ASSIGNMENT BRIEF

QUALIFICATION UNIT NUMBER AND TITLE

PEARSON BTEC HND IN COMPUTING (RQF) 07. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLES (LEVEL 4)
INTERNAL VERIFIER UNIT TUTOR
MARIAM QASIM
DATE ISSUED SUBMISSION DATE RESUBMISSION DATE
THURSDAY, 05 JANUARY 2023
TH
FRIDAY, 14 APRIL 2023
TH
THURSDAY, 20TH APRIL 2023

ASSIGNMENT TITLE PLANNING A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE AT PEARS

LEARNING OUTCOME AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

PASS MERIT DISTINCTION
LO1 DESCRIBE DIFFERENT SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLES
P1 DESCRIBE TWO ITERATIVE AND TWO D1 ASSESS THE MERITS OF APPLYING THE
M1 DISCUSS USING AN EXAMPLE, WHY A
SEQUENTIAL SOFTWARE LIFECYCLE MODELS. WATERFALL LIFECYCLE MODEL TO A LARGE
PARTICULAR LIFECYCLE MODEL IS SELECTED FOR
P2 EXPLAIN HOW RISK IS MANAGED IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.
A DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT.
SOFTWARE LIFECYCLE MODELS

LO2 EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF A FEASIBILITY STUDY

P3 EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF A FEASIBILITY D2 ASSESS THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT
REPORT. M2 DISCUSS THE COMPONENTS OF A FEASIBILITY CRITERIA ON A SOFTWARE
P4 DESCRIBE HOW TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS CAN FEASIBILITY REPORT. INVESTIGATION.
BE COMPARED.

LO3 UNDERTAKE A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE

P5 UNDERTAKE A SOFTWARE INVESTIGATION
M3 ANALYSE HOW SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS D3 EVALUATE THE PROCESS OF UNDERTAKING
TO MEET A BUSINESS NEED.
CAN BE TRACED THROUGHOUT THE SOFTWARE A SYSTEMS INVESTIGATION WITH REGARDS TO
P6 USE APPROPRIATE SOFTWARE ANALYSIS
LIFECYCLE. ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN IMPROVING A SOFTWARE
TOOLS/TECHNIQUES TO CARRY OUT A
M4 DISCUSS TWO APPROACHES TO QUALITY.
SOFTWARE INVESTIGATION AND CREATE
IMPROVING SOFTWARE QUALITY.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION.
LO4 DISCUSS THE SUITABILITY OF SOFTWARE BEHAVIOURAL DESIGN
TECHNIQUES
M5 ANALYSE A RANGE OF SOFTWARE D4 PRESENT JUSTIFICATIONS OF HOW DATA-
P7 DISCUSS, USING EXAMPLES, THE BEHAVIOURAL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES. DRIVEN SOFTWARE CAN IMPROVE THE
SUITABILITY OF SOFTWARE BEHAVIOURAL M6 DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN A FINITE STATE RELIABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SOFTWARE.
DESIGN TECHNIQUES. MACHINE (FSM) AND AN EXTENDED-FSM,
PROVIDING AN APPLICATION FOR BOTH.

SUBMISSION FORMAT
SECTION 1: THE SUBMISSION FOR LO1 AND LO2 IS IN THE FORM OF TWO SETS OF DOCUMENTATION INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PRESENTATION WITH
DETAILED SPEAKER NOTES/HANDOUTS AND SUITABLE ILLUSTRATIONS AND EXAMPLES.
SECTION 2: THE SUBMISSION FOR LO3 AND LO4 ALSO REQUIRES A PRESENTATION WITH DETAILED SPEAKER NOTES/HANDOUTS AND SUITABLE
ILLUSTRATIONS AND EXAMPLES AS WELL AS A SOFTWARE ANALYSIS AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION WITH APPROPRIATELY FORMATTED REPORTS
AND OTHER DOCUMENTS AS REQUIRED.
THIS SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN A CONCISE, FORMAL BUSINESS STYLE USING SINGLE SPACING AND FONT SIZE 12. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE USE OF
HEADINGS, PARAGRAPHS AND SUBSECTIONS AS APPROPRIATE, AND ALL WORK MUST BE SUPPORTED WITH RESEARCH AND REFERENCED USING THE
HARVARD REFERENCING SYSTEM. PLEASE ALSO PROVIDE A BIBLIOGRAPHY USING THE HARVARD REFERENCING SYSTEM. THE RECOMMENDED WORD
LIMIT IS 2,000–2,500 WORDS, ALTHOUGH YOU WILL NOT BE PENALISED FOR EXCEEDING THE TOTAL WORD LIMIT.
NOTE: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK FOR PLAGIARISM CHECKING. NO WORK WILL BE CONSIDERED IF IT CONTAINS PLAGIARISM MORE
THAN THE ACCEPTABLE LEVEL DEFINED AS PER ICMS’S PLAGIARISM POLICY.

ASSIGNMENT SCENARIO AND GUIDANCE: SECTION 1 (LO1 & LO2)

SCENARIO
THERE IS A NEW NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (NGO) “PEARS” IN TOWN AND THEY HAVE CONTACTED YOU TO DEVELOP AN INFORMATION
SYSTEM FOR THEM. PEARS IS COMPOSED OF A MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT MIND SETS INCLUDING PERSONS WHO ARE SKILLED WITH WHAT
THEY DO AND FRESH HIRES.
YOU ARE FACING A BACKLASH FOR SIGNING UP WITH THEM AS THE NGO IS NEW AND THE INFORMATION SYSTEM THEY WANT YOU TO BUILD FOR THEM
IS COSTLY IN NATURE. PEARS HAS PEOPLE WORKING FOR THEM WHICH HAVE A VERY OLD MIND SET AND ARE NOT EXACTLY VERY WELCOMING TOWARDS
FRESH HIRES AND NEW IDEAS. THEY ARE AFRAID OF THE CHANGES MADE IN THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF MANAGING OPERATIONS AND YOU HAVE TO
CONVINCE THEM TO FOLLOW A NEW MODERN APPROACH.
THE DISCUSSION UNDER PROCESS IS CURRENTLY RELATED WITH WHICH SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT MODEL IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TO USE IN THIS
SCENARIO, THE BEST GO TO LIFE CYCLE MODELS AND WAYS TO IMPROVE SERVICES USING THE INFORMATION SYSTEM WHICH IS TO BE BUILT AS
COMPARED TO OTHER COMPANIES. SOME OF YOUR NEW COLLEAGUES AT PEARS FAVOUR OLD TRIED AND TESTED WAYS, OTHERS FAVOUR NEWER
METHODS AND SOME ARE IN FAVOUR OF USING DIFFERENT METHODS FOR DIFFERENT PROJECTS, ACCORDING TO THE SITUATION.
AS A NEW HIRE, YOU ARE SEEN TO BE BOTH NEUTRAL TO THE ARGUMENTS AND HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF UP TO DATE METHODS. CONSEQUENTLY YOU ARE
BEING TASKED TO PREPARE AND DEMONSTRATE OPTIONS IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT AREAS RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSIONS AT PEARS, BASED ON THE
PARTICULAR NEEDS OF AN NGO.
IN THE FIRST INSTANCE YOU ARE BEING EXPECTED TO STUDY DIFFERENT SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLES AND PRODUCE A PRESENTATION AND
DETAILED LECTURE NOTES SUPPORTING YOUR IDEAS. (~250 WORDS PER SLIDE)
1. THE WATERFALL MODEL IS POPULAR AMONG SOME OF YOUR COLLEAGUES, PRODUCE AN ASSESSMENT OF THE MERITS OF APPLYING IT TO A LARGE
SCALE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT SPECIFIC TO A NGO. BEAR IN MIND THERE ARE SEVERAL VERSIONS OF THIS MODEL.
2. PRODUCE A PRESENTATION DESCRIBING TWO ITERATIVE SOFTWARE LIFECYCLE MODELS AND TWO SEQUENTIAL SOFTWARE LIFECYCLE MODELS. STUDY
AND SHOW HOW RISK IS MANAGED IN EACH OF THESE MODELS.
3. THEN TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS ALL CLEAR, PRODUCE SLIDES WITH DISCUSSION, ILLUSTRATED BY AN EXAMPLE, AS TO WHY A PARTICULAR LIFECYCLE
MODEL MIGHT BE CHOSEN FOR A PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT. MAKE BOTH SIDES OF THE DISCUSSION CLEAR AND DETAILED.
4. CRITICALLY EVALUATE AND ASSESS THE MERITS OF APPLYING THE WATERFALL LIFECYCLE MODEL OF A LARGE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN
RELATION TO NGO INFORMATION SYSTEMS
FOR THE SECOND PART OF THIS, A REPORT IS NEEDED. THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DISCUSSION OVER THE QUALITY OF SOME SPECIFICATIONS PUT TO THE
COMPANY FOR DEVELOPMENT AND THE ISSUE OF FEASIBILITY HAS COME TO THE FRONT. YOUR NEXT TASK IS THEREFORE TO EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE
FEASIBILITY STUDIES CAN HAVE ON THE WHOLE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR NGO INFORMATION SYSTEMS. TO THIS END YOU WILL HAVE TO PRODUCE
THE REPORT THAT INCLUDES ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. AN ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT DIFFERENT FEASIBILITY CRITERIA HAVE ON A SOFTWARE INVESTIGATION IN RELATION TO NGO INFORMATION
SYSTEMS.
2. AN EXPLANATION OF THE PURPOSE OF DOING A FEASIBILITY REPORT ON A POTENTIAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT IN RELATION TO NGO INFORMATION
SYSTEMS.
3. A DISCUSSION OF THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS THAT MAKE UP A FEASIBILITY REPORT IN RELATION TO NGO INFORMATION SYSTEMS.
4. A DESCRIPTION OF HOW ALTERNATIVE TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS CAN BE COMPARED EFFECTIVELY.
5. ASSESS AND CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF THE FEASIBILITY CRITERIA ON THE SOFTWARE INVESTIGATION IN RELATION TO NGO INFORMATION
SYSTEMS
ASSIGNMENT SCENARIO AND GUIDANCE: SECTION 2 (LO3 & LO4)
NGOS NEED CONTINUOUS SUPPORT IN A COST EFFECTIVE MANNER FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT. THIS WORK HAS BEEN WELL RECEIVED
AT PEARS AND YOU HAVE NOW BEEN TRUSTED TO ACTUALLY CARRY OUT SOME OF THE WORK. YOUR WORK WILL BE EXAMINED AS YOU ARE EXPECTED
TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT, AS WELL AS ALTERNATIVES HAVE BEEN ASSESSED.
YOU ARE EXPECTED TO EVALUATE THE PROCESS OF UNDERTAKING A SYSTEMS INVESTIGATION AT PEARS WITH REGARDS TO ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN
IMPROVING SOFTWARE QUALITY. TOWARDS THIS YOU WILL NEED TO INCLUDE A DISCUSSION OF TWO APPROACHES TO IMPROVING SOFTWARE QUALITY.
TO GIVE YOU MATERIAL TO WORK FROM YOU WILL NEED TO UNDERTAKE A SOFTWARE INVESTIGATION INTO MEETING A PARTICULAR BUSINESS NEED (SEE
BELOW). FOR THIS YOU WILL NEED TO UTILISE THE MOST APPROPRIATE SOFTWARE ANALYSIS TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TO CARRY OUT THE INVESTIGATION
AND CREATE THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION.
DURING THE PROCESS PRODUCE AN ANALYSIS OF HOW SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS CAN BE TRACED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SOFTWARE LIFECYCLE.
PEARS IS TRYING TO RAISE ITS PROFILE IN THE REGION AND HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE NGO INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE (NIC). THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR EXPERTISE AND UNDERSTANDING OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT VIA A
SOFTWARE INVESTIGATION FOR DEVELOPING AN NIC SOFTWARE SYSTEM.
YOU ARE BEING TASKED WITH THE SOFTWARE INVESTIGATION INTO THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE WHOLE PROCESS FROM
ENTERING NIC, TO DOCUMENTING THE FINAL RESULTS AND ALLOCATING PRIZES THROUGH AN NIC SOFTWARE SYSTEM. THIS WILL TAKE SOME RESEARCH
ON YOUR PART BUT A LIST OF ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS IS AVAILABLE (UNFORTUNATELY IT ISN’T A COMPLETE LIST, YOU WILL HAVE TO IDENTIFY AND
INCLUDE OTHERS AS THEY ARISE.)
 MANAGE AND CREATE ENTRIES BY NIC PARTICIPANTS
 RECORD ENTRY FEE PAYMENTS FOR NIC
 MANAGE STAFFING, MARSHALS, JUDGES, TIMEKEEPERS ETC. BOTH VOLUNTEERS AND PAID STAFF AT NIC
 RECORD RESULTS AND TRACK NIC PARTICIPANTS
  RECORD PAYMENTS TO SUPPLIERS FOR NIC
 TRACK SUPPLIERS FOR NIC
 TRACK MEDIA, TV RADIO, PRINT, ONLINE ACCESS AND PASSES FOR NIC
 MANAGE ENHANCED AUDIENCE PLACES AT NIC
 PRODUCE CERTIFICATES TO GO WITH MEDALS FOR THOSE WHO COMPLETE THE COURSE WITH TIME, NAME ETC. FOR NIC ENTRIES ARE
EXPECTED TO BE IN THE USUAL MULTIPLE HUNDREDS.
 YOUR FINAL TASK IS TO LOOK INTO THE SUITABILITY OF SOFTWARE BEHAVIOURAL DESIGN TECHNIQUES WITH A VIEW FOR THE NIC ADOPTING
APPROPRIATE ONES
FIRST: PREPARE A PRESENTATION WHICH UNDERTAKES A SOFTWARE INVESTIGATION MEETING THE BUSINESS NEEDS OF NIC. THIS PRESENTATION SHOULD
ALSO INCLUDE SOFTWARE ANALYSIS OF TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT A SOFTWARE INVESTIGATION FOR THE NIC SYSTEM AND
CREATE SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION THROUGH SLIDES. THE PRESENTATION SHOULD ALSO EXAMINE WAYS IN WHICH NIC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS WILL BE
TRACED THROUGHOUT THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. THE PRESENTATION SHOULD ALSO SUGGEST TWO WAYS IN WHICH SOFTWARE QUALITY
CAN BE IMPROVED FOR THE NIC SYSTEM. FINALLY, CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE PROCESS OF NIC SOFTWARE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS WITH
REGARDS TO IMPROVING THE NIC SOFTWARE QUALITY WITHIN YOUR PRESENTATION.
SECONDLY, PRODUCE A REPORT WHICH DISCUSSES THE SUITABILITY OF SOFTWARE BEHAVIOUR DESIGN TECHNIQUES IN RELATION TO THE NIC SOFTWARE
SOLUTION. THIS REPORT SHOULD ALSO ANALYSE A RANGE OF SOFTWARE BEHAVIOURAL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES WHICH CAN BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN
THE NIC SOFTWARE SOLUTION. MOREOVER, IT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED THAT THERE IS SOME CONFUSION AMONGST YOUR COLLEAGUES AT PEARS
REGARDING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A FINITE STATE MACHINE AND AN EXTENDED FINITE STATE MACHINE, AS YOU HAVE STUDIED THIS AREA RECENTLY
YOU NOW NEED TO PRODUCE AN EXPLANATION OF THE DIFFERENCES USING SUITABLE EXAMPLES OF AN APPLICATION FOR EACH WITHIN THE REPORT.
FINALLY WITHIN THE REPORT; ONE FACTION WITHIN THE DEVELOPERS AT PEARS HAVE STATED THAT DATA DRIVEN SOFTWARE CAN BE SEEN TO IMPROVE
THE RELIABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SOFTWARE FOR NIC. YOUR TASK IS TO PRODUCE A SECTION THAT USES MULTIPLE JUSTIFICATIONS TO SUPPORT
THIS POINT OF VIEW AS FINAL PART OF YOUR REPORT.

EVIDENCE CHECKLIST SUMMARY OF EVIDENCE REQUIRED BY STUDENT

LO1 & LO2 SECTION 1: PRESENTATION + DETAILED LECTURE NOTES, REPORT (2,000 TO 2.500 WORDS)
LO3 & LO4 SECTION 2: PRESENTATION + DETAILED LECTURE NOTES, REPORT (2,000 TO 2.500 WORDS)