IS3320 Developing and Using Management Information Systems Lecture 14: Flow-Charts 2 - process mapping for lecture material-sharing Rob Gleasure

IS3320 Today’s lecture  Recap on basics of flowcharts  Some exercises

Recap: What is a Flowchart and when is it used? A flowchart is a visualisation of some process, using a simple pre- defined set of symbols Flowcharts are used during analysis to help to figure out the ‘as-is’ behaviour that you may (or may not) be seeking to replace Flowcharts are used during design to help move from abstract ideas of how various actors and technologies will interact to a more lucid, algorithmic approach (laying the foundation for programming)

Recap: notation/symbols used for a Flowchart Terminal symbol, used to mark beginnings and ends of process Process symbol, used whenever the system or the system’s data is being used or manipulated Decision symbol, used when different selections/conditions invoke different paths Flow line, used to indicate sequential movement from one process to another Input/output symbol, used whenever data is being input or output Document symbol, used when a user is storing or reading data from some document or other source

Recap: notation/symbols used for a Flowchart (continued) Subroutine symbol, used to identify an operation in a separate flowchart segment On-page connector symbol, used to connect remote flowchart portions on the same page (this is messy) Off-page connector symbol, used to connect remote flowchart portions on a separate page Comment symbol, used to add some text to describe or clarify some aspect of the flowchart

Page 2 Page 1 Example: ATM Balance Query

Example of ‘swim lanes’ Image from story-games.com

Exercise: Mapping processes for the as-is Blackboard/ /Facebook We have spoken previously about the online resources UCC students use for different lectures In groups of 2-3  Map out the process (including swim lanes for Blackboard, a student’s , and their Facebook) for the use case where a student receives notification that notes have been posted, then retrieves those notes from Blackboard

Mapping processes for our new lecture material-sharing application In the same groups  Consider a system where Facebook accounts were set up for each lecture, which could then link to online resources Map out the process across swim lanes for the use case where a student receives Facebook notification that notes have been posted, then retrieves those notes from the Facebook account responsible What’s better/worse about this process?