GCSE
Information Technology Project
Systems Design
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When using
Information Technology to help you with a particular project you
will need to carry out the following series of processes:
Your
project work will also require testing to make
sure that it performs as expected and all four processes will
require documentation as evidence. A project
will involve the use of a variety of software packages and you
will need to use the skills and concepts that you have learnt in
at least two of the following IT strands - Communicating
Information, Data Handling, Measuring, Control, and Modelling.
Analysis
This
involves looking at the problems and finding out what is involved
before you start:
- Identify
and define the purpose of the project.
- Outline
what solutions or outcomes you hope to achieve by the end
of the project.
- Find
out how the solutions or outcomes of the project are
currently obtained without the use of IT.
- Identify
the intended audiences or users of the system and their
relevant characteristics (limitations of knowledge and
ability).
- Obtain
the views and specific needs of your intended audiences
or users of the system.
- Obtain
background information about the project that may be used
later for preparing questionnaires or reports. (This
should be obtained from a variety of sources - Internet,
CD-ROM, library books, pamphlets and magazines. Remember
information comes in many forms - words, pictures, sounds
and video.)
- Identify
and assess the merits of the hardware and software that
you will need.
- Outline
any choices or ideas you might have for different ways of
carrying out the project.
- Specify
any problems or constraints that you expect to come
across during your project.
Design
This
involves planning out exactly what you intend to do:
- Make a
list or block diagram of the tasks you need to carry out.
- For
each task, describe with reasons whether IT will be used
or not.
- For
each task, describe with reasons what software and
hardware will be used.
- Illustrate
and/or describe the planned layout of data in the
computerised system - sketch for a poster showing content,
layout and fonts; a table showing fields and sample data
for a database including any coding to be used;
spreadsheet showing data, formulae and layout.
- Plan
methods to be used for capturing the data you require -
forms, questionnaires, interviews, letters, sensors, etc.
Sketch out your ideas and decide on question style,
layout, etc.
- Plan
how you intend the data to be input into the computer
system - keyboard, image scanner, email, sensors, OCR
scanner, etc.
- Plan
how you intend to verify and validate the data to ensure
that errors do not occur in the system.
- Illustrate
and/or describe the computer processing that will take
place - calculations, queries, decisions, sorting data,
etc.
- Illustrate
and/or describe the planned output from the system -
graphs, charts, text, images, sounds, movement of robot,
video, etc.
- Plan
how you will test the product to see if it performs as
expected or as required.
- Plan
how you intend to produce a final presentation of your
project to your chosen audience or users.
- Make
sure that whole design proposal matches the needs
analysed earlier.
- Give
reasons for all choices made.
Implementation
This
involves carrying out all the tasks that you have planned to do
and any changes that you may find to be necessary.
- Carry
out all the tasks involved in producing the system,
noting any changes made to your original design.
- Describe
with suitable illustrations how the system works.
- Describe
with suitable illustrations some of the software features
used.
- Produce
documentation giving full instructions for your intended
audience or users of the system.
- Test
your system as planned and produce evidence of the
results.
- Where
possible, implement any changes required as a result of
the testing procedures.
Evaluation
This
involves the drawing of conclusions about your work.
- Discuss
and illustrate the results of your project (if not
already done).
- Discuss
the efficiency, ease of use and appropriateness of the
software and hardware used.
- Discuss
the efficiency, ease of use and appropriateness of your
final solution or presentation.
- Document
any changes made to your original design during its
implementation or as a result of testing.
- Give
reasons for any changes made.
- Give
reasons for not making recommended changes such as a lack
of equipment, expertise or time.
- State
any improvements that could be made if the project were
to be repeated, or repeated under more ideal conditions.
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