Flowcharting With the A N S I Standard: A Tutorial • 131

Page 2 Page2
complete sandwich must begin with a
slice of bread and end with a slice of bread.
Since, by analogy, input or output data
serve as slices of bread, one may break a
long system chart into shorter charts and
still show a connection between them by
the choice of representing input or output
data. To see this, imagine breaking the
system chart in Figure 13 into two sepa-
rate system charts.
To make the communication value of
the system chart high, it is important to Page3
show all of the inputs and outputs for each
part of the system. If one of these appears
at one place as an output, and at another
as an input, then it is only necessary to
repeat the outline with the identical iden-
tification and appropriate cross-reference.
This is illustrated in Figure 14. Notice
that the disk output from the first run
which serves as an input to the second run
is shown twice. This is considerably more
illuminating to someone who studies any
part of the chart than would be the alter-
native of using a connector outline, illus-
trated in Figure 15, where two different
ways of doing it are shown. FIG. 15. t~xamples of poor practice in breaking
a system chart
In summary, the most effective way to
break a system chart into parts in order
to fit it on limited size pieces of paper is to creases, the communication value of the
repeat the representation for selected in- chart, and is not illustrated here.
puts or outputs, identifying and cross- Another alternative way of maintaining
referencing them appropriately. In this the identification of the source and use of
way the material shown on each page is data is by the use of an annotation outline.
complete in itself. For example, one could be inserted at the
Annotation. When breaking a system bottom of the first page indicating the
chart, a problem arises on identifying the page to look on to find the additional use
source and use of data. The clearest con- of this output as an inlaut, as shown in
Figure 16. On the page on which it appears
vention is as shown in Figure 14, by the
as an input, the annotation outline could
use of cross-references with an exact
again be shown with an indication in it
repetition of the data identification. This where this input came from as an output.
also serves well for multiple uses of an It is clear from even a casual examination
output as inputs to several process out- of Figure 16 that the excessive use of an-
lines. notation outlines clutters the system chart
One alternative way of handling the and can decrease its communication value.
situation is by the use of the wording To avoid the clutter of the annotation
within the symbols themselves. But this outlines yet provide the annotation, an
clutters the space conventionally used for alternative is to add a column of annota-
identification, making it a dual-use space tion to the right (or the left) of the system
rather than a single-use one. This de- chart. This can provide information that is

Computing Surveys, Vol. 2, No. 2, June 1970