VCE Software Development U3O2 Definitions Worksheet: Needs, requirements, constraints and scope and Analytical tools and the software requirements specification (Modules 26–41)
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Key terms
Write what each term means, in your own words.
1
secondary data
2
thematic analysis
3
economic constraint
4
legal constraint
5
social constraint
6
Technical constraint
7
version boundary
8
analytical tools
9
context diagram
10
data flow
Answer Key
VCE Software Development U3O2 · Modules 26–41 · Student wording will vary for definitions
1secondary data — Data already collected by someone else, such as error logs, sales or incident reports. Analysts study it to find problems and needs, after checking it is current and reliable.
2thematic analysis — Sorting similar interview and survey responses into themes, then counting how often each appears, so the most common problems and wishes become the user needs.
3economic constraint — A limit on money that restricts a solution, such as a fixed development budget, software licence fees, or the ongoing costs of hardware, hosting and staff.
4legal constraint — A law or regulation a solution must obey, such as privacy law, copyright and licensing rules, or industry regulations. It limits what the software can do and how it handles data.
5social constraint — A limit on a solution from the needs, values or abilities of the people affected, such as accessibility, cultural expectations and user acceptance.
6Technical constraint — A limit set by technology, such as the hardware, operating system, network or existing software, that a solution must work within.
7version boundary — A line that sets which features go in the current release and which wait for a later version. It also marks where the solution ends and other systems begin.
8analytical tools — Diagrams like context, data flow and use case diagrams that show how users, data and systems relate, so the existing system is understood before a solution is designed.
9context diagram — A Level 0 diagram that shows the whole system as one process in the centre, with external entities around it outside the system boundary.
10data flow — A labelled arrow on a context diagram showing data passing between an entity and the system. The arrowhead shows direction (input or output) and the label names the data.