Detailed Design (LLD) Guidelines

INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................2
Overview..........................................................................................................................2
Purpose.............................................................................................................................2
Scope................................................................................................................................2
Definitions, Acronyms and Abbreviations......................................................................2
Reference Document........................................................................................................2
Standards, Conventions and Procedures..............................................................................2
Design Standards.............................................................................................................3
Documentation Standards................................................................................................3
Naming Conventions.......................................................................................................3
Programming Standards...................................................................................................3
Software Development Tools..........................................................................................3
DATA DETAIL DESIGN...................................................................................................4
Data Description..............................................................................................................4
File and Database Structures............................................................................................4
External File Structure.................................................................................................4
Global Data..................................................................................................................5
Storage Requirements......................................................................................................5
Security Requirements.....................................................................................................5
INTERFACE DESIGN........................................................................................................5
.........................................................................................................................................5
Human-machine interface specification..........................................................................5
Human-machine interface rules.......................................................................................6
External interface design..................................................................................................6
Interfaces to external data............................................................................................6
Interfaces to external systems or devices.....................................................................6
Internal interface design rules..........................................................................................6
MODULE DETAILED DESIGN........................................................................................6
Module 1..........................................................................................................................6
Program Specification..................................................................................................6
Program Data Structures..............................................................................................7
Program Algorithms.....................................................................................................7
Program Control Information......................................................................................7
Input Descriptions (Screen/menu layouts)...................................................................7
Output Descriptions (Report layouts)..........................................................................7
Help Facilities......................................................................................................................8
Traceability Matrix..............................................................................................................8

Page 1 of 8
INTRODUCTION

Software design is the process of defining the architecture, the components, the
interface and other characteristics of a system. Detailed design is the process of
defining the lower-level components, modules and interfaces. The software
components are documented in the detailed design document. This section should
describe the purpose and scope.

Overview

This section of the document should describe what the rest of the document
contains. Describe how the detailed design document is organized.

Purpose

The detailed design is being called the implementation phase of the life cycle.
This document provides guidance on how to produce the detailed design
document, the code and the software user manual. Describe the purpose of the
particular design and specify the users, for whom the document is intended.

Scope

Describe what the proposed software can do and can not do.

Identify the software products to be produced.

Define relevant benefits, objectives and goals as precisely as possible.

Be consistent with similar statement in higher level specifications, if they exist.

Definitions, Acronyms and Abbreviations

Define all terms, acronyms, and abbreviations used in the detailed design or
refer to other documents where the definitions can be found.

Reference Document

List out all the reference documents, identified by title author and date.

STANDARDS, CONVENTIONS AND PROCEDURES

Page 2 of 8
Design Standards

Reference should be given for methods usually carried over from high level design
and the description in detail should only pertain to methods specific to detailed
design. The detailed design standard should be different, if more than one method or
programming language is involved, for example if C language design and
programming takes place in an “ADA” project.

Documentation Standards

Describe the format, style and tools adopted by the project for detailed design and
code documentation. If the formats are new, they should be proto-typed and
reviewed. Describe the standard module header and instructions for its
completion.

Naming Conventions

Describe all the naming conventions used. A table the file types and the permitted
names or extensions for each should be given. Conventions for naming files, programs,
modules, and possibly other structures such as variables and messages should all be
documented.

Programming Standards

Describe the project programming standards. Provide guidance for programmers.

The programming standards should be defined as consistent and uniform programming
style. The following points must be specified.

 Modularity and structuring

 Indenting and Layout
 Library routines to be used.
 Language constructs to use
 Language constructs to avoid.

Software Development Tools

List out tools chosen to assist software development. Generally the list would
include.

 A modeling tool
 A source code editor

Page 3 of 8
  A compiler
 A debugger
 A linker
 A configuration management tools
 Word processor for documentation
 A tool for drawing diagram
 Network and data communication tools
 Graphics packages

DATA DETAIL DESIGN

Data Description

The logical and physical data structure of files should be defined in the detailed
design. The data structures internal to a program or subroutine should also be specified.
Data structure definitions should include.

 Description of each element (e.g. name type dimension)

 Relationships between the elements (i.e. the structure)
 Range of possible values of each element.
 Initial value of each element.

File and Database Structures

Convert logical record structure to a logical design for a data model. The structure for
physical records can be converted to physical design for database. Describe what
are the access methods to the data structures like array, linked list, b-tree etc.

External File Structure

Describe the file structures, which are external to the module, i.e. the files,
which belong to other application/modules and are referred in the
module.

1.1.1.1. Logical Structure

Convert the conceptual model to record types and specify how these
records are to be accessed. Use these access records to choose file
keys that will facilitate design data access. Define quantitative data such
as item sizes, number of records and access frequency. Database
requirements arise from the logical description of files and records. Data
structure is a representation of the logical relationship among individual
elements of data.

Page 4 of 8
 1.1.1.2. Logical Record Description

Represent the logical record by a rectangular box. Describe the logical

record structure, which is made up of a number of record types. Each
record type is made up of several fields. The logical record structure
should contain links between record types. Each of these links should be
represented by an arrow. Each logical record link should be labeled with
fields that would appear in both linked record types.

1.1.1.3. Access Method

Define access path to select physical links between records. Describe

how the database is to be used. Define methods of access to the
database.

Global Data

Describe about the data, which is to be used globally across the modules.

1.1.1.4. Access Method

Describe the files and data reference, described in high level design.

Storage Requirements

Depending on the volume of transactions, the approximate requirements of data

storage must be defined. The requirement should also take into consideration the routine
backup. It should also consider the number of years that the data is required to be
preserved for day to day reference, statutory requirements and clients' decision.

Security Requirements

Security requirements may affect the selection of hardware, the operating system,
the design of the interfaces among components, and the design of database
components. Decisions on access to the capabilities of the system may have to be taken
in the design phase.

INTERFACE DESIGN

Human-machine interface specification

Page 5 of 8
 User interfaces, which rely on windows, pictorial representations of entities, pull-
down or pop-up menus, should be clearly defined and explained.

Human-machine interface rules

The interface should use terms and concepts, which are familiar to the expected
class of user. The interface should be consistent. It should contain a mechanism (Undo
facility), which allows users to recover information; in case they make an error, i.e. the
confirmation of some destructive actions (like Delete) should be provided before any
information is destroyed. The interface should also offer some form of guidance to the
user. The interface should have some built-in “Help” facilities

External interface design

Interfaces to external data

The type and nature of interface used in the application for processing the
external data coming to the system. This data is from other applications in the same
organization or from applications in some other organization.

Interfaces to external systems or devices

The interface to external systems or devices which provide access to

external data / systems.

Internal interface design rules

The rules followed to design the interface for the internal data is explained. This may
include navigation rules, error and other messages formats, rules followed for designing
the on-line help facility etc.

MODULE DETAILED DESIGN

Module 1

Program Specification

For each program give the program name, the textual description of
functionality, inputs and outputs. References should be made to the appropriate

Page 6 of 8
 section in the High Level Design. Give the detailed process specifications for the
process.

Program Data Structures

Tables, which are invoked in the program, should have the reference to the
section, where the tables have been defined.

Program Algorithms

Describe in detail how the processing is carried out. Program algorithms

should be briefly described, even if they have been defined elsewhere and the
reference to where they have been defined in detail should be given. Software
constraints should specify that the processing be performed using a particular
algorithm which should be described or referenced.

Program Control Information

The information about the program control should be given, when it is

transferred to a system for exception handling or when a procedure is called or some
parameters are passed on to other programs.

Input Descriptions (Screen/menu layouts)

Describe the data capture requirements for the system.

Describe the controls built into each input procedure.

Describe screen layouts and describe feature of each field in the input.
Mention whether it is a mandatory display field.

Mention about the validations provided for each input fields on the screen.
Describe and present the menu layout.

Output Descriptions (Report layouts)

Describe all the output requirements for the system.

Describe the logical content of each output form, report and display.

Describe the control built into each output procedure.

Page 7 of 8
 Sketch the report layouts and describe each detail in it.

HELP FACILITIES

Provide documentation, On-line Help system, the messages produced by the system in
response to user actions etc. Describe the help facilities provided in the application
software to make the software user friendly. Describe about the interactive help facility
provided.

Traceability Matrix

This section should describe a table that would summarize as to how each software
requirement has been met in the detailed level design document. The tabular format
should have one-to-one and one-to-many relationships. A template should be provided.

Page 8 of 8