How do you go about getting a job? You might look through newspaper classified ads, check with employment services, write to prospective employers, and so on. In other words, you do some general problem solving to come up with a broad plan. This is similar to what you do in systems analysis and design. Once you have determined a particular job, then you do some specific problem solving. That is what you do in programming. In this chapter, we describe programming in two parts: (1) the steps in the programming process and (2) some of the programming languages available.

Why should you need to know anything about programming? The answer is simple. You might need to deal with programmers in the course of your work. You also may be required to do some programming yourself in the future. A new field has emerged known as end user application development. In this field, users like you create their own business application programs, without the assistance of a programmer. Thus, organizations avoid paying high software development costs, and you and other end users avoid waiting months for programmers to get around to projects important to you.

In Chapter 13, we described the six phases of the systems life cycle. Programming is part of Phase 4, systems development. Competent end users need to understand the relationship between systems development and programming. Additionally, they need to know the six steps of programming, including program specification, program design, program code, program test, program documentation, and program maintenance.