- Process specification
Process specification is a generic term for the specification of a process. Its context is not unique to "business activity" but can be applied to any organizational activity.
Within some structured methods, the capitalized term Process Specification refers to a description of the
procedure to be followed by an actor within an elementary level business activity, as represented on a process model such as adataflow diagram orIDEF0 model. A common alias is minispec short for miniature specification.Use in systems development
The process specification defines what must be done in order to transform inputs into outputs. It is a detailed set of instructions outlining a business procedure that each elementary level business activity is expected to carry out. Process specifications are commonly included as an integral component of a requirements document in systems development.
Techniques
There are a variety of approaches that can be used to produce a process specification including
*decision tables
*structured English (favored technique of most systems analysts)
*pre/post conditions
*use cases , basic course or events/alternate paths inuse cases
*flowcharts .
*Nassi-Shneiderman diagram
*UMLActivity diagram No matter what approach is used, it must communicate to system development designers, implementers and support professionals, as well as be verifiable by the stakeholders/end users.
See also
*
Specification (technical standard) External links
* [http://www.yourdon.com/strucanalysis/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_11 Chapter 11] of the [http://www.yourdon.com/strucanalysis/wiki/index.php?title=Introduction Structured Analysis Wiki] , by
Ed Yourdon
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