Final year projects are an
important feature of most undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the fields of Business
Information Technology, Information Systems, Software Engineering and Business
Computing. These projects usually involve students in the practical application of
theory together with a critical analysis or evaluation of the excecution of their project
or of the theory applied.
- This book is the first to
provide detailed guidance and support for students in preparing for, conducting and
evaluating a system development project, independent of the development methodology or
technical tools to be used.
Structure of the book is
chronological, covering project preparation, project execution and project completion.
Examples of each key product
and activity are included as are examples of different types of project, using the three
main system development methodologies, SSADM, UML and DSDM.
A website with templates and
examples is available for students.
Table of Contents
Part 1
- Project preparation and set-up
Chapter 1 - Introduction to
student projects
What is a project?
Types of projects
Business and information
systems strategy
Feasibility Studies
Complex software development
Multi-media projects
Technical infrastructure
projects
Research projects and case
studies
Hybrid projects
Group projects
Critical success (and
failure) factors
Assessment criteria (what
makes a great project)
- Chapter 2 - Identifying and
selecting a project
Sources of projects
Generating ideas
Selection criteria
Short-listing and modifying
ideas
Examples of past projects
Making the final selection
- Chapter 3 - Overview of
project approaches and structures (and when to use them)
The System Development Life
Cycle (SDLC)
Project phases and
organisation
Structured methods
Object-oriented methods
Rapid Application
Development (RAD)
Other methodologies
Package implementations
- Chapter 4 - Setting up the
project
Getting organised
Project objectives (academic
and business) and scope definition
Project deliverables
Selecting the development
method
Research questions
Initial planning
The roles of the project
supervisor, student and client
Producing a project proposal
- Part 2
- Project execution
Chapter 5 - Project
Management.
Detailed planning
Time management
Record keeping and good
housekeeping
Project tracking and control
Tools and techniques
Risk and issue management
Common problems and their
management
Controlling change
Progress reporting
Using the project supervisor
Managing the client
Project teams
- Chapter 6 - Research.
Types of research
Literature sources and
searches
Writing a literature review
Research methods
Primary and secondary data,
and its collection
Analysing data
- Chapter 7 - Systems
Requirements.
Fact finding
Workshops
Recording requirements
Modelling requirements
Early prototypes
Package research and
selection
Technical requirements
Feasibility Studies
Project management and
reporting
- Chapter 8 - Systems Design
Identifying, evaluating and
selecting system solutions
Conceptul design
Data analysis
Physical design
Human-computer interaction
Prototyping
Data management design
Technical design
Design prototypes
Project management and
reporting
- Chapter 9 - System
construction and implementation
Program or component
specification
Software production and
programming
Incremental delivery
Package configuration
Testing and de-bugging
Data conversion and
preparation
User and system
documentation
Software installation
Technical infrastructure
implementation
Maintenance
Project management and
reporting
- Part 3 - Project completion
(50-60 pages)Chapter 10
- Critical analysis and evaluation
Review of objectives and
theory
Analysis of the development
process
Evaluating alternative
approaches
Evaluating the final
deliverables and research results
- Chapter 11 - Final report
Poster presentations
Preparing and presenting
papers
Draft reports
Report structure, content
and presentation
Report writing
Common errors
Referencing
Plagiarism and data
protection
Software demonstrations
Viva voce examinations
- Appendices
(20-30 pages)Appendix A
- Glossary
Appendix B - Bibliography
Appendix C - Checklist
290 pages