Project Management Design Review of Dialogs and Screens
Introduction
A frequent mistake made in using the dialog diagrams is that too much information is recorded in the diagrams. The diagrams should fulfil simple objectives.
1. Show menu option.
2. Show which transactions are in the on-line system, and where they are available in the menu structure.
3. Show which screens are used in a transaction and the flow available between screens.
These general points should be remembered when evaluating the dialog design. More detailed preview points are provided below.
Basic review
Ensure that:
- The first IDS diagram (the ‘root diagram) begins with a ‘Start’ symbol leading to the first menu (the main menu).
- The hexagonal symbol has been used to represent a menu and the transaction symbol has been used to represent transaction, i.e. when data is input to be processed against the database (see example diagram below).
- Each screen used in a transaction has been referenced in an exchange symbol.
- Each icon is named to site standards.
- Each diagram is easy to understand: has the ‘Jump’ facility been used to produce separate and more easily assimilable diagrams, rather than one large diagram?
- All the transition arrows have been labelled with control values, except from the Start and Global symbols.
- The control values are consistently named and to site-standard.
- The screen formats are to be site-standard (see below).
- All global symbols are on the initial ‘root’ IDS diagram (the loader facility will check this). When a global value has been established, that the function supported by the Global is not repeated on other diagrams. If a work record is shown, it has both input and output flows.
Business review
- Ensure that the design is complete.
- Ensure that the design includes all online transactions including online inquiry facilities.
- Check that for each transaction all necessary screens have been defined (in a TDS diagram).
- For each field on a screen has the error checking, and the appropriate response been defined.
- Ensure that the design has been reviewed against the project quality objectives, e.g.
Usability:
- Does the design provide support for both novice and expert users?
- Use globals with transaction references to give ease of movement between transactions
- The design maximizes menu navigation such that a particular group of users has all their transaction requirements in one menu;
- Access to a particular transaction is provided from several menus where helpful;
- Ease of record retrieval with multiple keys;
- Help functions, both error explanation and functional assistance;
- Check that each menu has a ‘reasonable’ number of options, e.g. between 4 and 12 options;
- Is the dialog design compatible with the performance characteristics of the host software it will be implemented under?
- Ensure that the design has been reviewed against the project quality objectives, e.g. Integrity:
- If the ability has been provided to Add, Modify and Delete records from one screen, has the client been made fully aware of the possible consequences of this design?
- Has the appropriate account of security access been included?
- Have the audit needs been incorporated into the design?
- Does the design include appropriate transaction authorization procedures?
- Ensure that the design has been reviewed against the project quality objectives, e.g.
Maintainability:
- Is the design consistent throughout?
- Is the design simple?
- Ensure that the design has been reviewed against the project quality objectives, e.g.
Adaptability:
- Does the design allow use of a range of screen or keyboard configurations?
