Flowcharts

Programmers often use concept organizers such as flowcharts and/ or pseudocode to lay out logical ideas, features, processes and sequences that the program should include before writing in an established programming language.

Flowcharts are diagrams that represent algorithms, workflow or processes, showing the steps in various shapes and connecting them with arrows. The diagram is meant to illustrate a solution to a given problem. A program flowchart is a diagram that uses a set of standard graphic symbols to represent the sequence of coded instructions fed into a computer or compiler.

Pseudocode is a detailed yet readable description of what a computer program or algorithm must do, expressed in a formally-styled natural language rather than in a programming language. Pseudocode is sometimes used as a detailed step in the process of developing a program.

Note that in the flowchart, there are two decision making blocks (green triangles) that force a decision. Once the decision is made, actions are taken which are represented by the processing blocks (orange rectangles). Creating a flow chart such as the one provided in this example marks the preliminary stage to writing a program. The flowchart is used as a schematic to inform the design of the target algorithm.