1. Analyze: Define the problem.
Be sure you understand what the program should do-that is, what the output should be. Have a clear idea of what data are given and the relationship between the input and the desired output.

2. Design: Plan the solution to the problem.
Develop the algorithm (the logical sequence of precise steps that solve the problem). All detail, including obvious steps, should seem in the algorithm. Translate the algorithm into a logic plan using any of the popular methods that is flowcharts, pseudo code, top down charts. These design tools help the programmer break a problem into an order of small tasks the computer can perform to rectify the problem. Planning also includes using representative data to test the logic of …show more content…
The programmer uses the algorithm/flowchart/pseudocode devised in Step 2 along with knowledge of the programming language, say, Visual Basic.

5. Test and debug. Locate and remove any errors in the program.
As the program is typed, Visual Basic points out certain types of program errors. The other types will detected by Visual Basic when the program is executed; however, many errors due to keying mistakes, flaws in the algorithm, or improper usages of the Visual Basic language rules can be exposed and corrected only by careful detective work. An example of such an error would be using addition when multiplication was the appropriate operation.

6. Complete the documentation: Organize all the material that describes the program.
Documentation is planned to allow another person or the programmer at a later date, to understand the program. Internal documentation consists of statements in the program that are not executed, but point out the purposes of various parts of the program. Documentation might also consist of a detailed description of what the program does and how to use the program (for instance, what type of input is expected). For commercial programs, documentation includes an instruction manual and on-line help. Other types of documentation are the flowchart, pseudocode, and top-down chart that were used to construct the program. Although documentation