|
Introduction
The
purpose of this module is to provide students with practical experience in the
planning, analysis, design, documentation and (as far as possible) development,
testing, implementation and project management of a computer-based system, and
to enable them to play a significant role in a systems development project.
Approach
to the Project
Emphasis
should be placed on the realism of the project. Students should approach the
project as though they were developing a system for practical use in a
commercial environment, which may indeed be the case.
Otherwise, as far as possible, a “live” working situation should be
created ‑ for example, standards and deadlines should be adhered to
throughout the unit, and the students should operate at all times within
professional codes of practice and conduct.
Scope
of the Project
- The
project should cover all the stages in the development of a
computer based system, from initial study to program specification and
if reasonable, include implementation and review of a working model.
- From
the initial study the terms of reference for the project should be defined,
together with estimates of costs and benefits.
- This
should be followed by the production of a project plan, which should
indicate clearly the timescales and milestones to be used for the management
of the project.
- From
an investigation of the current system, students should produce a clear and
unambiguous description of the required system, using appropriate tools and
methods of analysis.
- This
description should be understandable by users, as should the design of the
proposed system, for which the student should produce a fully documented
system specification to agreed standards.
- From
this should proceed (if reasonable) a plan for the development and
implementation of the proposed system.
- The
project should emphasise systems analysis and design and project management rather than programming.
The actual programming of the proposed system should not form part of
the project, but the project planning should include detailed plans for the
programming, implementation and review stages, including acceptance testing.
- The
student will need to supply appropriate test data for the programmer and
design and carry out the “system” test plans.
- If
a package solution is recommended, the project documentation must show
clearly the research carried out to find a suitable package and show how the
possible solutions were evaluated. N.B. The emphasis should be on analysis and design
so projects that do not include detailed data modelling and design are
unlikely to be considered appropriate.
- Neither
the “programming” nor the “package” approach should preclude the use
of application generators, fourth generation languages or other tools for
software development.
- Implementation
plans should include planning and monitoring the program and system testing,
(including user acceptance testing), user training and support, plus a
review of the success of the project in meeting system objectives.
- If
the project is to be done in the student’s place of employment it may, as
a real project, need to be fully executed in the in-house programming
language. In this case the
actual coding will not form part of the assessed work, which will be
considered to end at the stage where programming specifications and
implementation plans have been completed.
|
