Foreign back to the Wild Frontier that is AI. Augmented business analysis. Lectures ago, I demonstrated how to use chatGPT to get a use case diagram from the proposed feed me mobile app. Let’s see whether it can help you write a use case brief based on my definition of what that is. Now, for that, I need a use case, so I’m going to continue the conversation I was having with chatGPT from that prior lecture and select the recommended use case yet dietary and budget suggestions. JFI, I’m continuing the conversation instead of starting a new one to take advantage of the context the chatGPT has. In other words, I don’t have to start from scratch with the role definition, vision statement, etc. Incidentally, this also demonstrates chatGPT’s memory, meaning I can come back to a conversation that I started some time ago without having to remind it of what it delivered then.
Since there is no universally accepted rules governing what a use case brief should contain, I present my definition. This early in the project, I don’t want to waste time drilling down too deeply because I don’t even know if this use case will be implemented ever. I’ll say that worked for the last responsible moment if it’s needed. Right now, all that I’m concerned with is capturing sufficient information for the product owner or manager to prioritize this use case against all use cases needed for the product.
And for that, I need to identify the primary actor and their goal. ChatGPT rightfully identifies the primary actor as the consumer, the user of our mobile app. Their goal is to receive personalized food suggestions tailored to their dietary preferences and budgetary constraints. That makes perfect sense to me so far, so good.
Next, it suggests a main success scenario in which the consumer establishes a profile with their dietary preferences and budgetary constraints. I’m a little leery of the term dietary preferences here. I don’t really see any reference to allergies, which for me is a major feature of this app, but that’s just the business analyst in me. I can certainly fix that. It just confirms my work is still necessary even in the age of AI.
ChatGPT then suggests that once the consumer has created the profile, they trigger the get dietary and budget suggestions use case. You notice the phrasing of the opening sentence, ‘After setting up their dietary preferences and budget constraints in their profile.’ That sounds to me like a precondition. Nothing wrong with that. In the brief, it establishes a sequence for the delivery of this use case that it’s describing, meaning the product owner should not prioritize the yet dietary and budget suggested use case higher than a potential manage user profile or something like that use case. Starting with the mobile app leveraging the data, I like the description that chatGPT suggests a lot. I think it’s very usable at this stage of the game.
I particularly like the insight that this use case relies on data provided by vendors or secondary actors about their menu suggestions, their item ingredients, and the prices. Coincidentally, this is another prioritization hint for the product owner. It’s essential for the app to accurately align suggestions with this user’s preferences and budget.
I also like how it depicts the final interaction, presenting the suggestions to the consumer, providing them with diverse, affordable, and diet-compliant culinary options. I could have said it better myself.
As with any system, there’s a potential for things to go wrong. Here, a primary failure could be the inability of the app to access or process the ingredient and price information for menu items. In that case, the app notifies the consumer of the issue and prompts them to try again later. That way, it ensures transparency and maintains user trust. Obviously, none of this is cast in concrete. As the business analyst, I still have to do due diligence. For example, there are many other potential failures, such as vendors providing inaccurate information, consumers not listing critical allergies, and many more that I could identify based on my experience.
Still, I think chatGPT did a great job of triggering my analytic mind. I think that this lecture, in particular, demonstrates how chatGPT or any other AI writing system, for that matter, can help me as a business analyst reduce the time I spend documenting and free me up to do my personal favorite part of the job, namely to analyze. I hope it does the same for you.
