Finite element analyses may produce large amounts of response output that can obscure an understanding of model behaviour by simply looking at the numbers produced by the numerical simulation. It is desirable to utilize a post-processing program that can display selected aspects of model response in graphical form in order to properly interpret the results produced by finite element analyses. This paper discusses some methods for efficient data management and principles for the development of post-processing programs to analyse the response data produced by finite element programs. © 1993.