IPO Model

The IPO Model (also known as the IPO+S Model) is a very conceptual model of a general system. It has many interdisciplinary applications, and is used to convey systems fundamentals in IT overview education and as a brainstorming, preliminary investigation tool in systems development processes such as the SDLC. It consists of at least three, and sometimes four, distinct components. In contemporary Information Technology, it is almost always discussed as a four component model in which the fourth is a named optional.

In short, an IPO chart identifies a program’s inputs, its outputs, and the processing steps required to transform the inputs into the outputs.

Components of the IPO model

Definitions

* I: Input - The information, ideas, and resources used
* P: Processing - Actions taken upon/using input or stored material
* O: Output - Results of the processing that then exit the system
* S: Storage - Location(s) where material inside the system is/are placed for possible use at a later time ("optional")

Sub-components

Sub-components of a system can also have their own set of inputs and outputs that may differ from those of the larger system. Typically, outputs of a subcomponent are either input for another sub-component or become part of the ultimate output of the larger system. Whether or not a system is being considered at the macro or micro level determines what a specific item in a system is considered, and this variable level of detail is referred to as scope. Explicit discussions on scope are more common in a technological discussion as sub-units are considered more discretely in the natural sciences. In ecosystems, for example, sub-units are impacts as opposed to objects, namespaces, methods, and scale. Exceptions to this convention are when nominal data points must be encoded for a scientific model simulation.

See also

* Conceptual models
* Data model

External links

* [http://www.teach-ict.com/as_a2/topics/input%20processing%20output/input_process_output/index.htm Teach-ICT.com Primer] on the IPO Model
* [http://www.incits.org/tc_home/k5htm/andfig34.gifInput-Process-Output] example chart by the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS)