8.3.2 Documenting Software Solutions


Students Learn About

Documenting software solutions

  • IPO diagrams
    • context diagrams
  • data flow diagrams (DFDs)
  • storyboards
  • structure charts
  • system flowcharts
  • data dictionaries
  • Gantt charts
  • logbooks
  • algorithms
  • user documentation including manuals and online help

Students Learn To:

 

  • prepare suitable documentation to accompany software solutions
  • use appropriate application packages in creating documentation to support a software solution

 

 

  • create appropriate systems documentation for a variety of programming tasksa
The theory for this section has been covered earlier in System Modelling Tools.  

Therefore this section is covered through the Practical Application of those tools.

Project Log Books:

Log books are used to document the progress of a project. Entries should include:

  • date
  • description of the progress (or lack thereof) made since the last entry
  • tasks achieved
  • descriptions of stumbling blocks or issues encountered and how they were managed
  • details of possible approaches for upcoming tasks
  • reflective comments
  • reference to resources used

Log books may be produced using spreadsheets, blogs, handwritten entries or electronic journal 
entries. Email messages to a fellow developer may be useful, as they contain time and date 
stamps. A sample log book entry may look like: 

April 22nd 2010 – problems with images I am so pleased the coding for my mainline is finally  done! This morning I spent some time importing the pictures for each screenshot. I had some trouble with it. The one problem I still have to fix is the transparency so I will try to import each in GIF format and make the background transparent. Hopefully it will work.

Note that the comment is reflective, describes what has been achieved, identifies a particular 
stumbling block and possible approaches to dealing with it.




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