Another important activity of the design phase is designing the programs that will perform the system’s application logic. Programs can be quite complex, so analysts must create instructions and guidelines for programmers that clearly describe what the program must do. This chapter describes the activities that are performed when the program design is developed. First, the process of revising logical data flow diagrams into
physical data flow diagrams is outlined. Then, two techniques typically used together for describing programs are presented. The structure chart depicts a program at a high level in graphic form. The program specification contains a set of written instructions in more detail. Together, these techniques communicate how the application logic for the system needs to be developed.
The main objectives for this chapter can be described as the following:
■ Be able to revise logical DFDs into physical DFDs.
■ Be able to create a structure chart.
■ Be able to write a program specification.
■ Be able to write instructions using pseudocode.
■ Become familiar with event-driven programming.