DCSA Reference Documentation / Standards / Standard Releases / Commercial Schedules / Archive / Commercial Schedules v1.0.3
DCSA CS 1.0.3 - User Stories
Archived copy: This immutable copy preserves Commercial Schedules v1.0.3. View the current v1 documentation.
Contents
Introduction
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 digitalisation 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 a use case may support one or more user stories. Together, they provide a comprehensive understanding of software requirements. In this section, we focus on user stories.
User stories are typically concise, informal descriptions of a feature or functionality written from an end user’s or stakeholder’s 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 section outlines the Commercial Schedules user stories that DCSA used as the basis for developing the standard. The supporting use cases are defined in the dedicated Commercial Schedules use cases section.
The Commercial Schedules standard specifies the interaction between two roles:
Commercial Schedules Producer A party that makes commercial schedule information available to be retrieved by other parties. This is typically an ocean carrier.
Commercial Schedules Consumer A party that retrieves commercial schedule information for commercial planning purposes. This can be a Beneficial Cargo Owner, Logistics Service Provider, Solution Platform, or another party acting on behalf of these parties.
User Stories
US1: Retrieving point-to-point routing alternatives
As a Commercial Schedules Consumer, I want to retrieve from a Commercial Schedules Producer point-to-point routing alternatives matching certain criteria, so that I can evaluate commercially available transport options for moving cargo from place of receipt to place of delivery before booking.
This user story is implemented by the following use case:
UC1: Retrieve point-to-point routing alternatives
Examples
As a Beneficial Cargo Owner, I want to request point-to-point routing alternatives in a consistent and standardised way, so that I can understand how I can ship my cargo from place of receipt to place of delivery using the routing alternative that best fits my needs.
As a Logistics Service Provider, I want to request routing schedule information from carriers, so that I can optimise my planning activities and inform my customers about available transport options.
As a Commercial Schedules Producer, I want to provide, upon request, the necessary details about point-to-point routing alternatives within my commercial product offering, so that consumers understand the end-to-end transportation services available between place of receipt and place of delivery.
US2: Retrieving port schedule information
As a Commercial Schedules Consumer, I want to retrieve from a Commercial Schedules Producer port schedule information matching certain criteria, so that I can plan cargo, inland transport, terminal, and customer-facing activities based on expected vessel arrivals and departures.
This user story is implemented by the following use case:
UC2: Retrieve port schedule
Examples
As a Commercial Schedules Producer, I want to provide, for a specific port and starting date, the set of vessels arriving at and departing from the port and, where applicable, its terminals, so that consumers can optimise their planning activities.
As a Logistics Service Provider, I want to retrieve port schedule information for a given port, so that I can plan inland transport, terminal operations, and cargo readiness based on expected vessel movements.
As a Beneficial Cargo Owner, I want to retrieve vessel arrivals and departures for a port relevant to my shipment planning, so that I can assess feasible shipping windows and align my internal planning activities.
US3: Retrieving commercial vessel schedule information
As a Commercial Schedules Consumer, I want to retrieve from a Commercial Schedules Producer the commercial vessel schedule for a specific service, voyage, vessel, location, or combination of these criteria, so that I can understand the planned timetable of port calls and use it for commercial planning.
This user story is implemented by the following use case:
UC3: Retrieve vessel schedule
Examples
As a Commercial Schedules Producer, I want to provide vessel schedule information, so that my customers can receive defined vessel schedule elements to plan their activities.
As a Commercial Schedules Consumer, I want to request commercial vessel schedule information, so that I can understand vessel departures, arrivals, and port calls relevant to my planning activities.
Supporting sub-user stories
The following sub-user stories provide additional detail for the different ways in which a Commercial Schedules Consumer may retrieve commercial vessel schedule information. They are all implemented by the same use case:
UC3: Retrieve vessel schedule
US3.1: Retrieving vessel schedule by service
As a Commercial Schedules Consumer, I want to retrieve the commercial vessel schedule for a specific service, so that I can understand the vessels, voyages, and port calls offered under that service.
This sub-user story is implemented by the following use case:
UC3: Retrieve vessel schedule
US3.2: Retrieving vessel schedule by voyage
As a Commercial Schedules Consumer, I want to retrieve the commercial vessel schedule for a specific voyage, so that I can understand the port call sequence and expected arrival and departure times for that voyage.
This sub-user story is implemented by the following use case:
UC3: Retrieve vessel schedule
US3.3: Retrieving vessel schedule by vessel
As a Commercial Schedules Consumer, I want to retrieve the commercial vessel schedule for a specific vessel and period, so that I can understand where that vessel is expected to call.
This sub-user story is implemented by the following use case:
UC3: Retrieve vessel schedule
US3.4: Retrieving vessel schedule by location
As a Commercial Schedules Consumer, I want to retrieve commercial vessel schedules involving a specific port or terminal, so that I can identify relevant vessel calls and voyages for planning.
This sub-user story is implemented by the following use case:
UC3: Retrieve vessel schedule