IT 2 Bible copy pink.pdf - S2: Flowcharts D • Document or...

1
S2: Flowcharts
• Document or Report (input/output symbols)
o Hardcopy or soft copy
o Eg: invoice, purrchase requisition, sales order
• Multiple copies of one document (input/output symbols)
o Hardcopy or soft copy
o Copies should be numbered in the upper, right-hand corner
• Journal or Ledger (input/output symbols)
o Relatively permanent book records for manual update
o Hardcopy
o Eg: GL, sales journal, approved vendor lists
• Computer processing (processing symbols)
o Process performed by a computer, which usually results in a change
in data/ info
o Normally linked to electronic database!
o Starts with a verb: generate, create etc
• Manual operation (processing symbols)
o Represents a processing operation that is performed manually
• Magnetic disk: electronic database (storage & flow symbols)
o Data stored permanently on a magnetic disk
o Frequently used to represent master files & databases
o Should not be labelled as a system
• File: manual filing (storage & flow symbols)
o Represents a file of documents that are manually stored and
retrieved
o Letter indicates the ordering sequence
§ A (alphabetic order), D (date order), N (numeric order)
• Flow (storage & flow symbols)
o Direction of processing, or flow of document and/or
data/information
o Normal flow is top to bottom and left to right
• On-page connector (misc symbols)
o Connects processing frm 1 location to another on the same page
o Eg: when data taken in the front desks and then print out order in
the kitchen
• Off-page connector (misc symbols)
o Connects processing flow btw 2 diff pages (signals exit frm 1 page &
continuation on next page)
• Terminal (misc symbols)
o Represents beginning / end of a process or programme
D

2
o Also used to indicate an external party NOT INTERNAL
• A decision-making step (misc symbols)
o Shows branching to alternate paths
• Annotation
o For addition of descriptive comments / explanatory notes as
clarification
Note:
• Can only start process with Terminal
• Can only end process with File or Terminal (and on/off-page connector)
Flowcharting Guidelines:
§ REMEMBER TO END ESP AFTER DATABASE
§ Must have clear beginnings & end (show where each document
originates & its final disposition)
§ Read through narrative & for each step define:
o What was the input
o What process was carried out
o What was the output
§ Don’t connect 2 documents except when forwarding to another
column (when a document is forwarded, show it in both locations)
o If part of the enterprise’s payroll is performed by an outsourced service
provider, then we may want to include a swim lane to depict the activities
performed by this svc provider, which is an integral part of the payroll process
o OR when customer orders goods using a mobile application which checks
stock availability & counter-offers other substitutes if stock isn’t available
Use of Decision
Symbol
Use of Decision
Symbol