Interpreting teacher-provided requirements for a data solution

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. A brief says: 'The spreadsheet must display the total sales for each month.' What is this sentence mainly identifying?

A A required output

B A constraint

2. A brief says: 'Use only the school's existing Excel software.' How should you treat this?

A As a constraint that limits the solution

B As an output to be displayed

3. A brief says: 'Students do not need to enter data from last year.' What is this?

A A required calculation

B Something that is out of scope

4. Which approach is best when you first read a teacher's brief?

A Start building the spreadsheet and read the brief again later

B Highlight the required outputs, then underline constraints and note what is out of scope

5. A brief says: 'Calculate the average mark for each class.' What does this tell you the solution needs?

A A calculation (average) and the mark data to work it out

B Only a chart with no data

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Output: monthly total sales chart		AA required output the solution must produce, so highlight it in the brief
2Constraint: must use Excel only		BOut of scope: online payment system
3Something the brief says will not be included, so you do not build it		CProcess: calculate average mark
4A calculation the brief asks for, found by reading for what must be worked out		DThe login screen is out of scope. The student should leave it out of the plan.
5Brief says: due in 2 weeks. Student notes: no constraints		EA limit on how the solution can be built, such as the tool that must be used
6Brief says: do not include a login screen. Student plans: build a login screen		FThe due date is a time constraint that was missed. It should be noted as a constraint.

Definitions

Interpreting a brief

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

Brief: Show the total cost of all items. Calculation: =___(C2:C20)

Brief: Must be done in a spreadsheet. Label: __________

Brief: Do not build a login screen. Label: ____________

Brief: Find the highest score in column D. Calculation: =___(D2:D25)

Brief: Show a chart of monthly sales. Label: ______ - chart of monthly sales

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A BRIEF: Show total sales a day

B DATA: item, price, quantity

C CALC: total = price * quantity

D OUTPUT: list of item names

Question 2

A BRIEF: Sort scores in Sheets

B DATA: student name, score

C OUT OF SCOPE: Google Sheets

D OUTPUT: scores high to low

Question 3

A BRIEF: Graph rainfall by month

B DATA: month, rainfall (mm)

C OUTPUT: weather forecast

D OUTPUT: line graph by month

Question 4

A BRIEF: Find average test mark

B DATA: student, mark

C CALC: sum of all marks

D CALC: average = sum * count

Question 5

A BRIEF: Build an online shop

B DATA: ticket type, quantity

C CALC: sum quantity per type

D OUT OF SCOPE: online payments

Answer Key

Interpreting teacher-provided requirements for a data solution

Section A: Quick Questions

A — A required output

A — As a constraint that limits the solution

B — Something that is out of scope

B — Highlight the required outputs, then underline constraints and note what is out of scope

A — A calculation (average) and the mark data to work it out

Section B: Match the Pairs

Output: monthly total sales chart → A required output the solution must produce, so highlight it in the brief

Constraint: must use Excel only → A limit on how the solution can be built, such as the tool that must be used

Something the brief says will not be included, so you do not build it → Out of scope: online payment system

A calculation the brief asks for, found by reading for what must be worked out → Process: calculate average mark

Brief says: due in 2 weeks. Student notes: no constraints → The due date is a time constraint that was missed. It should be noted as a constraint.

Brief says: do not include a login screen. Student plans: build a login screen → The login screen is out of scope. The student should leave it out of the plan.

Section C: Definitions

Interpreting a brief — Reading a teacher's brief to find the data, calculations and outputs needed, the constraints that limit the solution, and what is out of scope.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

Brief: Show the total cost of all items.
Calculation: =SUM(C2:C20)

Brief: Must be done in a spreadsheet.
Label: CONSTRAINT

Brief: Do not build a login screen.
Label: OUT OF SCOPE

Brief: Find the highest score in column D.
Calculation: =MAX(D2:D25)

Brief: Show a chart of monthly sales.
Label: OUTPUT - chart of monthly sales

Section E: Spot the Error

D — The brief asks for total sales each day, so the required output is a table of daily totals. A list of item names does not show the totals.

C — Having to use Google Sheets limits how the solution is built, so it is a constraint. It is not out of scope. The line should be CONSTRAINT: Google Sheets only.

C — The brief only asks for a graph of past rainfall. Forecasting is not requested, so it should be listed as OUT OF SCOPE, not as a required output.

D — An average is the sum divided by the count of marks. Multiplying gives the wrong calculation. It should be average = sum / count.

A — The data, calculation and out-of-scope notes all match a brief about totalling tickets by type. Building an online shop does not fit. The brief should be Total tickets by type.