Computer programming is not easy. The programmer has to be able to think logically and know how to break down a big problem into tiny pieces. To accomplish this, some people like to state the problem and the steps necessary for its solution in their natural language before trying to code the program in a computer language. What they are doing is defining the correct algorithm —giving the computer the information and process it needs to solve the problem. Writing the program becomes very easy after the algorithm has been spelled out. Since the hard part is defining the problem and the approach needed for its solution, there are several design tools available to help with this planning process. These include flowcharts, pseudocode, and Nassi-Shneiderman diagrams, which are used specifically with structured programs.

Flowcharts

A flowchart represents an algorithm using symbols instead of words...