Designing an application - part 1

Read:

An application program is a program which does a particular job, such as a database or a payroll program.  For most jobs the user can buy a program which has already been written.  For some jobs, however, a program must be specifically created.  This is a very expensive process and it is important that the programmer understands exactly what the user wants.  For this reason the process of writing the program consists of several stages and these must be followed carefully.

Let us take the case of a library which wants to use a computer to keep a record of the books in the library and the people who borrow them.

First the programmer must study how the library works and speak to the librarians.  The operation of the borrowing system must be analyzed and the kinds of information which the librarians use must be carefully described.  This stage is called defining the problem.

After that, the programmer starts to design a program to handle the input and output of information which is necessary for the working of the library.  This is called planning the solution.  Then, the program is written. 

When the program is finished, it is tested in the library.  At the same time the instructions and description of the program are prepared.  This is called documenting.

After testing, the mistakes (called “bugs”), must be corrected. This stage is called debugging. After that the program is ready to be used.

Drag the items on left and drop at right column in correct orders.