Data Flow Diagrams - Simply Put!

In “Data Flow Diagrams – Simply Put!”, you will learn the benefits of process visualization for the business community, for the one wearing the BA hat, for those tasked with developing the solution, and ultimately for the entire organization.

You will also discover how DFDs are powerful tools for recognizing and eliminating two of the major problems that haunt IT projects, namely Scope Creep and Project Overruns caused by late project change requests.

This book uses a concrete business scenario to present a simple, easy-to-learn approach for creating and using Data Flow Diagrams depicting workflow and data manipulation from interviews with Subject Matter Experts.

You will learn how to create a Context-Level Data Flow Diagram (Context Diagram) and explode relevant process(es) to reveal the nitty-gritty detail (i.e., individual process and data specifications) that developers need to create IT solutions that the business community needs.

This book answers the following questions:
- What is a Data Flow Diagram (DFD)?
- What is a Context-Level DFD?
- Why should I use Data Flow Diagrams?
- What symbols can I use on each type of diagram?
- How can I drill down into a process?
- How can I show internal processes and flows that produce the results?
- What does balancing a Data Flow Diagram mean and what is the business value?
- What are process specifications?
- How can I express detailed data specifications?
- What is “metadata" and why do you need it?
- What value does a DFD fragment provide?