DCSA Standards Public Reference / Standards / Releases / Bill of Lading / Archive / Bill of Lading v3.0.3

DCSA eBL 3.0.3 - User Stories

Archived release: Bill of Lading v3.0.3 has been superseded. View the current v3 documentation.

In line with the techniques used in software development, DCSA has incorporated user stories and use cases into the standards development process to support the digitalization efforts of the shipping industry. Both user stories and use cases serve the purpose of capturing and documenting requirements, but they differ in granularity, level of detail, and the stages of the development process in which they are most prominently used. They are complementary (a user story may be supported by one or more use cases and vice versa) and can be used together to provide a comprehensive understanding of software requirements. In this section we will focus on user stories.

User stories are typically a concise, informal description of a feature or functionality written from an end user’s or stakeholder perspective. They express the needs, goals, and expectations of users in a way that is easily understandable to ensure the delivered product meets the intended requirements. In standards development, this translates to creating testable acceptance criteria to validate that the standard is correctly implemented and achieves its intended purpose.

The next paragraph provides some examples of user stories that DCSA has relied on to develop the standard for the Bill of Lading. This list is not exhaustive and serves only to illustrate the concept. The supporting use cases are defined in the dedicated eBL use cases.

Contents

User story examples

“As a shipper I want to update the number of packages in the current Shipping Instructions.”

The shipper submits an update of the Shipping Instructions with Bill of Lading use case “UC3: Submit updated Shipping Instructions”.

“As a shipper I want to modify a Reefer / Dangerous Goods attribute in the Draft Transport Document.”

The Shipper can request an update to the Draft Transport Document through one of two Carrier-supported approaches:

a. Under the original approach, Reefer and Dangerous Goods attributes can only be modified as part of the Booking process. Therefore, the Shipper must initiate a booking amendment with Booking use case “UC7: Request amendment to confirmed booking”. After approving the amendment request with Booking use case “UC8: Process amendment to confirmed booking”, the carrier publishes an updated Draft Transport Document with Bill of Lading use case “UC6: Publish Draft Transport Document”.

b. As an alternative, carriers may support a direct amendment approach (available as of patch EBL v3.0.3) that allows the Shipper to request a Draft Transport Document amendment directly with Bill of Lading use case “UC17: Request Transport Document amendment”, without requiring changes to the Booking.

Carriers may choose to support the original approach (a), the direct approach (b), or both, depending on their internal processes and system capabilities.

“As a shipper I want to modify a seal number in the Draft Transport Document.”

The Shipper can request an update to the Draft Transport Document through one of two Carrier-supported approaches:

a. Under the original approach, the Shipper must request a Shipping Instructions update with Bill of Lading use case “UC3: Submit updated Shipping Instructions”. After approving the update with Bill of Lading use case “UC4: Process updated Shipping Instructions”, the carrier publishes an updated Draft Transport Document with Bill of Lading use case “UC6: Publish Draft Transport Document”.

b. As an alternative, carriers may support a direct amendment approach (available as of patch EBL v3.0.3) that allows the Shipper to request a Draft Transport Document amendment directly with Bill of Lading use case “UC17: Request Transport Document amendment”, without requiring changes to the Shipping Instructions.

Carriers may choose to support the original approach (a), the direct approach (b), or both, depending on their internal processes and system capabilities.

“As a shipper I want to modify a Reefer / Dangerous Goods attribute in the Transport Document (after issuance).”

Depending on the type of Transport Document, different paths are followed:

Sea Waybill

The Shipper can request an amendment to the Transport Document through one of two Carrier-supported approaches:

a. Under the original approach, Reefer and Dangerous Goods attributes can only be modified as part of the Booking process. Therefore, the Shipper must initiate a booking amendment with Booking use case “UC7: Request amendment to confirmed booking”. After approving the amendment request with Booking use case “UC8: Process amendment to confirmed booking”, the carrier issues an amended Sea Waybill with Bill of Lading use case “UC8: Issue Transport Document”.

b. As an alternative, carriers may support a direct amendment approach (available as of patch EBL v3.0.3) that allows the Shipper to request a Transport Document amendment directly with Bill of Lading use case “UC17: Request Transport Document amendment”, without requiring changes to the Booking. After approving the amendment with Bill of Lading use case “UC19: Process Transport Document amendment”, the carrier issues an amended Sea Waybill with Bill of Lading use case “UC8: Issue Transport Document”.

Carriers may choose to support the original approach (a), the direct approach (b), or both, depending on their internal processes and system capabilities.

Electronic Original Bill of Lading (eBL)

The Shipper can request an amendment to the Transport Document through one of two Carrier-supported approaches:

a. Under the original approach, Reefer and Dangerous Goods attributes can only be modified as part of the Booking process. Therefore, the Shipper must initiate a booking amendment with Booking use case “UC7: Request amendment to confirmed booking”. Before or after the carrier has approved the amendment request with Booking use case “UC8: Process amendment to confirmed booking”, the Shipper must submit a request to surrender the eBL for amendment back to the carrier (via the eBL platform from which it was issued) with Bill of Lading use case “UC9: Request surrender Transport Document (amendment)”. After both the amendment request (via the Booking use case UC8) and the eBL surrender request are approved with Bill of Lading use case “UC10: Process Transport Document surrender request (amendment)”, the carrier voids the existing eBL and issues an amended eBL with Bill of Lading use case “UC11: Void original Transport Document and issue amended Transport Document”.

b. As an alternative, carriers may support a direct amendment approach (available as of patch EBL v3.0.3) that allows the Shipper to request a Transport Document amendment directly with Bill of Lading use case “UC17: Request Transport Document amendment”, without requiring changes to the Booking. Before or after the carrier has approved the amendment request with Bill of Lading use case “UC19: Process Transport Document amendment”, the Shipper must submit a request to surrender the eBL for amendment back to the carrier (via the eBL platform from which it was issued) with Bill of Lading use case “UC9: Request surrender Transport Document (amendment)”. After both the amendment request (via the Bill of Lading use case UC17) and the eBL surrender request are approved with Bill of Lading use case “UC10: Process Transport Document surrender request (amendment)”, the carrier voids the existing eBL and issues an amended eBL with Bill of Lading use case “UC11: Void original Transport Document and issue amended Transport Document”.

Carriers may choose to support the original approach (a), the direct approach (b), or both, depending on their internal processes and system capabilities.

Paper Original Bill of Lading

The amendment of a physical Bill of Lading happens out of band from the DCSA standard API (e.g. email, phone, mail).

“As a shipper I want to modify the HS code in the Transport Document (after issuance).”

Depending on the type of Transport Document, different paths are followed:

Sea Waybill

The Shipper can request an amendment to the Transport Document through one of two Carrier-supported approaches:

a. Under the original approach, the Shipper must request a Shipping Instructions update with Bill of Lading use case “UC3: Submit updated Shipping Instructions”. After approving the amendment request with Bill of Lading use case “UC4: Process updated Shipping Instructions”, the carrier issues an amended Sea Waybill with Bill of Lading use case “UC8: Issue Transport Document”.

b. As an alternative, carriers may support a direct amendment approach (available as of patch EBL v3.0.3) that allows the Shipper to request a Transport Document amendment directly with Bill of Lading use case “UC17: Request Transport Document amendment”, without requiring changes to the Shipping Instructions. After approving the amendment with Bill of Lading use case “UC19: Process Transport Document amendment”, the carrier issues an amended Sea Waybill with Bill of Lading use case “UC8: Issue Transport Document”.

Carriers may choose to support the original approach (a), the direct approach (b), or both, depending on their internal processes and system capabilities.

Electronic Original Bill of Lading (eBL)

The Shipper can request an amendment to the Transport Document through one of two Carrier-supported approaches:

a. Under the original approach, the Shipper must request a Shipping Instructions update with Bill of Lading use case “UC3: Submit updated Shipping Instructions”. Before or after the carrier has approved the amendment request with Bill of Lading use case “UC4: Process updated Shipping Instructions”, the Shipper must submit a request to surrender the eBL for amendment back to the carrier (via the eBL platform from which it was issued) with Bill of Lading use case “UC9: Request surrender Transport Document (amendment)”. After both the amendment request (via Bill of Lading use case UC4) and the eBL surrender request are approved with Bill of Lading use case “UC10: Process Transport Document surrender request (amendment)”, the carrier voids the existing eBL and issues an amended eBL with Bill of Lading use case “UC11: Void original Transport Document and issue amended Transport Document”.

b. As an alternative, carriers may support a direct amendment approach (available as of patch EBL v3.0.3) that allows the Shipper to request a Transport Document amendment directly with Bill of Lading use case “UC17: Request Transport Document amendment”, without requiring changes to the Shipping Instructions. Before or after the carrier has approved the amendment request with Bill of Lading use case “UC19: Process Transport Document amendment”, the Shipper must submit a request to surrender the eBL for amendment back to the carrier (via the eBL platform from which it was issued) with Bill of Lading use case “UC9: Request surrender Transport Document (amendment)”. After both the amendment request (via the Bill of Lading use case UC17) and the eBL surrender request are approved with Bill of Lading use case “UC10: Process Transport Document surrender request (amendment)”, the carrier voids the existing eBL and issues an amended eBL with Bill of Lading use case “UC11: Void original Transport Document and issue amended Transport Document”.

Carriers may choose to support the original approach (a), the direct approach (b), or both, depending on their internal processes and system capabilities.

Paper Original Bill of Lading

The amendment of a physical Bill of Lading happens out of band from the DCSA standard API (e.g. email, phone, mail).