CS504 Software Engineering I teaches you to model a system before building it. Assignment 1 for Fall 2026 carries 20 marks and the due date is 5 November 2026, and it is based on a Municipal Complaint Management System case study. The question asks you to create a use-case diagram with a proper system boundary, relevant actors with correct actor symbols and names, and relevant use cases against each actor.
The solution file linked below contains the complete use-case diagram. It shows the system boundary, the three actors, and the use case for each actor, drawn from the case study itself. The diagram was drawn for this solution because the case study text alone does not include one.
What Does the Solution File Cover?
The file covers the full use-case diagram for the Municipal Complaint Management System. The system is a web-based application where citizens report public service issues such as damaged roads, streetlight failures, water supply problems, garbage collection, and sanitation, and the system records, tracks, and resolves complaints in an organized way.
Who Are the Actors and What Do They Do?
There are three actors. The Citizen submits a complaint by providing the required complaint details, and tracks the complaint status. The Officer resolves complaints by reviewing the assigned complaint and updating its status. The Administrator manages users by adding, updating, or removing user accounts. Each actor is drawn with the standard stick-figure actor symbol and name.
What Are the Use Cases?
The Citizen connects to Submit Complaint and Track Complaint Status. The Officer connects to Review Assigned Complaint and Update Complaint Status. The Administrator connects to Manage Users. All five use cases sit inside the system boundary box labelled Municipal Complaint Management System, and each actor connects only to the use cases that belong to that actor.
How Do You Download the Solution File?
You can download the complete solution file from Google Drive using the link below. The file contains the use-case diagram plus the actor and use-case lists. Study the diagram, then try redrawing it yourself once before submitting, since drawing it yourself is the best way to remember it.
How Should You Use This Solution?
A solution file helps most when you use it to learn, not just to submit. First, read the case study and underline every actor action yourself, then compare with the diagram. Then redraw the diagram from memory: boundary box, three actors, five use cases, and the connecting lines. Also check your work against the exact assignment file on VULMS, since question wording can vary.
- Underline every actor action in the case study yourself.
- Compare your list with the diagram’s actors and use cases.
- Redraw the diagram from memory once before submitting.
- Check every part against your own question file on VULMS.
For more study material, you can download course handouts from the VU handouts page and compact revision notes from the VU short notes page. Past papers are also useful for diagram practice, and you can find them on the VU midterm past papers page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the complete solution for CS504 Assignment 1 Fall 2026?
Yes. The file contains the complete use-case diagram with the system boundary, three actors, and five use cases, plus the actor and use-case lists. The assignment carries 20 marks and the due date is 5 November 2026.
Why does the Citizen have two use cases?
Because the case study describes the system as recording, tracking, and resolving complaints. The Citizen submits the complaint (recording) and tracks its status (tracking), while resolving belongs to the Officer.
What does the system boundary box mean?
It marks what belongs to the system and what sits outside it. Use cases go inside the box because the system performs them, while actors stay outside because they are the people who use the system.
Last updated: October 2026.
