Patent ID: 8677313

Claim:
A method of generating a functional design diagram on a display, the method comprising: storing a plurality of glossary data sets on a memory device; storing a heuristics data set on the memory device, wherein the heuristics data set includes a plurality of heuristic rules; in a functional design creation module which is executed by a processor: receiving a processed requirements specification defining operation of a system to be developed, wherein the processed requirements specification includes a plurality of processed requirements statements that identify at least one entity included in the system, and wherein the requirements specification is processed to determine content of the requirements specification; retrieving the plurality of glossary data sets and the heuristics data set; generating a plurality of functional design diagram components for the system to be developed, based on the processed requirements statements, at least one of the plurality of glossary data sets, and at least one of the plurality of heuristic rules, wherein the plurality of functional design diagram components for the system to be developed includes the at least one entity included in the system to be developed and at least one relationship associated with the at least one entity; and wherein the functional design creation module comprises a heuristics module executable by the processor to: apply at least one of the plurality of heuristic rules and at least one of the plurality of glossary data sets to an extracted at least one requirement, the at least one entity, and at least one action from the plurality of processed requirements statements; and generate at least one of the plurality of functional design diagram components based on the application of the at least one of the plurality of heuristic rules and the at least one of the plurality of glossary data sets; generating a functional design diagram of the system to be developed, based on the functional design diagram components, wherein the functional design diagram is representative of the system to be developed, and wherein the functional design diagram includes at least one diagram element representative of the at least one entity of the system to be developed and a relationship indicator representative of the at least one relationship; and transmitting the functional design diagram to at least one display.