What is the name for each person, department or organisation that takes part in a transfer of information?
Entity
What is the name for the drawn connection with an arrowhead that shows the direction information travels between two boxes?
Flow line
What is meant by a data flow diagram?
A diagram that shows the processes and stores that data passes through
What is the name for an exchange in which a message passes from one department to another and a reply then comes back the other way?
Two-way communication
What is meant by the destination of an information flow?
The person or department that receives the information that has been sent
What is meant by the source of an information flow?
The person or department that starts a transfer of information
What is the main purpose of an information flow diagram?
To show information sent from a source to a destination
In an information flow diagram, how are the people, departments and organisations shown?
As boxes, ellipses or circles with the name inside
In an information flow diagram, what does the arrow on a flow line show?
The direction in which the information is sent
Why is each flow line in an information flow diagram given a label?
To name the information or document being sent
Why do organisations usually create an information flow diagram first when designing a new system?
To identify the information flows before working out the data needed
An information flow diagram shows an arrow labelled 'Invoice request' pointing from the warehouse to the finance department. What does this mean?
The warehouse asks finance to create an invoice
An information flow diagram shows one arrow from sales to warehouse and one back from warehouse to sales. What does this show?
Information is sent in both directions between the two departments
Which statement describes how an information flow diagram differs from a data flow diagram?
It shows who sends information rather than how data is processed
A student is drawing an information flow diagram from a written scenario. What should each flow line represent?
One transfer of information between two entities
Why do organisations usually use an information flow diagram rather than a written description of the same system?
The diagram is quicker and easier to read
The sales department needs to ask the finance department to raise an invoice. A line labelled invoice request has been drawn between the two boxes. What else must be added to complete this flow?
An arrowhead pointing from the sales box to the finance box
A written scenario describes four transfers of information between departments, but a student's information flow diagram shows only three flow lines. What does this mean?
One of the transfers has been left out of the diagram
A student draws a rounded rectangle labelled start at the top of an information flow diagram. Why is this not appropriate?
Information flow diagrams do not show where a system starts and ends
An information flow diagram shows an arrow from the sales department to the finance department and another arrow from the warehouse to the finance department. What does this show?
Two different departments both send information to finance
A company sends a newsletter to its customers, and none of the customers reply. How should this be shown in an information flow diagram?
A single flow line with an arrow from the company to the customers
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