Unit 3: Software Development

SD Unit 3 - Area of Study 1
Systems analysis and design

SD Unit 3 Outcome 1 - 50% of semester SAC marks

Analyse an organisation's networked information system and propose physical design specifications to improve it. Includes a written report (including documentation of analysis and design) (80%) and a labelled visual representation of a networked information system. (20%)

SD KK3.1.03- types of networks, and strengths and weaknesses of different network topologies

SD KK3.1.07- threats to data integrity and security of information, including deliberate actions, accidental actions and technical failures

SD KK3.1.08- technical underpinnings of actions that threaten the security of information stored and transmitted, including viruses, trojans, spyware, hacking and denial of service

SD KK3.1.09- security devices and procedures available to protect data and information;

SD KK3.1.10- The systems development life cycle (SDLC) and techniques for managing this, including a detailed study of the waterfall model of the SDLC and an overview of rapid application development (RAD), prototyping, and Agile models

SD KK3.1.11- the analysis phase of the SDLC, including identification of what systems currently do and what new or modified systems have to do

SD KK3.1.14- the design phase of the SDLC, including identification of the components (people, procedures, data and equipment) that will enable the logical design specifications to be implemented

SD KK3.1.12- tools for representing the logical designs of networked information systems, including context diagrams, data flow diagrams, data dictionaries

SD KK3.1.15- tools for representing the physical designs of the new or modified systems, including system flow charts, structure charts

SD KK3.2.06- methods of expressing software design using data tables and algorithms, including an overview of [program] flow charts, pseudocode, Nassi-Shneiderman diagrams, object descriptions and a detailed understanding of one of them

Note: system flow charts are not the same as [program] flow charts... This description comes from tiscali.reference ...

A system flow chart, or data flow chart, is used to describe the flow of data through a complete data-processing system. Different graphic symbols represent the clerical operations involved and the different input, storage, and output equipment required. Although the flow chart may indicate the specific programs used, no details are given of how the programs process the data. In other words, it's like a DFD.

A program flow chart is used to describe the flow of data through a particular computer program, showing the exact sequence of operations performed by that program in order to process the data. Different graphic symbols are used to represent data input and output, decisions, branches, and subroutines.

SD Unit 3 - Area of Study 2
Software development

SD Unit 3 Outcome 2 - 50% of semester SAC marks

Produce a software module (not necessarily a full-blown application) suitable for use on a portable computing device (e.g. laptop, mobile phone, PDA, games console) [80%]. Verify its performance. Explain how the program has taken into account an ethical dilemma or a legal obligation. [20%]

SD KK3.2.01- stages of software development, including design, development and testing

SD KK3.2.09- legal obligations of programmers and ethical considerations regarding the development of programming solutions

This means mainly privacy and copyright legislation.

Unit 4: Software development

SD Unit 4 - Area of Study 1
Software engineering

Outcome 1 - 50% of semester SAC marks

- Produce purpose-designed software that takes into account a networked information system objective and the needs of end-users. Use the same programming language used in unit 3. Include internal documentation. 70%
- User documentation and explain how custom software may cause conflict between program developers and end-users in a test or written report. 30%

SD KK4.1.13- the relationship between the developers of purpose-designed software and end-users.

SD Unit 4 - Area of Study 2
Systems engineering: Development, implementation and evaluation

SD Unit 4 Outcome 2 - 50% of semester SAC marks

Propose and justify strategies for managing, developing, implementing and evaluating a new networked information system that will operate in a global environment - a test or written report.

Editorial - Luckily for kids who are doing ITA, this outcome is nearly pure ITA in content! It has nearly NO technical content. Part of the aim of revising the previous course (Information Systems) into SD was to remove this sort of overlap between ITA and SD. Sigh!

SD KK4.2.01- purposes for organisations using information systems in a global environment

"information systems in a global environment" = internet, basically!

• communication within multinational organisations
• communication with clients (e.g. customer support), customers, business partners
• advertising
• online sales

SD KK4.2.02- advantages and disadvantages for organisations and society in using information systems in a global environment

Advantages

• the convenvenience of shopping online
• accessibility to services and products by disabled people
• consumers can access a far greater range of suppliers
• organisations can communicate and collaborate instantly even across the globe (e.g. virtual teams)
• organisations can reach a much larger market
• even small organisations can enjoy competitiveness in a global marketplace
• even if you have a very esoteric interests, you can enjoy the support of like-minded people from around the world
• having social interaction you might not be able to enjoy face-to-face because of disability, shyness or other reasons
• entertainment
• the ability to telecommute or work from any location at any time
• the ability to create virtual communities
• the ability for families to keep in constant touch even if they are widely separated

Disadvantages

• organisations or individuals without internet access are disadvantaged
• people without credit cards are disadvantaged
• electronic crime is a constant threat and vigilance must be maintained at all times
• unwelcome communications from people, e.g. spam or abusive emails
• children are exposed to cyber-stalkers and pornography
• the expense of keeping technologically up-to-date and compatible
• the time and effort required to keep systems protected from viruses, trojans, adware etc
• misuse of facilities by employees (e.g. surfing the net on company time)
• potential cyber-bullying
• 'hate sites'
• misinformation spread by the internet
• the spread of pornography
• once organisations commit themselves to network-based operations, failure of the system can be devastating (e.g. their data storage, VoIP & email communications, office automation, accounting and other essential services can be all disabled by a network failure)
• the threat of large scale data theft
• the threat of accidental or deliberate damage or destruction of vital data
• constant training required to stay up-to-date with technological developments
• the pressure on individuals to be accessible via email
• the pressure on organisations to establish and maintain a website
• time required to deal with growing quantities of email and spam

SD KK4.2.03- the development phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC), including the realisation of the physical design specifications with respect to acquiring the identified hardware requirements, acquiring and/or developing software, identifying required personnel and their knowledge and skills, and assembling and testing the new information systems

SD KK4.2.04- project management tools and techniques to schedule and monitor tasks, assign resources, identify milestones and determine contingency plans

See tutorials on : Gantt and PERT charts

See Project Management key terms

SD KK4.2.05- technical, human, procedural, economic and management factors influencing the acquisition of specific hardware and software components to fulfil design specifications

SD KK4.2.06- testing techniques to ensure that the components operate as intended and to gain acceptance of the networked system

SD KK4.2.07- the implementation phase of the SDLC, including preparation of user documentation, designing and conducting training programs, preparation of disaster recovery plans and the changeover to new systems

SD KK4.2.08- types of system support documentation to assist end-users with the implementation of the proposed information systems

SD KK4.2.09- training requirements for the users of the proposed information system, including location of training and nature of training

SD KK4.2.10- methods for implementing the proposed information systems, including direct, phased, pilot and parallel conversions

SD KK4.2.11- procedures to protect and secure stored and communicated data and information;

SD KK4.2.12- the evaluation phase of the SDLC, including determining if the information system is fulfilling its design specifications

SD KK4.2.12- criteria and strategies for evaluating the performance of the proposed information systems.