SAT Structure and Methodology

The SAT Workflow

Your SAT follows the problem-solving methodology across Unit 3 Outcome 2 and Unit 4 Outcome 1.

Stage	When it happens	What you do
Project management	Unit 3 Outcome 2	Create your project plan in the form of a Gantt chart.
Project management	Unit 4 Outcome 1	Monitor, modify and annotate your project plan, then assess how effective it was.
Analysis	Unit 3 Outcome 2	Document the problem, need or opportunity. Collect data. Apply analysis tools. Work out the requirements, constraints and scope. Write the software requirements specification.
Design	Unit 3 Outcome 2	Generate design ideas. Develop evaluation criteria. Produce detailed designs.
Development	Unit 4 Outcome 1	Build the software solution. Write internal documentation. Use suitable data types, data structures and data sources. Apply naming conventions, validation, debugging and alpha testing. Conduct beta testing.
Evaluation	Unit 4 Outcome 1	Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the software solution.

Big Picture

The SAT is not just about coding. You are expected to show the full path from:

1. identifying a real problem
2. analysing it properly
3. planning a solution
4. designing the solution
5. building it
6. testing it
7. evaluating both the software and your project management