then add a third, Pay fine.
Associations
- Association. Connect Member to Borrow book with an Association. This is a plain line with no arrowheads, and it means this actor takes part in that goal. Connect Member to Return book the same way. Then connect Member to Pay fine.
A second actor
- A second actor. A use case can have more than one actor. The librarian also checks out the book, so drop a second Actor on the right, outside the box, and label it Librarian. Connect Librarian to Borrow book with an Association. Borrow book now has 2 actors.
- Done. Click an empty part of the page to see the finished diagram: 2 actors outside the Library System box, 3 use cases inside it and 4 association lines.
3 use case rules
- 3 use case rules. Follow 3 rules. Actors are roles and sit outside the box. Use cases are goals, written as a verb and a noun. Keep the diagram simple: the detail goes in the use case description, not the diagram.
Common mistakes
- Naming actors after people. Write Member or Librarian, not a person's name. An actor is a role, so one actor stands for everyone who plays that role.
- Putting an actor inside the system boundary. Actors use the system from outside, so they are not part of it. Keep the stick figures outside the Library System box and the ovals inside it.
- Adding arrowheads to associations. An association is a plain line that only shows the actor takes part in the goal. Use the Association connector, not an arrow.
- Drawing every step as a use case. Scan the barcode or click Confirm are steps, not goals. Draw one oval per goal, like Borrow book, and put the steps in the use case description.
When a business analyst uses this
In a scoping workshop for a new library system, a business analyst draws this diagram live with stakeholders so everyone agrees who uses the system and which goals are in scope. Each oval then gets its own use case description, and anything left outside the boundary is recorded as out of scope.
Questions people ask
How do I make a use case diagram in Visio?
Open the UML Use Case stencil and drag a Subsystem shape onto the page as the system boundary. Add Actor shapes outside it and Use Case ovals inside it, then link them with Association lines.
What shapes does a use case diagram need?
It needs 4: a system boundary box, actors (stick figures) for roles, use cases (ovals) for goals, and associations (plain lines) that link each actor to the goals it takes part in.
Is a use case diagram a UML diagram?
Yes. It is one of the UML diagram types, which is why Visio keeps its shapes in the UML Use Case stencil.
