Assessment Block Checklists

Use this page with the assessment timeline. Each block below shows the exact folio pieces that need to exist by the assessment point for that block.

Important

Blocks 1 to 5 are cumulative. Keep earlier work, because later blocks build on it. In particular, keep your project plan, your SRS, your evaluation criteria and your detailed designs editable.

Need a structure to start from?

Use the Document Templates pages in this SAT section for copyable structures for the brief, data-collection evidence, SRS, design ideas, detailed designs and final evaluation report.

Block 1 - Brief and Project Plan

Assessment window: Observation Term 1 Week 10. Submission Term 2 Week 1.

Textbook focus: Chapter 3 - Why develop software?, Documenting problems, Writing a design brief, Project management.

Exact assessment items for this block

[ ] One brief document for your SAT project.
[ ] One proposed Gantt chart covering Unit 3 Outcome 2 and Unit 4 Outcome 1.

Your brief must include

[ ] the real-world problem, need or opportunity
[ ] an explanation of why a software solution is needed
[ ] the intended users and or client
[ ] the programming language or languages you plan to use
[ ] the relevant programming language features you expect to use in the solution

Your proposed Gantt chart must include

[ ] the full SAT stages: analysis, design, development and evaluation
[ ] the tasks that need to be completed in each stage
[ ] the order of those tasks
[ ] time allocations
[ ] dependencies
[ ] milestones
[ ] the critical path
[ ] coverage of both Unit 3 Outcome 2 and Unit 4 Outcome 1

Your task list in the Gantt chart should already include work such as

[ ] identifying the problem, need or opportunity
[ ] preparing the brief
[ ] collecting data
[ ] creating analytical tools
[ ] writing the SRS
[ ] generating design ideas
[ ] writing evaluation criteria
[ ] producing detailed designs
[ ] development
[ ] testing
[ ] evaluation

Keep this block ready for later

[ ] keep the Gantt chart in an editable format because it will be monitored, modified and annotated later in the SAT

Block 2 - Analysis Documentation

Assessment window: Observation Term 2 Week 2. Submission Term 2 Week 3.

Textbook focus: Chapter 3 - Collecting data, Functional and non-functional requirements, Analytical tools depicting existing processes and systems.

Exact assessment items for this block

[ ] One data-collection evidence package.
[ ] One context diagram.
[ ] One data flow diagram.
[ ] One use case diagram.

Your data-collection evidence package must include

[ ] the data-collection methods you actually used
[ ] the questions, prompts or observation focus for each method used
[ ] the collected responses, notes, observations or report extracts
[ ] enough evidence to work out requirements, constraints, scope, user needs and technical environment

If you used interviews, include

[ ] the interview questions
[ ] the interview notes and or responses

If you used surveys or questionnaires, include

[ ] the actual survey questions
[ ] the collected results

If you used observations, include

[ ] what process or system was observed
[ ] what was recorded from the observation

If you used reports or secondary data, include

[ ] the report name or source
[ ] the relevant findings you used

Your analytical tools must

[ ] match the data you collected
[ ] depict the existing process, system and user interactions you investigated
[ ] show the relationships between users, data and systems
[ ] be consistent with each other

Block 3 - Software Requirements Specification

Assessment window: Observation Term 2 Week 4. Submission Term 2 Week 5.

Textbook focus: Chapter 3 - Functional and non-functional requirements, Constraints, Scope, Software requirements specifications.

Exact assessment item for this block

[ ] One formal software requirements specification, or SRS.

Your SRS must include

[ ] a cover page
[ ] the project name
[ ] the author name or names
[ ] contact details
[ ] the version of the proposed system
[ ] a table of contents
[ ] numbered headings and subheadings
[ ] page numbers
[ ] the identified problem, need or opportunity
[ ] user characteristics
[ ] technical environment
[ ] functional requirements
[ ] non-functional requirements
[ ] constraints
[ ] scope
[ ] the analytical tools that depict existing processes and systems

Your functional requirements section must

[ ] state what the solution must do
[ ] be based on the data you collected

Your non-functional requirements section must

[ ] state quality requirements
[ ] be measurable
[ ] be relevant to your solution

Your SRS appendices should include

[ ] interview evidence
[ ] survey or questionnaire evidence
[ ] observation evidence
[ ] report evidence
[ ] any other supporting analysis evidence used to build the SRS

Presentation requirements for the SRS

[ ] use consistent formatting
[ ] read like a professional document
[ ] be clear enough to guide the design stage directly

Block 4 - Design Ideas and Evaluation Criteria

Assessment window: Observation Term 2 Week 5. Submission Term 2 Week 6.

Textbook focus: Chapter 4 - Generating design ideas, Evaluating design ideas, Evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of solutions.

Exact assessment items for this block

[ ] Two to three different design ideas.
[ ] One evaluation criteria table.
[ ] A recorded evaluation result for each design against the criteria.

Each design idea must

[ ] be a genuine alternative, not a tiny variation of the same idea
[ ] respond to the same SRS
[ ] show both functionality and appearance
[ ] show that you considered requirements and constraints
[ ] be documented using ideation tools such as mood boards, brainstorming, mind maps, sketches or annotated sketches

Your evaluation criteria table must

[ ] be written as questions
[ ] be set out clearly in a table
[ ] allow each design to be judged against the same criteria
[ ] record the outcome for each design idea

Your evaluation criteria should cover the criteria that are relevant to your solution, such as

[ ] accessibility
[ ] accuracy
[ ] attractiveness
[ ] clarity
[ ] communication of message
[ ] completeness
[ ] maintainability
[ ] readability
[ ] relevance
[ ] timeliness
[ ] usability
[ ] cost of data and file manipulation
[ ] functionality
[ ] speed of processing
[ ] ease of use
[ ] implementation time
[ ] scalability
[ ] future modification and enhancement
[ ] how well the design satisfies requirements
[ ] how well the design copes with constraints
[ ] development cost and maintenance cost
[ ] compatibility with existing hardware, software, data and procedures
[ ] training requirements for users or staff

By the end of this block, you should be able to identify

[ ] which design idea is your preferred design for detailed design work

Keep this block ready for later

[ ] keep the evaluation criteria editable because the same criteria will be used later to evaluate the final software solution

Block 5 - Detailed Designs

Assessment window: Observation Term 2 Week 6. Submission Term 2 Week 7.

Textbook focus: Chapter 4 - Methods of expressing software designs, Data dictionaries, Object descriptions, Mock-ups, IPO charts, Pseudocode, UX, design principles and data protection considerations.

Exact assessment item for this block

[ ] One detailed design package for your preferred design.

Your detailed design package should include the full set of design tools covered in this block

[ ] a data dictionary
[ ] object descriptions
[ ] mock-ups and annotated diagrams
[ ] IPO charts
[ ] pseudocode

Your data dictionary must show

[ ] variable or data structure names
[ ] type
[ ] size
[ ] scope
[ ] purpose
[ ] format and or example where useful

Your object descriptions must show

[ ] object or class names
[ ] properties and attributes
[ ] methods
[ ] events where relevant
[ ] inheritance or relationships where relevant

Your mock-ups and annotated diagrams must show

[ ] the intended appearance of the interface
[ ] screen layout
[ ] labels, fields, buttons, menus or outputs
[ ] annotations that explain function, behaviour or design decisions

Your IPO charts must show

[ ] the selected functional requirement
[ ] the required input
[ ] the process steps
[ ] the output

Your pseudocode must show

[ ] the logic of the solution in structured English
[ ] sequence where needed
[ ] selection where needed
[ ] iteration where needed
[ ] enough detail that it can guide coding later

The whole detailed design package must

[ ] match the preferred design chosen in Block 4
[ ] stay consistent with the SRS
[ ] stay consistent with the analytical tools
[ ] incorporate user experience considerations
[ ] incorporate design principles that affect appearance and functionality
[ ] account for privacy, ownership or data-protection issues where they apply to your solution
[ ] be detailed enough to build from in Unit 4

What to Keep Editable for the Rest of the SAT

[ ] your Gantt chart
[ ] your evaluation criteria
[ ] your detailed design package

These three items continue into later SAT work, especially testing, evaluation and project-plan review.