The Program Development Cycle

The following are the steps in programming.

1. Define the problem.

2. Identify Problem Requirements.

3. Design Program Logic

4. Construct Program Code (Source Code)

5. Compile and Link Code

6. Execute and Test

7. Repeat Procedure 1 to 6 if Testing Fails

8. Implement Program

Some of the above procedure mentioned can be skipped although not advisable.

1. Define the problem. This steps should not be neglected since it is the very problem itself. Without having grasp the problem, it will be really problematic in solving it. Read and understand the problem so that somehow you will have the idea of what are the things you need to provide as your solution.

2. Identify Problem Requirement. This step is somewhat related to the first step. Identifying the problem requirement is a must. Without the problem requirement, somehow you cannot sort out the things that you need to do.

3. Design Program Logic. This is where you design your program logic. You can use a pseudo code or any visualization like flowchart or data flow diagram.

4. Construct Program Code. After designing your program logic, its time to convert it to your source code. You can use any editor or an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) like Codeblocks.

5. Compile and Link Code. This should be done with your IDE. This is where your source code is translated to object code and executable file. Before the code is translated, it will undergo a process of scanning for any error. These error are called syntax error if there is any.

6. Execute and Test. Once the file is executable, you can now run the program and test now for logical error. A logical error is different than the syntax error since logical error are problem in the actual output of your program (e.g. wrong computation or display problem) rather than the syntax of your program. It is a good practice to create a test output so that you could verify your desired output for your program.

7. If there are problem with your desired output, just review the previous steps if there are things that you missed.

8. And finally, you can now implement your program to whatever purpose it is.

Note: You may add a maintenance steps for updates and improving your program.