Software development

The preparation of a computer program involves many steps. Except for the simplest of programs, the first step in developing a program is to create the design documents. These design documents includes a diagram of how the data input to the program will flow through the program, what operations will be performed on that data at each stage, and what is to be done with that data once it has been processed (e.g., stored on a disk, printed out, displayed on a computer screen). The design also includes the specifications of any database to be used (which indicates how and where the data will be stored), and the specification of any protocols that will be reflected in the final program code.