My professional experience has led to the situation that more use of flow charts has come into my work flow process as I have gained MORE experience. Mostly due from learning the hard way of its value!!

When I was young and green I thought flow charts and extra documentation were a waste of energy. Now after coding and making embedded products since the mid 1970's I find making flow charts, doing up front design, and documentation much more a part of each project.......and the primary reason is productivity....i.e. "the desire to make a solution to what are sometimes rather complex problems, work the first time that it is coded". No more do I have the energy to rip into a project with immediate coding only to turn around and throw a bunch of it away in order to find the best solution by trial and error. Thinking and designing up front ALWAYS saves me untold hours and days of debugging headaches. I have proven this to myself time and time again.

Note that I am sharing my experience....I have no adjenda to tell other people how to make their own programs and products. But I will not be surprised if as others gain experience that they will also find value to front end design and flow charting!!

Michael Karas