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.

Approach to 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.

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