HIPO
Encyclopedia
Systems analysis
Systems analysis is the study of sets of interacting entities, including computer systems analysis. This field is closely related to requirements analysis or operations research...
design aid and documentation technique" for representing the modules of a system
System
System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
as a hierarchy
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
and for documenting each module.
It was used to develop requirements, construct the design, and support implementation of an expert system to demonstrate automated rendezvous. Verification was then conducted systematically because of the method of design and implementation.
The overall design of the system is documented using HIPO charts or structure chart
Structure chart
A Structure Chart in software engineering and organizational theory, is a chart which shows the breakdown of a system to its lowest manageable levels. They are used in structured programming to arrange program modules into a tree. Each module is represented by a box, which contains the module's name...
s. The structure chart is similar in appearance to an organizational chart, but has been modified to show additional detail. Structure charts can be used to display several types of information, but are used most commonly to diagram either data structure
Data structure
In computer science, a data structure is a particular way of storing and organizing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently.Different kinds of data structures are suited to different kinds of applications, and some are highly specialized to specific tasks...
s or code structures.
External links
- HIPO (hierarchy plus input-process-output) in: The Information System Consultant's Handbook: Systems Analysis and Design by William S. Davis, David C. Yen, 1998.