The aim of the IDEF0 activity modeling technique is to support the specification of positive changes in business processes as well as the discovery and documentation of data requirements from the process perspective. The technique has been adopted because of its flexibility and widespread use throughout business, industry, and government. A completed activity model graphically depicts the specific steps, operations, and information needed to perform an activity.
Models also show how specific activities are related to one another.
An activity is a named process, function, or task that occurs over time and has recognizable results. Although activities are performed within functional areas of an organization, it is important that they are defined independent of any functional area. The tendency to model the organization structure rather than its processes should be avoided. In a diagram, the activity is represented by a rectangular box with the verb phrase that describes the activity. Examples of activities are depicted in Figure A-1.