Big questions:

 
Is there a real client for your solution ?
( If you are your own client, it is
unrealistic to get assume that the
feedback given at the end is
meaningful.)
 
Did you decide on a product and then
find a client? This will lead to an
unengaged client who might not have
any real stake in your product.
 
Was the solution implemented?  Is it
used by the client?
 
Has the client given formal feedback
to the solution ?
 
Crit A :
 
A. Success Criteria :
  
For each Success Criteria, ask :
 
(i) Is it specific and testable ?  (Remember that your test plan in Crit B
will be derived straight from your CFS)
 
(ii) Is it explicitly addressed in
     -  the test plan (Criterion B)
     - and in the evaluation (Criterion E)
     -  and in the screencast 
 
A. Has the scenario been described ? Does this explicitly reference key points
from client consultation transcipt ?
 
A. Did you explore and analyze choices of software before deciding on your
final choice?
 
A. Have you explicitly consulted the client ? Is there proof for this in
Appendix ?
 
A. Have you explained the benefit of the platform being chosen from a client's
perspective? (not generic comments like "java is multi-platform" OR "it is
user-friendly" OR "I am familiar with it" OR “I already have it installed on
my computer)
 
A. Did you include success criteria as part of the Rationale? If so, take it out.
 
Eg: If the chosen product is a phone app, then the candidate should
justify the reason the phone app (rather than a website or a stand-alone
application, for example) is the most suitable solution, based on the
scenario and client’s requests.
 

Crit B :
 
"the following will not be receiving credit under Design: solution
overviews that are generated by the IDE, UML design that is clearly
derived from the final product, code fragments and screenshots from the
final product." - IB Subject Report
  
According to the IB Guide, Crit B should include "overall structure, internal structures
and descriptions of specific elements, such as layout design, data tables, entity
relationships, query design, non-standard algorithms, and data structures"
 
 
Record of Task:
 
    - Complete ? Did you update it to include the items that you did
since Crit B was originally submitted? Do the entries make sense
looking back from where you are now ? (eg: does your design dates
come after your coding dates? If so, change accordingly)
 
    - Does it include all the stages ? Crit A-E? Did all 5 stages (plan,
design, develop, test and implement) get a few entries each with design
and develop getting the most.
 
Note: Implement => where the client actually use the product before
giving feedback.
 
    - Do the dates make sense? Does it follow order of SDLC ? For e.g.
Is client testing date before implementation date ? 
 
    - Does it include dates for Final Implementation  - the actual
intended use of the product by the client ? Are dates for testing by
client included ?
 
   - Are there too many entries referring to writing of the IA
documentation itself? Doesn't look good… Take them out!
 
Design Overview :
 
• Does it include at least a few items from the document at Crit B  (Web
view) - flowcharts? UML Diagrams? Pseudocode ?
 
 
     -     Does it have any elements of the final product? Screenshots of
code fragments/ final product ? If so, remove it. This is still "Design
phase"
 
     -     Did you include any prototypes you developed for the Client ?
If so, did you document it with a client interview transcript? Did you
get formal feedback from the client? Is the final product a clear
improvement on the prototype ? (A prototype will be defined as "a
nonfunctional version of the solution in order to receive feedback from
the client".)
 
Does your design support extensibility of your product? If so, have you
explained it?
 
 
Is the product designed so that it can be maintained by another party and/or
be further developed. ?
 
Does the design of the product include appropriate folder and data
structures,
intuitive file and/or class naming conventions and, where appropriate,
comments in the code? This is what will make your product extensible.
 
Test Plan
     -      is it aligned with and address ALL of the Success Criteria ?
 

Crit C :
 
"A seemingly complex product without proper explanations of complex
techniques used in the product, only achieves moderate complexity. " -
IB Subject Report
 
Have you explained the important algorithms/ code fragments ?
 
Does your document sound like a user guide with minimal
unexplained code? If so, modify it to show the algorithms and the
techniques used.
 
Have you justified the complexity of the product ? (NO
EXPLANATION => NO CREDIT)
 
Have you justified ingenuity of the product ? (This could range from
sophisticated techniques using complex data structures (stacks,
queues etc appropriate to your IA) to simple ideas in GUI design that
makes the user's life easier)
 
Read Ingenuity section at Uncommon wisdom and Complexity if you
have questions regarding this.
 
Are you including any design decisions (database tables, UML
diagrams, class definitions etc) here ? If so, it should be moved to Crit
B.
 

Crit D : The Screencast

 
Technical :
 
Is it less than 7 minutes in length ?
 
 Is it in a cross-platform format that can be viewed easily by the
moderator? (.mp4, .avi etc)
 
Was the screen resolution adjusted before recording a screencast?
Has the result become too small to be viewed?
 
Content:
 
Did you create a script (or a general outline of what you are going to talk
about) ? (Always a good idea)
 
Did you refer to and use the Criteria for Success (Criterion A) and the
test plan (Criterion B) to structure the screencast?
 
Were you able to demonstrate the proper and comprehensive
evidence of the working of your solution with lots of data?  Did you
include all the crucial inputs and corresponding functionality of your
product?
  
Does it include narration of how the solution works ?
 
Are you using all 7 minutes efficiently? Did you edit out long pauses,
tedious data entry, other not-so-important aspects of product?
 
Are you spending most of your time focusing on the actual
functionality of the solution ? OR Are you spending time talking about
how you developed the product ? It must be the former.
 
Are you spending too much time talking about :
     - how you developed your solution ?
     - focusing on the UI ?
• Introducing the idea of the IA/ talking about the client ( remember this
is already done in Crit A)
• - GET TO THE POINT!!
 
Did you do a write-up/documentation for Crit D ? Not required!
 
Are you showing evidence of changes made to data structures and/or
files ? This is one way to show your product functions according to
requirements.
 
 
 

Crit E :
 
"The final product (after testing) is expected to be implemented and
used by the client for an extended period of time before client feedback
is given." - IB Subject Report
 
Does the evaluation directly refer to success criteria ?
 
Does it show evidence of client involvement ?
 
Did the client use your product for an extended period of time before
feedback was given ?
 
Is the client feedback interview part of your Appendix ? If so, has it
been referred to while writing the evaluation. (You will not get a 5 or a
6 if this is not done)
 
Are recommendations for improvements realistic ?
 
Do recommendations go beyond the success criteria that have not
been met ?
 
 

Appendix :
 
Is the code listing properly structured and annotated ?
 
Has evidence of original client consultation been included ? What
about client feedback after implementation ?
 
Did you develop a solution for yourself without a client? If so, have
you provided evidence of consultation with the adviser (normally this
would be the CS teacher) ?
 
Did you attach an audio file for evidence of client consultation? If so, it
is not acceptable. It needs to be in the form of a transcript.
 

Cover Page:
Did you check if ALL of the hyperlinks work? Did you do this on a
different computer? (ideally one that runs a different OS)
 
Have you added instructions to run your product? If your product
needs a username/password, have you included those details on the
cover page?
 
Did you remove all identifying information of real people? (No names
of clients either in the documentation)
 
Did you include a word count at the bottom of the cover page ?
 
Are all the information on this page specific to your IA? Please delete
any information that was on the sample that are not relevant to you.