This book investigates the utility of action diagrams as a standardized visual notation for designing and documenting complex software systems. The authors, James Martin and Carma McClure, provide a methodology for bridging the communication gap between systems analysts, programmers, and end users. By utilizing a structured graphical approach, the text argues that logic flow and program design become more accessible and less prone to ambiguity than traditional pseudocode or narrative documentation.

Experts recognize this work as a foundational text for the formalization of visual programming documentation during the structured analysis era. Readers frequently note the clarity of the diagrams, though they acknowledge that the methodology is specific to the procedural programming paradigms prevalent at the time of publication.