In requirements gathering, which statement best describes a use case?

• A. A narrative of how a user interacts with a system to achieve a goal
• B. A diagram of data models
• C. A test plan for performance
• D. A list of hardware requirements

Answer: (A)

Use cases in requirements gathering describe the sequence of actions a user (or actor) takes with a system to achieve a specific goal. They are written as a narrative that shows what the user does, how the system responds, and the resulting outcome, focusing on the functional behavior from the user’s perspective. That makes the description of a narrative of how a user interacts with a system to achieve a goal the best fit. A diagram of data models, by contrast, shows the structure and relationships of data, not user tasks. A test plan for performance explains how you will verify system performance, not typical user workflows. A list of hardware requirements outlines infrastructure needs rather than how the system behaves for a user.