The subject term "density" is useful for other reasons. It makes it clear that when the members of a
team decide to use use cases, they have not yet said much about the weight of their methodology.
They still have to decide whether to allow multiple formats and writing styles or standardize on just
one; whether that format is numbered and follows a template or is just a text paragraph; whether
the use cases receive a formal cross-project review or just an OK from a manager or user. Those
differences exactly correspond to heavier and lighter methodologies, respectively.
Over the course of the years, people have not responded very well to the word "density," and so
now I write about this dimension of methodology using the word "ceremony" instead (Cockburn
2002 ASD). The word "ceremony" has been informally attributed to one of Grady Booch's talks on
methodology in the mid-1990s.
Some organizations have written methodologies that cover activities from initial sales calls all the
way through system delivery and maintenance. Some methodology descriptions cover only activi-
ties within a subset of the development project lifecycle. Both are valid as "methodology" descrip-
tions; they cover differ parts of the total project life by intention. Declaring those intentions is valu-
able, as it helps people recognize that two different methodologies may look different because they
intentionally address different job roles or lifecycle segments.