Project Development Life Cycle Coursework

This coursework is designed to demonstrate the broad understanding and knowledge in computing, assessing and evaluating the student’s strength and level of analysis. The coursework should be submitted as one document in a report format in final submission attaching all related evidence in the appendices.

In this coursework, you are required to conduct a full project development life cycle from inception of the project and feasibility study to implementation, testing and delivery of the project within agreed specification, cost and timescale then present the final outcome. This substantial independent project will allow you to demonstrate a wide range of knowledge and skills including planning, implementation, software / hardware and research.

Students are to choose their own project topic agreed upon with selected supervisor and expected to develop strong research projects including clear and well-defined objectives, then carry out a complete project life cycle demonstrating knowledge and practical skills gained in other modules into a single, long-form project focusing on the project deliverable in defined objectives. Hence the first deliverable is to produce a project proposal.

The proposal will act as a contract between you and the stockholders allowing you to complete the project upon acceptance and expected to develop an idea then carry out a complete project life cycle demonstrating knowledge and practical skills gained in other modules into a single, long-formproject. The objective should allow students to broaden their understanding and widen their perspective of being able to explore, evaluate, analyse, argue and show creativity in solving and/or producing the agreeable topic in a feasible, ethical and relevant to student profession.

The final report should be presented, providing a detailed account of project development, including adopted processes, evaluation of outcome and reflection. The end product could be a service, an artefact, modification to an existing product or combination of software hardware.

Deliverable
Project Report - Dissertation (70%)
a) In Part 1 (semester 1)
You will submit a Project Proposal with clear indication of your proposed research approach or key question which include:
Introduction: introduce the topic and develop brief statement to encourage recipients to consider approving the project

Aim and objectives: this is a short summary of your project. Your aims should be two or three broad statements that emphasise what you ulti

Background and Rationale: the background and issues of your proposed project, identify your discipline, a short literature, review, a summary of key debates and developments in the field. You would identify a topic or product that are similar but limited to reach its potential, or evaluation of similar project in the market for which you propose to enhance or produce a product that fulfil specification stated in your project scope

Project scope: an explanation as to what problems and issues are to be explored and why they are worth exploring (benefits and feasibility), justification of your proposed work, including specification and preliminary description of project outcome or prototype 

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Requirements: project requirements including development tools such as known simulators, software, computer languages etc., hardware requirement if the project requires specific hardware.

In addition, you will also work on;
Research Methodology: the theoretical resources to be drawn on, the research approach (theoretical framework), the research methods appropriate for the proposed project, a discussion of advantages as well as limits of particular approaches and methods.

You would analyse and evaluate most suitable project lifecycle by outlining the various stages and corresponding time lines for developing and implementing your project, project milestone and timeline and work-breakdown structure.

Logbook : You will prepare project logbook and record detailed account of project development, logbook will be used as evidence of work and must be signed by your tutor (see required documents for details).
You will submit Ethics Release Form, signed off by your tutor. Note: Your project proposal should be approved and signed off by your tutor. b) In Part 2 (semester 2) you will receive weekly support from your tutor. You will work on completing your product and project as well as writing up your final project report (dissertation).

This report should cover the entire project, from background and context/literature review through selection of methodology, design, implementation and testing to evaluation of the extent to which  your project objectives have been met.

Whilst it is likely to contain a substantial amount of information that has previously been included in the project proposal, the whole report should be presented from the perspective of a completed project. All inclusions of decisions made and work previously undertaken, should therefore, be in the past tense. Do not directly reference to the project proposal, as the Report needs to stand up in its own right.

Where changes to your choices have occurred since the approval of the proposal you should discuss the reasoning behind your original choice and the reason(s) for the change(s).