Using model transformation to refactor use case models based on antipatterns

Use Case modeling is a popular technique for documenting functional requirements of software systems. Refactoring is the process of enhancing the structure of a software artifact without changing its intended behavior. Refactoring, which was first introduced for source code, has been extended for use case models. Antipatterns are low quality solutions to commonly occurring design problems. The presence of antipatterns in a use case model is likely to propagate defects to other software artifacts. Therefore, detection and refactoring of antipatterns in use case models is crucial for ensuring the overall quality of a software system. Model transformation can greatly ease several software development activities including model refactoring. In this paper, a model transformation approach is proposed for improving the quality of use case models. Model transformations which can detect antipattern instances in a given use case model, and refactor them appropriately are defined and implemented. The practicability of the approach is demonstrated by applying it on a case study that pertains to biodiversity database system. The results show that model transformations can efficiently improve quality of use case models by saving time and effort.