How to analyze a RPG code and prepare documentation/flow chart/tech spec/design doc

[bivasmi]

Greetings for the day!!!

## I am confident on my RPG and AS400 skills but not so confident on getting involved into requirement gathering, preparing technical spec and design documentation for a project. Kindly share some of the case studies of preparing design doc/tech specs

##from a technical person's perspective what approach we should take if we want to make the flow chart/tech spec of a program by simply analyzing/reading the code,If we want to understand the system by reading the programs (the reverse process). What you folks do when there is a requirement of understanding a piece of code/module and prepare documentation. Please share some of the tips here that might help me to learn this in an efficient way.

Please do not hesitate to reply. Thanks in advance!!!

[DeadManWalks]

Re: How to analyze a RPG code and prepare documentation/flow chart/tech spec/design d

First, I am being totally serious. I have worked at 5 different iseries shops non of which were a software house. That being said I have never seen anyone do a flow chart, the tech specs have always been very light (as in just common business language). When we need to understand the code we 1) read it 2)run it using different data sets in test 3)debug it.

I have worked a several large applications that we created. by large i mean near a year to dev and test. We had little specs and requirements. I have been in several SOX shops and they blow just as much.

I do have a bud that works for a software company in phoenix and they live and die by their tech specs. They look very good too.

#EndOfRant

[tomholden]

Re: How to analyze a RPG code and prepare documentation/flow chart/tech spec/design d

First, I am being totally serious. I have worked at 5 different iseries shops non of which were a software house. That being said I have never seen anyone do a flow chart, the tech specs have always been very light (as in just common business language). When we need to understand the code we 1) read it 2)run it using different data sets in test 3)debug it.

I have worked a several large applications that we created. by large i mean near a year to dev and test. We had little specs and requirements. I have been in several SOX shops and they blow just as much.

I do have a bud that works for a software company in phoenix and they live and die by their tech specs. They look very good too.

#EndOfRant

what he said. usually i just hit the program code as needed. the very first thing I try to do is to learn the database structure. once you understand what goes where, etc everything else is easier. trying to simply read code you don't have that information & you'll end up searching for what the tables, indexes, views contain every 5 minutes. JMO but it works for me.

[MichaelCatalani]

Re: How to analyze a RPG code and prepare documentation/flow chart/tech spec/design d

Properly done BRD's ( business requirements documents ) can be useful. But the only practical time I see them utilized is on a major project where there are a lot of players in the game, and where there is an ample amount of time in which to pull together the analysis work. (These are projects where the analysis of a major project is a project in of itself).

It works better if everyone has their ducks in a row while developing the document. But in most cases, even for the larger companies like DeadMan talks about, the players are usually told that something in general has to be done, it needed to be done yesterday, and they are given an insanely short deadline to pull it off. Therefore, the time required for performing critical analysis to develop the master plan goes out the window, and everyone ends up just "wingin it".

BRD's are most often utilized by vendors who are working with a company. These documents become the official "contract" of the project. If its in the BRD, it gets done the way that the BRD says. If it isn't, that change becomes an additional chargeable line item.

If there are no vendors involved, you will likely not be given the analysis time to develop a BRD. Especially when money is tight and the economy is on the fritz.

[gcraill]

Re: How to analyze a RPG code and prepare documentation/flow chart/tech spec/design d

BRD's are most often utilized by vendors who are working with a company. These documents become the official "contract" of the project. If its in the BRD, it gets done the way that the BRD says. If it isn't, that change becomes an additional chargeable line item.

If there are no vendors involved, you will likely not be given the analysis time to develop a BRD. Especially when money is tight and the economy is on the fritz.

Right there - that's the good oil.

You deliver what's in the BRD/BRSD and hold it up to say not my fault, you didn't ask for "abc".

[kitvb1]

Re: How to analyze a RPG code and prepare documentation/flow chart/tech spec/design d

Works as designed