You can create a UML use case diagram in Visio to summarize how users (or actors) interact with a system, such as a software application. An actor can be a person, an organization, or another system.
Use case diagrams show the expected behavior of the system. They don’t show the order in which steps are performed. (Use a sequence diagram to show how objects interact over time.)
Defining the system boundary determines what is considered external or internal to the system.
An actor represents a role played by an outside object. One object may play several roles and, therefore, is represented by several actors.
An association illustrates the participation of the actor in the use case.
A use case is a set of events that occurs when an actor uses a system to complete a process. Normally, a use case is a relatively large process, not an individual step or transaction.
On the File tab, point to New.
in the Search box, type UML use case.
In the dialog box, select the blank template or one of the three starter diagrams. (A description of each one is shown on the right when you select it.) Then select either Metric Units or US Units.
The diagram opens. You should see the Shapes window next to the diagram. A UML Use Case stencil is open in the Shapes window.
Drag a Subsystem shape onto the drawing page. The subsystem can represent your entire system or a major component.
To resize the subsystem, select the shape, and then drag a selection handle.
Drag Use Case shapes from the UML Use Case stencil and place them inside the subsystem boundary, and then drag Actor shapes to the outside of the subsystem boundary.
Use connector shapes to indicate relationships between shapes in the diagram. There are five connectors available:
Example: To indicate a relationship between an actor and a use case
In a use case diagram, drag an Association connector shape onto the drawing page.
Glue one endpoint of the Association shape to a connection point on an Actor shape. Glue the other endpoint to a connection point on a Use Case shape.
Open Visio for the web.
In the Gallery, scroll down to the UML Use Case row, about midway down the page.
The first item in the row represents a blank template plus the companion stencil. The other items in the row are sample diagrams that have some shapes already drawn to help you get started quickly.
The new diagram, with the related stencil, opens in your browser.
Drag a Subsystem shape onto the drawing page. The subsystem can represent your entire system or a major component.
To resize the subsystem, select the shape, and then drag a selection handle.
Drag Use Case shapes from the Use Case stencil and place them inside the subsystem boundary
Drag Actor shapes to the outside of the subsystem boundary.
Use connector shapes to indicate relationships between shapes in the diagram. There are five connectors available:
Example: To indicate a relationship between an actor and a use case
In a use case diagram, drag an Association connector shape onto the drawing page.
Glue one endpoint of the Association shape to a connection point on an Actor shape. Glue the other endpoint to a connection point on a Use Case shape.
On the File tab, point to New.
in the Search box, type UML use case.
In the dialog box, select the blank template. Then select either Metric Units or US Units.
The diagram opens. You should see the Shapes window next to the diagram. A UML Use Case stencil is open in the Shapes window.
To resize the subsystem, select the shape, and then drag a selection handle.
Drag Use Case shapes from the UML Use Case stencil and place them inside the subsystem boundary, and then drag Actor shapes to the outside of the subsystem boundary.
Use connector shapes to indicate relationships between shapes in the diagram. There are five connectors available:
Example: To indicate a relationship between an actor and a use case
In a use case diagram, drag an Association connector shape onto the drawing page.
Glue one endpoint of the Association shape to a connection point on an Actor shape. Glue the other endpoint to a connection point on a Use Case shape.
On the File tab, point to New.
A blank page appears, and the UML Use Case stencil becomes the top-most stencil. An icon representing the diagram is added to the tree view.
Note: If the tree view is not visible, on the UML tab, in the Show/Hide group, select Model Explorer.
To indicate a System Boundary in a use case diagram
Drag a System Boundary shape onto the drawing page.
To resize the system boundary, select the shape, and then drag a selection handle.
Drag Use Case shapes from the Use Case stencil and place them inside the system boundary, and then drag Actor shapes to the outside of the system boundary.
Use Communicates shapes to indicate relationships between use cases and actors.
To indicate a relationship between an actor and a use case
Glue one endpoint of the Communicates shape to a connection point on an Actor shape. Glue the other endpoint to a connection point on a Use Case shape.
If you want to add an arrow to indicate the flow of information, do the following:
Use Uses and Extends shapes to indicate the relationships between use cases.
To indicate a uses relationship between two use cases
Glue the Uses endpoint without an arrowhead to a connection point on the Use Case shape that uses the behavior of the other use case.
To indicate an extends relationship between two use cases
Glue the Extends endpoint without an arrowhead to a connection point on the use case providing the extension.
Save the diagram.
A blank page appears, and the UML Use Case stencil becomes the top-most stencil. An icon representing the diagram is added to the tree view.
To indicate a system boundary in a use case diagram
Drag a System Boundary shape onto the drawing page.
To resize the system boundary, select the shape, and then drag a selection handle.
Drag Use Case shapes from the Use Case stencil and place them inside the system boundary, and then drag Actor shapes to the outside of the system boundary.
Use Communicates shapes to indicate relationships between use cases and actors.
To indicate a relationship between an actor and a use case
Glue one endpoint of the Communicates shape to a connection point on an Actor shape. Glue the other endpoint to a connection point on a Use Case shape.
If you want to add an arrow to indicate the flow of information, do the following:
Use Uses and Extends shapes to indicate the relationships between use cases.
To indicate a uses relationship between two use cases
Glue the Uses endpoint without an arrowhead to a connection point on the Use Case shape that uses the behavior of the other use case.
To indicate an extends relationship between two use cases
Glue the Extends endpoint without an arrowhead to a connection point on the use case providing the extension.
Save the diagram.