Approaches to documenting a Web Application design

Hi all,

I am curious to know exactly how web designers/developers set out to plan/document their design or a web application.

Do people go as far as using SSADM (ERD and DTD) to design the database and to indicate how the data will be used and stored in the application. Or do people use simple database schema's.

Do people storyboard first before ever touching CSS, or going into Photoshop?

Or do people even go as far as writing Pseduocode for the complex function contained in a Web application?

Thanks

Tryst

Depends on where you work.

Where I'm at now I write more documentation than I do code. Other places I don't think they even knew what a flowchart was, it was just "code and load".

Whether it's helpful or not is another question. Where I am now, the business unit that is backing the initiative must complete an ROI study and get it past management before we even start the requirements gathering process. It's good in that it keeps stupid projects from ever getting off the ground, but you have to wonder if all the time spent couldn't have been used to just write it and then even if the ROI wasn't there, at least the BU that wanted the stupid thing would have it, and it wouldn't have cost anything more than we spent to shoot it down.

On the other hand, the continued maintenance on a crap application can be a never ending drain on already strained resources.

Tryst,

The web documentation I've focuses on the visual design of each page, the HTML elements that compose that page, ASP code components and database interaction.

The high-level design (HLD) is specified in a Software Subsystem Design Description (SSDD) and the detailed design in a Software Detailed Design (SDD) document.

The visual design is a screenshot of what the page will look like. I use PaintShop pro because the page doesn't have to look like the finished product, just represent the functionality the page will provide.

The HTML elements are all listed in a table that includes their name (ie btnSubmit), what type of control they are (button) and a brief description of the what they do ("submits data entered to 'process.asp'".)

ASP pseudo code is written to describe the processing that will go on behind the scenes. This pseudo code often becomes the comments embedded within the code.

Finally, anytime the database is touched a table lists database name, tables affected, type of statement (ie SELECT, UPDATE, etc.) and the actual SQL statement.

I'll point out the obvious - it's only a design and designs almost always change. The most important thing is that you have your thoughts and direction on paper that can serve as a roadmap to succeeding on a project.

HTH

Thanks, Walkman. Thats sound very good advice.

Tryst