TABLE OF CONTENTS Structured analysis applies a general model to the solution of a specific problem such that the model encourages us to think of all of the factors of importance in arriving at a clear definition of the problem while allowing us to remain undistracted by unrelated factors. Structured analysis provides an organized, systematic way of thinking about a complex problem. This process provides a model within which we can think about the important characteristics of a problem space. Structured analysis is not a problem-solving domain, rather a problem definition domain. Some of the models intended for software development link to structured design methods but the analysis component is focused on defining the problem to be solved.
All structured models known to the author feature one or more simple diagrams the features of which relate to elements of the problem space. These diagrams communicate powerfully through the sense of vision to the human mind triggering thoughts about the features depicted. In order to make the visual message as powerful as possible, the model must be visually simple, often consisting of rectangles or bubbles connected by directed lines. If we use the model to capture all of the related details that we are interested in, it will obscure the visual power of the diagram. As a result, these models often include one or more dictionaries linked to the features of the diagrams in which we can include the details.
This chapter attempts to present insights into the general...
