Abstract: System and method for managing and specifying hardware implementation of a graphical program. A graphical program that implements an algorithm is stored in a memory of a computer system. The graphical program meets one or more first specified implementation requirements and is targeted for deployment to a programmable hardware element. A plurality of sets of descriptive directives are also stored in the memory, where the descriptive directives are associated with the graphical program and specify one or more additional specified implementation requirements, e.g., memory resource implementations, optimization directives, and so forth, where the additional directives result from programmatic and/or user-specification. Each set of descriptive directives is useable by a synthesis tool to generate a respective hardware configuration program for deployment to the graphical programmable hardware element.