Examples include system flow charts, data flow charts and structure charts.
System Flow Charts:
System flowcharts are a way of displaying how data flows in a system and how decisions are made to control output.
The following symbols are used when creating a system flow chart, to indicate the different stages of data flow and processing.
This is what a complete system flow chart looks like:
This system flow chart describes fuel injection in an engine. Based on input from the speed, see if the car is moving too fast, or too slow. Based on the speed of the car, add more/less fuel to the engine.
Data flow charts are very similar to system flow charts, except they do not show decisions being made. They only show the different paths the data takes, where it is held, and where it is processed.
The use of symbols is the same as those used in system flow charts, except without the rhombus decision box.
Structure Charts:
A structure chart shows the breakdown of a system to it's lowest manageable modules.
Each box in a structure chart represents a module in the system, and each line to another box represents the connection or ownership between modules
As a programming tool, structure charts aid programmers in dividing the software into sub problems, such that these can easily be solved, and such that the final combination of modules results in a coherent and logically functioning program.
A structure chart also depicts the size and complexity of a system. A wide structure chart indicates lots of fragmentation and specialization; perhaps functionality can be grouped together? A tall structure chart indicates too much generalization; is the software working efficiently with so much abstraction? A structure chart with many lines between many different modules indicates poor management; perhaps this should be changed to support better extensibility and prevent errors?
The above is an example of a structure chart which shows the interaction between an executive model and its respective sub-modules as well as the system modules.
System Flow Charts:
System flowcharts are a way of displaying how data flows in a system and how decisions are made to control output.
The following symbols are used when creating a system flow chart, to indicate the different stages of data flow and processing.
This is what a complete system flow chart looks like:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/measurecontrol/2systemflowchartrev1.shtml
Data Flow Charts:
Data flow charts are very similar to system flow charts, except they do not show decisions being made. They only show the different paths the data takes, where it is held, and where it is processed.
The use of symbols is the same as those used in system flow charts, except without the rhombus decision box.
Structure Charts:
A structure chart shows the breakdown of a system to it's lowest manageable modules.
Each box in a structure chart represents a module in the system, and each line to another box represents the connection or ownership between modules
As a programming tool, structure charts aid programmers in dividing the software into sub problems, such that these can easily be solved, and such that the final combination of modules results in a coherent and logically functioning program.
A structure chart also depicts the size and complexity of a system. A wide structure chart indicates lots of fragmentation and specialization; perhaps functionality can be grouped together? A tall structure chart indicates too much generalization; is the software working efficiently with so much abstraction? A structure chart with many lines between many different modules indicates poor management; perhaps this should be changed to support better extensibility and prevent errors?
The above is an example of a structure chart which shows the interaction between an executive model and its respective sub-modules as well as the system modules.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_chart