← VCE Software Development U3O2

Stakeholders

Any person or group who uses, is affected by, or has an interest in a digital solution, such as users, the client, developers and people affected indirectly.

Part of: VCE Software Development - U3O2 - Analysis and Design — Module 2, 9-10 Digital Technologies: Defining and decomposing problems — Module 1, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 1 — Understanding Digital Problems — Module 16, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 3 — Real-World Problems and Solution Requirements — Module 2

Understanding Stakeholders in VCE Software Development U3O2

What it does: The list shows that developers sit alongside the client and users as stakeholders, because they have an interest in the solution. A stakeholder is wider than just the users. It includes anyone who uses, is affected by, or cares about the solution. The client requests the solution and sets what it needs. The developer is the one who builds it. People can be affected indirectly. Fewer phone calls changes the office staff's work, so they are stakeholders. Identifying stakeholders early helps you ask the right people about their needs, so important requirements are not missed. Restaurants do not use the driver payment feature, but they are affected by its results. Customers placing orders are direct users.

Common mistakes: The client is the person who asks for and approves the app, here the canteen manager. The students who order lunch are the users. Students who use the app are direct users. People affected indirectly are others, such as parents at home who benefit without using the app.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 2–11) and word search (Modules 2–24).

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Learning
Duo
Which statement best defines a stakeholder in a digital solution?
Only the people who log in and use the solution every dayAny person or group who uses, is affected by, or has an interest in the solution
Matches
stakeholders = ["users"] # only users count
↓
Not all stakeholders are users. The client, developers and people affected indirectly are stakeholders too.
Applying
Meanings
Term
stakeholder
Meaning
Any person or group who uses, is affected by, or has an interest in a digital solution, such as users, the client, developers and people affected indirectly.
Practice
Stakeholders for the canteen app:
Testing
Gaps
A stakeholder has an in a solution
Check Answer
Spots
1App: School canteen ordering
2Client: the students

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Quick Questions

1. Which statement best defines a stakeholder in a digital solution?
A. Any person or group who uses, is affected by, or has an interest in the solution ✓
B. Only the people who log in and use the solution every day
A stakeholder is wider than just the users. It includes anyone who uses, is affected by, or cares about the solution.
2. A school builds a new app for booking sports gear. Students use it to book gear. Are the students stakeholders?
A. Yes, they are users, so they are stakeholders ✓
B. No, only the school is a stakeholder
Users are one type of stakeholder. Students use the app directly, so they are stakeholders.
3. Which is the best example of a stakeholder who is NOT a user of a school booking app?
A. A student who books a netball from the app each lunchtime
B. A parent who pays the fees for sports gear but never opens the app ✓
The parent is affected by the solution and has an interest in it, but does not use it. This makes them a stakeholder who is not a user.
4. Who is the client in a software project?
A. The person or group who asks for the solution and says what it needs to do ✓
B. The person who writes the code for the solution
The client requests the solution and sets what it needs. The developer is the one who builds it.
5. Is a developer who builds the solution a stakeholder?
A. No, developers only count as stakeholders after the solution is finished
B. Yes, developers have an interest in how the solution is built and how well it works ✓
Developers are stakeholders throughout the project because they are affected by the requirements and have an interest in the result.

Match the Pairs

stakeholder → Any person or group who uses, is affected by, or has an interest in a digital solution
client → The stakeholder who asks for the solution and approves that it meets their needs
A developer is a stakeholder because they build and maintain the solution → stakeholders = ["client", "developer", "users"]
Parents of students who use a school app are indirectly affected stakeholders → indirect = ["parents", "neighbours"]
stakeholders = ["users"] # only users count → Not all stakeholders are users. The client, developers and people affected indirectly are stakeholders too.
if not user: not_stakeholder = True → Someone who does not use the solution can still be a stakeholder if they are affected by it or have an interest in it.

Key Term

stakeholder
Any person or group who uses, is affected by, or has an interest in a digital solution, such as users, the client, developers and people affected indirectly.

Fill in the Blanks

1. A stakeholder has an interest in a solution
Hint: Type the word for what a stakeholder has in the solution, like a stake in how it turns out
2. Users are stakeholders who use the solution
Hint: Type the verb describing what users do with the solution
3. The client asks for the solution. The developer builds it.
Hint: Type the stakeholder role that builds the solution
4. An indirect stakeholder is affected but does not use the solution
Hint: Type the word for stakeholders who are affected without using the solution themselves
5. Users, the client and developers are all stakeholders
Hint: Type the term for every person or group with an interest in the solution

Spot the Error

Question 1
A App: School canteen ordering
B Client: the students
C User: students ordering lunch
Line B — The client is the person who asks for and approves the app, here the canteen manager. The students who order lunch are the users.
Question 2
A App: Bus tracking for school
B User: students who ride buses
C Indirect: students using app
Line C — Students who use the app are direct users. People affected indirectly are others, such as parents at home who benefit without using the app.
Question 3
A App: Hospital booking system
B Developer: pays for the system
C Client: the hospital
D User: patients booking visits
Line B — The developer builds the system. The client is the one who asks for it and pays for it, so the line should be 'Developer: builds the system'.
Question 4
A Stakeholder = only the users
B User = uses the solution
C Client = asks for the solution
Line A — A stakeholder is anyone who uses, is affected by, or has an interest in a solution. Users are only one kind, so 'only the users' is wrong.
Question 5
A App: Community library app
B User: members borrowing books
C Client: the library council
D Developer: the library members
E Indirect: nearby bookshops
Line D — Developers are the people who design and build the solution, here the student team. Library members are the users.

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