← QCE Digital Solutions Unit 3

Choosing the aspect of a problem to develop

The one manageable part of a problem your solution will develop, picked by importance and feasibility, linked to stakeholder needs, and justified.

Part of: QCE Digital Solutions Unit 3 — Real-World Problems and Solution Requirements — Module 6

Understanding Choosing the aspect of a problem to develop in QCE Digital Solutions Unit 3

What it does: A justification connects the chosen aspect to what stakeholders need, rather than just personal preference. Comparing the parts side by side shows why a slightly less important but far more feasible part can be the best aspect to develop. A clear aspect names one specific part of the problem and what it will do. 'Fix everything' is too vague and has no boundary. Linking to stakeholder needs shows the aspect is worth developing. It doesn't replace consulting stakeholders. Importance and feasibility are both weighed. An important part you can't realistically complete is a risky choice. The solution should develop only one aspect, such as bookings, chosen from the sub-problems.

Common mistakes: To find the most important and feasible part, you update best when the new score is greater than best. Using < would keep the lowest score. It should be: if score > best then. A part is feasible when its cost fits within the budget. The test marks it feasible when it costs more than the budget. It should be: if cost <= budget then.

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Learning
Duo
A school canteen app problem has parts: online ordering, stock tracking, staff rostering. Which is a sound way to pick the aspect to develop?
Compare each part by importance to stakeholders and how feasible it is to build in the time availablePick the part that sounds most impressive, even if you can't finish it
Matches
Chosen aspect: develop the whole school app with bookings, payments, timetables and messaging
↓
The choice is not one manageable part. It tries to cover the whole problem, so the scope is too big and unclear.
Applying
Meanings
Term
Chosen aspect
Meaning
The one manageable part of a problem your solution will develop, picked by importance and feasibility, linked to stakeholder needs, and justified.
Practice
Problem: long queues at the school canteen
Testing
Gaps
IF importance = "high" feasible = TRUE
Check Answer
Spots
3 score ← imp + feas
4 if score < best then

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Quick Questions

1. A school canteen app problem has parts: online ordering, stock tracking, staff rostering. Which is a sound way to pick the aspect to develop?
A. Compare each part by importance to stakeholders and how feasible it is to build in the time available ✓
B. Pick the part that sounds most impressive, even if you can't finish it
A chosen aspect is selected by comparing parts on importance and feasibility, not by what sounds impressive.
2. Which statement of a chosen aspect is clearer?
A. The solution will develop an online ordering system so students can pre-order lunch before school. ✓
B. The solution will fix the canteen and make everything better for everyone.
A clear aspect names one specific part of the problem and what it will do. 'Fix everything' is too vague and has no boundary.
3. Why must you link the chosen aspect to stakeholder needs?
A. So you can avoid talking to stakeholders for the rest of the project
B. So the part you develop solves something the users and other stakeholders actually need ✓
Linking to stakeholder needs shows the aspect is worth developing. It doesn't replace consulting stakeholders.
4. A part is very important but needs skills and tools you don't have, and you only have 10 weeks. What does this show?
A. It has low feasibility, so it may not be the best aspect to choose ✓
B. Importance is all that matters, so you should choose it anyway
Importance and feasibility are both weighed. An important part you can't realistically complete is a risky choice.
5. How many aspects of the problem does your solution develop as its chosen aspect?
A. Every sub-problem identified
B. One manageable part ✓
You break the problem into parts, then select one aspect to develop. This keeps the solution within a manageable scope.

Match the Pairs

Chosen aspect: online canteen ordering → A clear statement of the one part of the problem the solution will develop
Importance: High | Feasibility: High → A strong candidate for the chosen aspect because it matters a lot and can be built in the time and skills available
The aspect is linked to a stakeholder need so the choice is justified → Justification: Students need shorter queues, so ordering ahead is the aspect to develop.
Parts of a problem are compared by importance and feasibility before one is selected → Part A: Importance 5, Feasibility 2 | Part B: Importance 4, Feasibility 5 -> choose Part B
Chosen aspect: develop the whole school app with bookings, payments, timetables and messaging → The choice is not one manageable part. It tries to cover the whole problem, so the scope is too big and unclear.
Chosen aspect: the timetable page, because I think it looks fun to code → The choice is not justified by stakeholder needs or by importance and feasibility. It is only a personal preference.

Key Term

Chosen aspect
The one manageable part of a problem your solution will develop, picked by importance and feasibility, linked to stakeholder needs, and justified.

Fill in the Blanks

1. IF importance = "high" AND feasible = TRUE
Hint: Type the Boolean operator that requires both conditions to be true before an aspect is considered.
2. score ← importance + feasibility
Hint: Type the variable for the second factor, besides importance, used to compare parts of the problem.
3. IF score > bestScore THEN bestScore ← score chosenAspect ← aspect
Hint: Type the comparison operator that checks whether this part scores higher than the best so far.
4. reason ← "Meets need of " + stakeholder
Hint: Type the variable naming the person or group whose need the chosen aspect addresses.
5. print "Chosen: " + chosenAspect
Hint: Type the keyword that displays the clearly stated aspect to the user.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A best ← 0
B for each part in parts
C score ← imp + feas
D if score < best then
E best ← score
Line D — To find the most important and feasible part, you update best when the new score is greater than best. Using < would keep the lowest score. It should be: if score > best then.
Question 2
A budget ← 2000
B if cost > budget then
C feasible ← true
D else
E feasible ← false
Line B — A part is feasible when its cost fits within the budget. The test marks it feasible when it costs more than the budget. It should be: if cost <= budget then.
Question 3
A stakeholder ← "Canteen staff"
B need ← "fewer queues"
C aspect ← "Colour theme"
D print "Meets: " + need
Line C — The chosen aspect must be linked to a stakeholder need. A colour theme does nothing for fewer queues. It should be an aspect like "Online ordering" that addresses the need.
Question 4
A top ← 100
B for each p in parts
C if p.score > top then
D top ← p.score
Line A — The starting value must be low (0) so the first part's score can beat it. Starting at 100 means no part is ever chosen. It should be: top ← 0.
Question 5
A problem ← "Slow canteen service"
B aspect ← "Fix everything"
C print "Chosen: " + aspect
Line B — The chosen aspect must be stated clearly as one manageable part of the problem. "Fix everything" is vague and far too broad. It should name one specific part, such as "Online ordering".

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