VBM - Vision Based Methodology™

Activity 7: Creating the Vision

Diagramming the Processing

Now it is time to turn the attention to the internal processing. This may be in the form of developing the required batch processing flow for more traditional solutions, or the internal "functional" flow for large PC based solutions. In either situation, creating a visual representation of the programs, sub-programs, and functions, and the conceived file and database interactions for each is essential! The completed diagrams will enhance the communication level within the team in the following ways:

• One more medium to provide a high level overall "vision" of an extremely significant part of the system.
• Supplies a tangible document for discussion and review.
• Again, it gets the concept out of people's heads and on paper for the entire team to utilize.
• It can be utilized very effectively by the program specification writers as a "going in position".
• Assists in the initial identification of the "flat" files.
• Begins to integrate the interface files and databases into the system design.
• Provides a disciplined approach for identifying and documenting processing data structures and elements.
• Increases the total confidence level of the team by demonstrating that a viable design is indeed taking shape!