IDEF0

The Quality Toolbook > IDEF0

When to use it | How to understand it | Example | How to do it | Practical variations

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IDEF0 is used to make a detailed and clear description of a process or system.

• When to use it: Situations when it is useful.
• How to understand it : Details of how it works.
• Examples : Some examples of usage.
• How to do it : Step-by-step instructions on using it.
• Practical variations : Variants and variation.

IDEF0 is a subset of the Structured Analysis and Design Technique (or SADT), originated by Douglas Ross in the late 1960s and put into the public domain by Softech Inc. at the request of the US Department of Defense.

IDEF0, as a function modeling tool, is a the most commonly used of a large set of IDEF modeling specifications, which include IDEF1X (information modeling) and IDEF2 (dynamic systems modeling). The letters of IDEF stands for ICOM DEFinitions.

Note that ICOM is sometimes revised to ICOR, where the M for Mechanisms is revised to the easier-to-understand R for Resources.