Is This an Actor or Not

[Awais Bajwa]

Hi all,
I am working on a project in which client is not directly interface with the system but client complains (or report )some
probelm .Data entery operator listens a phone call or fax from
the client and communicates with the system and return a system generated case no to the client so that the client may inquire for his case any time .
My question is that the client is a valid actor or not ???
I think data entry operator is a valid actor because it directly
communicates with the system.
Awais Bajwa

[Desai Sandeep]

Hi Awais,
Actors are external things which interact with your system.Since DataEntry Operator interacts with your system, he is an actor.
Always model actors as roles that people can play.
A client could also be an Actor.However, this is going to depend on how you want to model your system.Let us assume that you want to automate the system, such that the System is capable of converting the voice data to the relevant fields it requires.If that is the case, the client would be playing a role of a DataEntryOperator, or rather a DataEntryOperator is not actually required.Now as the client directly interacts with the system, it can be considered as an actor.
Hope this helps,
Sandeep

[Awais Bajwa]

Thanks sir,
But i am still not clear that client is not directly communicating but just communicating with the operator
and after all actor should physically communicate with the
system.

[Frank Carver]

The important thing to decide is what you want to model. If you are modelling the whole business process which involves your software system (and this is usually a very good idea), it is vital that the customer -> operator -> system -> operator -> customer interaction is also modelled. That way you can expand your system, if required, to include a more direct communication with these remote customers.
If you are really only concerned with the narrow issues of the software itself, then only consider the operator <-> system interaction. But by doing so you are limiting yourself to not considering possibilities (such as direct remote access) which the existing customers would dearly love if they knew they were even possible.

[Desai Sandeep]

The Sherrif said it better than I did .
The point is how would you like to model your system.
Consider you are doing a Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) of an existing system.Since the DataEntryOperator is employed with a firm, the firm(which includes the DataEntryOperator) could become your System.The actor would be the Customer in this case.
As I said, look at the roles when you decide on the actor.Would also like to add, you would need to decide on System Boundary before saying who is an actor.
In the above example, the DataEntryOperator is within the System, hence Customer becomes an actor.If not, the actor is the DataEntryOperator on behalf of the Customer.
Hope this makes some sense.
Thanks,
Sandeep
[This message has been edited by Desai Sandeep (edited June 01, 2001).]