2.5 Input-Processing-Output (I-P-O) Chart

Overview

IPO charts visually represent the Inputs, Process, and Output in tabular form. They are considered a handy tool that software designers use to solve problems.

Components of an IPO Chart

Input	Process	Output
Data entered in the system	Operations that will be applied on the input	Data that has been turned into information

Example 1: Computing Rectangle Area

Input:

Length and Width of the rectangle

Process:

Area = Length * Width

Output:

Area of the rectangle

The input column contains the length and width of the rectangle. The process column shows the multiplication operation to be performed. The output provides the calculated area to the user.

Example 2: Calculate Student's Average

Inputs:

Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3

Process:

Sum all grades
Divide sum by number of grades

Output:

Student grade average

Key Points Summary

Aspect	Description
Purpose	Visually represent the IPO model
Usage	Software designers use it to solve problems
Input	Data entered into the system
Process	Operations applied to the input
Output	Resulting information for the user