Guide to Development and use of Electronic Computer Programs: Programming

The best practice requires that unequivocal statements of all the steps to be executed in a computer program exist separately from the actual coded instructions. These statements should furnish the link between the engineer-developer of a program and those responsible for the preparation of a computer solution. It is unlikely that many persons will possess expert knowledge to fulfill both functions; nor should this be necessary. A flow diagram containing the statements described previously, when properly executed, dispenses both the engineer and the coder from any necessary intelligence of the other's function. The former has the responsibility to insure that the flow diagram represents a sound engineering solution to the stated problem while the latter must develop a set of computer instructions that is a practical as well as a faithful representation of that flow diagram.