Unit 22: Application Development

Authorised Assignment Brief 1

Student Name/ ID
Number

Unit Number and Title Unit 22: Application Development

Academic Year

Unit Tutor

Assignment Title Software Development Lifecycles on Large-scale Projects

Issue Date

Submission Date

Submission Format

The submission is in the form of the following.

A written Portfolio undertaking a software development lifecycle investigation for a
specified problem. The Portfolio will include the following.

● Planning documentation produced to define and scope the problem and

intended solution, including a requirements analysis and functional
and non-functional requirements
● Solution design documents produced to meet the requirements of a
given problem, including logical, algorithmic and data designs. produced
in a suitable format (e.g. flowchart, pseudocode, DFDs )
● Development documentation, including records of testing and review
processes and refinements made to the application throughout
developmen
● Support documentation, including user and technical manuals

● The recommended word limit is 4000–7000 words, although you will not be
penalised for exceeding the total word limit
● Implemented application (final working version) in a format suitable to
be run and assessed for functionality.

Effective assignment design for the Higher Nationals in Computing/Computing

for England: Authorised Assignment Briefs – Issue 1 – August 2022 © Pearson
Education Limited 2022
Unit Learning Outcomes

Unit 22
LO1 Produce a software design document for a business-related problem
based on requirements
LO2 Research design and development tools and methodologies for the
creation of a business application
LO3 Plan and produce a functional business application with support
documentation
LO4 Evaluate the performance of a business application against its
software design document and initial requirements.

Transferable skills and competencies developed

Computing-related cognitive skills

● Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts,
principles and theories relating to computing and computer applications
● Use such knowledge and understanding in the modelling and design of
computer-based systems for the purposes of comprehension,
communication, prediction and the understanding of trade-offs
● Recognise and analyse criteria and specifications appropriate to specific
problems, and plan strategies for their solutions
● Analyse the extent to which a computer-based system meets the criteria
defined for its current use and future development
● Deploy appropriate theory, practices and tools for the design,
implementation and evaluation of computer-based systems.
Computing-related practical skills
● The ability to evaluate systems in terms of quality attributes and
possible trade-offs presented within the given problem
● The ability to plan and manage projects to deliver computing systems within
constraints of requirements, timescale and budget
● The ability to recognise any risks and safety aspects that may be
involved in the deployment of computing systems within a given
context

● The ability to deploy effectively the tools used for the construction and
documentation of computer applications, with particular emphasis on
understanding the whole process involved in the effective deployment of
computers to solve practical problems
● The ability to critically evaluate and analyse complex problems, including
those with incomplete information, and devise appropriate solutions, within
the constraints of a budget.
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 Generic skills for employability
● Intellectual skills: critical thinking; making a case; numeracy and literacy

● Self-management: self-awareness and reflection; goal setting and

action planning, independence and adaptability; acting on initiative;
innovation and creativity
● Contextual awareness, e.g. the ability to understand and meet the needs of
individuals, business and the community, and to understand how workplaces
and organisations are governed.

Vocational scenario

You work as a junior software developer at Phonyt Digital Solutions, an

independent software development company that specialises in designing
bespoke computer systems to meet client needs.
Enomy-Finances is an organisation in the financial sector that provides advice
and services related to mortgages, savings and investments.
Enomy-Finances has recently seen an increase in demand for its services and is
expanding to meet this demand. They would like a new computer system to
support both staff and clients.
The project client – the Enomy-Finances Chief Technical Officer – has asked PDS if
they would be interested in designing and implementing the new computer
system. The client has specified that the new system must be deployed on
an upgraded infrastructure.
The CEO has asked you carry out a preliminary software investigation on the new
system to be developed prior to taking on the project.
You are to identify the appropriate software methodology to be used should PDS
agree to take on the project. You have also been asked to carry out a basic
investigation into the project to determine scope, requirements and
constraints, and to identify core system processes.
You are also required to generate some simple software designs to present to the
project client to make sure that you have understood their requirements
correctly.
PDS has a range of in-house expertise using a range of software development
paradigms – Event, Object Oriented, Procedural and Functional Programming. You
have been given the freedom to select the most appropriate development
approach and the appropriate project lifecycle methodology.
The requirements of the Enomy-Finances project are listed in Appendix 1 Enomy-
Finances Client Project Information. It contains further information about the
application you are required to investigate. Ensure that you read the information
carefully before you attempt this assignment.
The current system is a networked application but the project client has
expressed an interest in possibly moving to a web-based system.
The project client has agreed that, if required, they can be available throughout
Effective assignment design for the Higher Nationals in Computing/Computing
for England: Authorised Assignment Briefs – Issue 1 – August 2022 © Pearson
Education Limited 2022
the project to answer any questions.
Note: The student can select another scenario

Assignment activity and guidance

Activity 1
Write a research paper that explores how the needs of Enomy-Finance can be
me, through the development of a computer application.
Your research paper should include the following.
● A definition of the problem that needs to be solved, including user
and system requirements that need to be met (P1)
● Consideration of different risks to this software project and to software
lifecycle models in general, and how these risks can be managed (P2)
● Recommendation of an appropriate SDLC model that could be implemented,
supported by:

o a discussion of which design and development tools would be

suitable to implement the solution (P3)
o supported judgements as to which design and development tools
will be used and the preferred methodology undertaken (M2)
Activity 2
Apply an appropriate software development approach to plan the implementation of
the application for the Enomy-Finances project.
As part of your planning you should:
● design a solution that could be implemented and which communicates
effectively understanding of the program, including:
o algorithmic software designs, for example, flowcharts, pseudocode (M1, D1)
o logical software design, including a finite state machine (FSM) and an
extended FSM (M1, D1)
o data designs, e.g. DFDs, ERDs data dictionaries. (M1, D1)
● You should ensure that you review your designs with others, recording the
feedback received and actioning it to refine your proposed solution.
(P4)
Use your improved designs to implement a functional business application to
meet the requirements of the Enomy-Finances project. You should:
● interpret and implement a given design while remaining compliant with
security and maintainability requirements. (M3)
● apply an appropriate software development methodology/SDLC to
manage the development process. (P5 M4)
● apply appropriate algorithms, logic and data structures. (P5 M4)

● build, manage and deploy code for the business application into a relevant
environment and link code to data sets. (P5 M4)
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 ● document the testing and refinement process, including creation of test plans
and other quality assurance documents. (P5 M4)
● produce user and technical manuals to support the use and
implementation of the application. (P5 M4)

Activity 3 Evaluate the process

Produce a formal presentation (with supporting notes) that communicates an
evaluation of your solution to your manager. The report should include the
following.
● Evaluation of the suitability of your solution in relation to the needs of
Enomy-Finances, to include:

o an analysis of the suitability of your chosen design and

development tools and techniques for solving the given problem in
comparison to other tools and techniques that could be used,
ensuring coverage of algorithmic, logical and data designs. (M4)
o a critical review of undertaking a systems investigation which led to
the design, development and testing of the solution and how it
ensured improved reliability and effectiveness of the solution,
including consideration of how risks were addressed. (M5)
o a review of the performance of the application against identified
requirements. (P6)
● An assessment of how feedback was acted on to improve the solution,
including justification of actions taken and any feedback that was
not acted on. (M5)
● Recommendations for future improvements to the solution, including a
supported rationale for these suggested improvements. (D2)

You should support the points you make in the report with well-chosen examples
from the information booklet, and other relevant examples from any research
you have carried out on related sectors or projects.

Recommended resources
Please note that the resources listed are examples for you to use as a
starting point in your research – the list is not definitive.

Weblinks - general:
https://brilliant.org/ (n.d.) Finite State Machines [online] Available at:
https://brilliant.org/wiki/finite-state-machines/ [Accessed 1 August 2022]
https://edu.google.com/ (n.d.) Exploring Computational Thinking [online] Available
at: https://edu.google.com/resources/programs/exploring-computational-thinking/
[Accessed 1
August 2022]
Effective assignment design for the Higher Nationals in Computing/Computing
for England: Authorised Assignment Briefs – Issue 1 – August 2022 © Pearson
Education Limited 2022
https://www.javatpoint.com/ (2021) Software Design [online] Available at:
https://www.javatpoint.com/software-engineering-software-design [Accessed 1
August 2022]
https://www.roberthalf.co.uk/ (2018) 6 basic SDLC methodologies: which one is
best? [online] Available at: https://www.roberthalf.co.uk/advice/industry-insights/6-
basic-sdlc- methodologies-which-one-best [Accessed 1 August 2022]
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/index.htm (2022) SDLC - Quick Guide [online]
Available at: https://www.tutorialspoint.com/sdlc/sdlc_quick_guide.htm [Accessed
1 August 2022]
Journal articles:
Alagar, V. & Periyasamy, K. (2011). ‘Extended Finite State Machine’. Texts in
Computer Science, pp.105-128. doi: 10.1007/978-0-85729-277-3_7.
Alshamrani, A. & Bahattab, A. (2015) A Comparison Between Three SDLC Models
Waterfall Model, Spiral Model, and Incremental/Iterative Model. IJCSI International
Journal of Computer Science Issues, Volume 12, Issue 1, No 1, January 2015
Beynon-Davies, Paul & Carne, C & Mackay, Hugh & Tudhope, D. (1999). Rapid
application development (RAD): An empirical review. European Journal of
Information Systems. 8.
10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000325.
Dawson, Maurice & Burrell, Darrell & Rahim, Emad & Brewster, Stephen. (2010)
Integrating Software Assurance into the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
Journal of Information Systems Technology and Planning. 3. 49-53.
Dingsøyr, T. et al. (2012) A decade of agile methodologies: Towards explaining
agile software development. Journal of Systems and Software, Volume 85, Issue
6,2012, pp. 1213-1221, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2012.02.033.
Gurung, Gagan & Shah, Rahul & Jaiswal, Dhiraj. (2020). Software Development Life
Cycle Models-A Comparative Study. International Journal of Scientific Research in
Computer Science, Engineering and Information Technology. pp. 30-37.
doi:10.32628/CSEIT206410.
Horsky, J. et al. (2010) Complementary methods of system usability evaluation:
Surveys and observations during software design and development cycles. Journal
of Biomedical Informatics, Volume 43, Issue 5,2010, pp. 782-790, ISSN 1532-0464,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2010.05.010.
Pinciroli, F. (2016) Improving Software Applications Quality by Considering the
6
 Contribution Relationship Among Quality Attributes. Procedia Computer Science,
Volume 83,2016, pp. 970- 975, ISSN 1877-0509,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2016.04.194.
Rasnacis, A. & Berzisa, S. (2017) Method for Adaptation and Implementation of
Agile Project Management Methodology. Procedia Computer Science Volume 104,
2017, pp. 43-50, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.01.055
Van Casteren, W. (2017). The Waterfall Model and the Agile Methodologies: A
comparison by project characteristics. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.36825.72805.
Zuzak, Ivan & Budiselic, Ivan & Delac, Goran. (2011). A Finite-State Machine
Approach for Modeling and Analyzing RESTful Systems. J. Web Eng. 10. 353-390.
Reading:
Dennis, A. and Haley, W. (2009) Systems Analysis and Design. John Wiley & Sons
Ltd.
Lejk, M. and Deeks, D. (2002) An Introduction to System Analysis Techniques. 2nd
edn. Addison- Wesley.
Martin, R. C. (2011) The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional
Programmers. USA: Prentice Hall.
McConnell, S. (2004) Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software
Construction. USA: Microsoft Press.
Murch, R. (2012) The Software Development Lifecycle: A Complete Guide. Kindle.
Smart, J. F. (2014) BDD in Action: Behavior-driven development for the whole
software lifecycle. Manning.
HN Global:
HN Global HN Global (2021) Reading Lists. Available at:
https://hnglobal.highernationals.com/learning-zone/reading-lists
HN Global (2021) Student Resource Library. Available at:
https://hnglobal.highernationals.com/subjects/resource-libraries
HN Global (2021) Textbooks. Available at:
https://hnglobal.highernationals.com/textbooks

Effective assignment design for the Higher Nationals in Computing/Computing

for England: Authorised Assignment Briefs – Issue 1 – August 2022 © Pearson
Education Limited 2022
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Produce a software design document
for a business-related problem based on
requirements LO1 & LO2
P1 Produce a well- M1 Analyse a business- D1 Evaluate the solution
defined problem related problem using to a business-related
definition statement, appropriate methods to problem and the preferred
supported by a set of produce a well- software development
user and system structured software methodology by comparing
requirements for a design document. the various software
business problem. development tools and
P2 Review areas of risk techniques researched.
related to the successful
development of a
proposed application.
LO2 Research design and development tools and
methodologies for the creation of a business
application
P3 Research the use of M2 Justify the software
software development tools and
development tools development
and techniques for the methodology selected.
development of a
proposed application.

8
 Pass Merit Distinction
LO3 Plan and produce a functional business
application with support documentation

P4 Conduct a peer M3 Interpret peer-review LO3 & LO4

review of the problem D2 Justify improvements to
feedback and identify
definition statement, opportunities notthe business application
proposed solution and system made because of
previously considered.
development strategy, feedback and also feedback
M4 Develop a functional
documenting any which was not acted upon,
business application
feedback given. including opportunities for
based on a specific
improvement and further
P5 Develop a functional software design
development.
business application document, with
with support supportive evidence of
documentation based on using the preferred
a specified business tools, techniques and
problem. methodologies.
LO4 Evaluate the performance of a business
application against its software design document
and initial requirements.

P6 Review the M5 Critically review the

performance of the design, development and
business application testing stages of the
against the problem application
definition statement development process
and initial including risks.
requirements.

Effective assignment design for the Higher Nationals in Computing/Computing

for England: Authorised Assignment Briefs – Issue 1 – August 2022 © Pearson
Education Limited 2022
Appendix 1 – Enomy-Finances Client Project Information
Organisation overview
Enomy-Finances is an organisation in the financial sector that provides advice
and services related to mortgages, savings and investments. Its work includes:
● assessing clients’ income and outgoings to provide advice on budgeting and
consolidating debt
● providing access to savings and investment opportunities

● managing investment portfolios.

Enomy-Finances has recently seen an increase in demand for its services and is
expanding to meet this demand. As part of the expansion, Enomy-Finances
would like to commission a new computer system to support both staff and
clients.
The new system will consist of a new software platform that should be deployed
on an upgraded infrastructure.
Key application requirements
The owner of the company has provided you with a list of some of the key
requirements for the application that you have been tasked with creating. These
requirements are as follows.
● Providing tools to calculate the cost to clients of purchasing different
currencies
● Providing quotes on potential earnings on savings and investment plans

● Simple to use user interface

● Support users through appropriate use of textual, numeric and

graphical data representation
● Store user information such as contact information, records of transactions
and saved quotes
● Keep user data secure

● The current system consists of a client application deployed on each staff

computer, and a set of servers that currently handles all business logic and
processing as well as acting as database servers. These act to load current
exchange, market and currency data into a data warehouse as well as storing
any local company or client data required for processing
● The client would like to explore moving to a web-based application.
Additional information
Currency conversion module
The program will be used to calculate the cost of buying and selling different
currencies. The system must be able to convert between different currencies,
including:

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 ● pounds sterling (GBP)

● American dollars (USD)

● Euro (EUR)

Effective assignment design for the Higher Nationals in Computing/Computing

for England: Authorised Assignment Briefs – Issue 1 – August 2022 © Pearson
Education Limited 2022
Brazilian real (BRL)

● Japanese yen (JPY)

● Turkish lira (TRY).

It should allow the user to enter a value in one currency and calculate the
amount in another currency that it is worth.
The application should make use of current, up-to date currency values to
calculate the conversions.
There are limitations on the values of a single transitions These are:
● minimum transaction = 300 of the initial currency to be converted

● maximum transaction = 5000 of the initial currency to be

converted. The company charges a fee for each transaction.

The fees are:

Savings and investments module

The program should allow the user to enter this information:
● initial lump sum to be invested

● monthly amount to be invested

● the type of investment they want.

The program should then provide the user with a personalised investment
quote that shows:
● the maximum and minimum returns they can expect the investment to be
worth after:
o 1 year
o 5 years
o 10 years.
● total profit in each time frame

● total fees paid in each time frame

● total taxes paid in each time frame.

Values should be formatted as currency (GBP) to two decimal

places. The program should be able to handle user errors.

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 Initial Fee
currenc
y
amount
Up to 500 3.5%
Over 500 2.7%
Over 1500 2.0%
Over 2500 1.5%

Effective assignment design for the Higher Nationals in Computing/Computing

for England: Authorised Assignment Briefs – Issue 1 – August 2022 © Pearson
Education Limited 2022
In addition, should any internal system error occur, the system needs to fail
gracefully while logging all diagnostic data at the point of error to a database
an,d in the case of a network failure, to the local file system. Any user data needs
to be cached immediately.
Types of investment
Investment types Information
offered
Option 1 – Basic Maximum investment per year: £20
Savings Plan 000 Minimum monthly investment: £50
Minimum initial investment lump sum:
N/A Predicted returns per year:
● 1.2% to 2.4%.

Estimated tax:
● 0%.

RBSX group fees per month:

● 0.25%.

Option 2 – Savings Plan Maximum investment per year: £30

Plus
000 Minimum monthly investment: £50
Minimum initial investment lump sum:
£300 Predicted returns per year:
● 3% to 5.5%.

Estimated tax:
● 10% on profits above £12 000.

RBSX group fees per month:

● 0.3%.

Option 3 – Managed Maximum investment per year:

Stock Investments Unlimited Minimum monthly investment:
£150 Minimum initial investment lump
sum: £1000 Predicted returns per year:
● 4% to 23%.

Estimated tax:
● 10% on profits above £12 000

● 20% on profits above £40 000.

RBSX group fees per month:

● 1.3%.

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Effective assignment design for the Higher Nationals in Computing/Computing
for England: Authorised Assignment Briefs – Issue 1 – August 2022 © Pearson
Education Limited 2022