INTRODUCTION TO

COMPUTER
CONCEPTS

Percival A. Fernandez
The Program
Development Cycle
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Modern software developers base many of their techniques
on traditional approaches to mathematical problem solving.
One such approach is based on the how engineers solve
problems.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Engineers must:
Design a solution to a problem
Implement the solution
Test the solution
Fix any errors in the solution
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

This approach can be used in computer programming:
Design a solution to a problem (design a program)
implement the solution (code the program )
Test the solution (test the program)
Fix the solution (debug the program)
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

The Program Development Life Cycle is a set of phases
and steps that are followed by
developers to define, design, develop and maintain a
computer program. Typical phases of
the life cycle are as follows
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

 Gather and Analyze the Program Requirements:
The developers must obtain the program requirements from the
users and document the requirements. Typically, a standard form
is used to develop the requirements.
 Design the User Interface:
After understanding the requirements, the next step is to design
the user interface. Typically a business information system
consists of more than one program – it may have several forms,
few reports, and other programs. The users interface defines all
the input forms, output reports, programs, and menu system to
organize all these objects.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

 Design the Program:
A business function when implemented in a computer system is
termed as a program. Before a program is developed, it must be
designed. Program developers use tools such as pseudocode,
flow chart, and hierarchy chart to design programs.
 Code the Program:
After a program is designed, it is implemented. A program code
is a set of instructions developed by a programmer to carry out
the business functionality in a particular language such as VB,
C#, Java, ASP, etc.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

 Test the Program:
As the program is being coded, and after the code is completed it
must be tested to see that program is running properly and it
produces required outputs with appropriate input data.
 Document the Program/System:
As a program is being coded, and after the coding is completed,
the developers should document the program. Documenting a
program means writing down some instruction for the users, the
purpose of the program, the way it performs the tasks, the inputs
and the outputs expected.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

 Maintain the Program/System:
After the programs are developed and documented, it is placed
into operation. During the operation, a program may fail to
perform its objective and it might be necessary to add new
functionality to a program or system. Changing program design,
coding, and updating programs are part of maintenance.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Once the software is working, improvements can be
designed into the system. This leads back to design,
creating a four-phase cycle.

Design

Debug Code

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Design

Debug Code

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Design

Many different techniques are used to design

methods in new software. Top-down development
and modular design are most common.

Tools include flowcharts, pseudo-code, storyboards,

and Universal Modeling Language (UML).
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Design

In the design phase of object-oriented

programming, objects must be chosen from
libraries, or the properties and methods for new
objects must be described.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Design

Debug Code

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

The program development

cycle’s code phase includes
translating a software design Code
into a particular language,
and then entering that
language on the computer.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Design

Debug Code

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Testing can be rather complicated:

Does the new method do what it is supposed to

do? This is known as a test for correctness.
Tests for correctness measure whether the
program meets the original specifications.

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Testing can be rather complicated:

Is the method reasonably efficient? How much

time does it take for the method to complete its
task, and how much space does it use?

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Testing can be rather complicated:

Does the method have any undesirable side

effects? How does one program affects the
performance of another program, or one method
affects another method?

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Programmers perform unit tests and integration

tests.
A unit test checks to see if a method works as
expected all by itself.
An integration test checks to see if a method
works in combination with other methods.

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

New Software Overall Program

Method
Other methods

Testing Shell New Software

Method
Integration
New Software Test
Method Unit
Test Other methods
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Programmers perform unit tests and integration
tests.
A unit test checks to see if a method works as
expected all by itself.
An integration test checks to see if a method
works in combination with other methods.

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Design

Debug Code

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

The causes of any problems

discovered during testing need to
be isolated. Here unit tests are
Debug most helpful.
Once you know the cause, you
can develop a plan for fixing the
problem, modify the necessary
methods, and then test again.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Design

Debug Code

Test
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER CONCEPTS

REFERENCES
 Program Development Cycle. Thompson Course Technology
 Program Development Cycle.ppt
faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/cherbert/csci%20111/Alice/ch%202%20 Program
%20Development%20Cycle.ppt
 Program Development Life Cycle - UHCL MIS
mis.uhcl.edu/rob/Course/VB/Lectures/ProgramDevelopmentLif
eCycle.pdf