Application and assessment of IDEF3 - Process flow description capture method

The IDEF techniques have been developed in projects sponsored by the US Air Force in order to describe, specify and model manufacturing systems in a structured graphical form. These techniques can be classified in two categories: the “modelling” and the “descriptive” varieties. Compares two IDEF methods (one of the modelling type and one of the descriptive type) in order to represent (model or describe) two different aspects of an industrial organization. The methods compared are IDEF0, function modelling method, and IDEF3, process flow description capture method. Concludes that when considering the sequencing of the activities in process, aiming at highlighting their eventual simultaneity, then IDEF3 is more suitable, for its capability of splitting the flow of control from a single stream into several branches or joining several branches into a single stream. However, when it is necessary to direct attention on the objects which participate in the process, whether control, input, output or mechanism, then the use of IDEF0 is preferable.