Unit 4 Outcome 1 IP&M - 2003

Propose and apply organisational and processing strategies to produce an ongoing solution that meets the decision-making needs of an organisation.

This outcome will contribute 60 marks out of the 100 marks allocated to School-assessed Coursework for Unit 4. It will be assessed by two tasks, Task 1 will contribute 40 marks and Task 2 will contribute 20 marks.

Task 1

Description

Information technology solution (including user documentation) in response to a design brief. Students annotate the solution to indicate how it meets the decision-making needs of the organisation.

Designing the assessment task

Teachers should design an assessment task that allows the student to:

· develop a solution (and output) in response to a design brief, which contains details of current procedures associated with a specific information-processing task. The design brief should not contain a problem statement

· apply all of the stages of a problem-solving methodology, to create an ongoing solution (and output) that meets the decision-making needs of the organisation

· apply appropriate software capabilities of the selected software (spreadsheet or database) published annually in the VCE Bulletin

· prepare user documentation to support the ongoing use of the solution

· have the opportunity to demonstrate the highest level of performance.

Resources and scheduling

Schools may determine the conditions for the task including access to resources and notes. Students should be advised of the timeline and conditions under which the task is to be conducted.

Performance descriptors

The following descriptors provide a guide to the standards expected when setting and marking assessment tasks. They describe the knowledge and skills typically demonstrated by students who have achieved scores within each range on the assessment task/s.

Outcome 1 Propose and apply organisational and processing strategies to produce an ongoing solution that meets the decision-making needs of an organisation.
MARK RANGE	DESCRIPTOR: typical performance in each range
33–40 marks	Demonstrates a clear understanding of the problem through a succinct and logical problem statement. The input and output requirements are complete, are capable of solving the identified problem and take into account the decision-making needs of the organisation. All constraints on the solution are identified. An appropriate and comprehensive range of design techniques are applied to detail the resources, processes and input and output requirements. A soundly based set of evaluation criteria are proposed. An appropriate and comprehensive range of functions, techniques, procedures and equipment are used efficiently and effectively to produce a solution and output that is functional, usable, accessible and appropriately formatted. All relevant features of the solution and output are annotated to demonstrate how the decision-making needs of the organisation are met. This evaluation is directly linked to the criteria stated in the designs. The techniques for testing the solution and output, and user acceptance are relevant and are effectively applied. Procedures for solution development and file management are complete, logically sequenced and appropriate to the problem. The set of instructions in the user documentation is complete and logically sequenced. Presentation is clear and the instructions for the processes and procedures are accurate and easy to read.
25–32 marks	Demonstrates an understanding of most of the aspects of the problem through a clearly stated problem statement. The input and output requirements are complete, with most being capable of solving the identified problem. Most constraints are identified. An appropriate or comprehensive range of design techniques are applied to detail the resources, processes and input and output requirements. A complete set of criteria are proposed. An appropriate or comprehensive range of functions, techniques, procedures and equipment are used generally in an efficient and effective manner to produce a solution and output that meets most of the organisation’s needs. Most relevant features of the solution and output are annotated to demonstrate how the decision-making needs of the organisation are met. This evaluation is closely linked to the criteria stated in the design. Most techniques for testing the solution and output, and user acceptance are relevant and are effectively applied. Most procedures for solution development and file management are logically sequenced and appropriate to the problem. The set of instructions in the user documentation is complete. Presentation is generally clear and the instructions for most of the processes and procedures are accurate and easy to read.

17–24 marks

Demonstrates an understanding of some of the aspects of the problem through a correct problem statement. There are some omissions in the input and output requirements. Some constraints are identified. Limited, but appropriate design techniques are applied to detail most of the resources, processes and input and output requirements. An incomplete set of evaluation criteria are proposed. Some functions, techniques, procedures and equipment are used in an efficient or effective manner to produce a solution and output that meets some of the organisation’s needs. Some annotations demonstrate how the decision-making needs of the organisation are met; however, some are not linked to the criteria stated in the design. Some techniques for testing the solution and output, and user acceptance are relevant and some have not been applied in an effective manner. Limited procedures for solution development and file management are appropriate to the problem. The set of instructions in the user documentation covers most aspects of the solution. Presentation is adequate and most of the instructions for the processes and procedures are easy to read. There is evidence of some inaccuracies or omissions.

9–16 marks

Demonstrates some misunderstanding of the decision-making needs of the organisation through a problem statement that contains some inaccuracies. The input and output requirements are incomplete and few constraints are identified. Limited design techniques are applied to detail some of the resources, processes and input and output requirements. Some inappropriate evaluation criteria are proposed. Limited functions, techniques, procedures and equipment are used to produce a solution and output that meets few of the organisation’s needs. Annotations are brief and are not always linked to the decision-making needs of the organisation. This evaluation is not clearly linked to the criteria. Some techniques for testing the solution and output or user acceptance are applied. Some procedures for solution development and file management are inappropriate to the problem. The instructions in the user documentation cover some aspects of the solution. Presentation is adequate; however, some instructions are brief or are incomplete.

1–8 marks

Demonstrates a misunderstanding of the nature of the problem experienced by the organisation. This is illustrated by a problem statement not clearly connected to the problem description, and an incomplete set of input and output requirements. No constraints are considered. Limited and inappropriate design techniques are applied to outline some of the resources, processes and input and output requirements. No evaluation criteria are proposed. Limited functions, techniques, procedures and equipment are used to produce a solution and output. Annotations of the solution and output are superficial and are not linked to the decision-making needs of the organisation. There is little or no evidence of testing the solution and output. Limited procedures for solution development and file management are applied. The user documentation covers few aspects of the solution. Limited formats and conventions are applied to produce the user documentation. Most instructions lack clarity and inaccuracies are evident

Task 2

Description

A project management report that includes the management plan, record of progress and an error log.

Designing the assessment task

Teachers should design an assessment task that allows the student to:

· identify the major elements involved in managing the project

· apply techniques to represent organisation and planning strategies

· apply strategies used to monitor the progress of the project, including the recording of any technical difficulties and the application of remedies, if appropriate

· have the opportunity to demonstrate the highest level of performance.

Resources and scheduling

Schools may determine the conditions for the task including access to resources and notes. Students should be advised of the timeline and conditions under which the task is to be conducted.

Performance descriptors

The following descriptors provide a guide to the standards expected when setting and marking assessment tasks. They describe the knowledge and skills typically demonstrated by students who have achieved scores within each range on the assessment task/s.

Outcome 1 Propose and apply organisational and processing strategies to produce an ongoing solution that meets the decision-making needs of an organisation.
MARK RANGE	DESCRIPTOR: typical performance in each range
16–20 marks	All relevant aspects of organising and planning the project are identified, including tasks, timelines and methods and indicators of progress. Appropriate techniques are used to accurately document these aspects. The range and appropriateness of the monitoring strategies enable the project plan to be successfully implemented. The error log is complete. All hardware and software problems experienced during the implementation of the project are accurately recorded, and, where appropriate, remedies to rectify problems are independently carried out.
11–15 marks	Most relevant aspects of organising and planning the project are identified. Appropriate techniques are used to document these aspects; however, there are some inaccuracies. Most of the monitoring strategies are appropriate and effective in enabling the project plan to be successfully implemented. The error log contains some minor omissions. Most hardware and software problems experienced during the implementation of the project are accurately recorded, and, where appropriate, remedies to rectify problems were carried out with minimal assistance.
6-10 marks	Some of the aspects of organising and planning the project are identified. The techniques used to document these aspects lack precision and contain some inaccuracies. Some of the monitoring strategies are appropriate and effective in enabling the project plan to be implemented. The error log reveals some omissions. Some of the hardware and software problems experienced during the implementation of the project are recorded, and, where appropriate, some assistance was required to rectify problems.
1-5 marks	Limited aspects of organising and planning the project are identified. The techniques used to document these aspects are sometimes inappropriate or contain inaccuracies. A limited range of strategies is applied to monitor the progress of the project and not all aspects of the project are completed within the time constraints. The error log is incomplete. Limited hardware and/or software problems experienced during the implementation of the project are recorded, and, where appropriate, assistance was required to remedy all problems.