Usage Scenarios...

[David Curley <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Ignoring content for a moment, the CSA exercise provided a number
of useful lessons for generating an acceptable standard in this
field based on existing industry practise.

One of these was our listing in plain view during meetings
a small (four to six) set of user scenarios that embodied all the
major requirements.  They were abstract enough not to preclude
anyone's existing implementation, but realistic enough to serve
as a checklist for each point discussed as we went through the
material and built the spec.

This had the additional benefit of freeing us from our
previously overlapping, but incompatible, calendaring lexicons.
We could just reject a proposal (etc.) by saying "that breaks
scenario number three".

Given the large number of participants in the current effort, and
the confusion we're already seeing over terminology and how to express
requirements, a reference document listing all the scenarios we are
agreeing to address in this effort would be a useful tool for the group.

I'll volunteer to start this off and find a home for it in the right
document if I hear some support for it.

Dave.