Technical constraints

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which statement best describes a technical constraint?

A A limit on how much money the client can spend on the solution

B A limit from technology, such as hardware, OS, network or existing software, that the solution must work within

2. A school's app must run on its old Windows 10 laptops. What type of constraint is this?

A Technical constraint (target devices and operating system)

B Legal constraint

3. Which is an example of a technical constraint?

A The app must connect to the school's existing student database

B The app must be finished before Term 4 starts

4. A tradie's app must work on a phone with slow 3G mobile data in regional areas. Which sub-theme of technical constraints is this?

A Performance limits (network speed)

B Compatibility with existing systems

5. A solution must run only on Android phones. Which is the technical constraint?

A The Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth)

B The operating system the solution must work on

Match the Pairs

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

Left column		Right column
1Runs on Windows 10 and macOS only		AA technical constraint on compatibility with existing systems: the solution must work with software already in use.
2Must read data from the school's existing SQL database		BThis is a user preference, not a limit from technology. It does not restrict the hardware, operating system, network or existing software.
3Target devices limit a solution because the hardware may have a small screen or little memory.		CMust load each page in 3 seconds on a 4 Mbps connection
4Performance limits are set by technology, such as network speed or processing power, that the solution must cope with.		DThis is an economic constraint, not a technical one. A technical constraint is a limit from technology such as hardware, operating system, network or software.
5Technical constraint: The client has a budget of $5000		EApp must run on a 5-inch phone with 2 GB RAM
6Technical constraint: Users would like a blue and white theme		FA technical constraint on the operating system: the solution must work on these platforms and no others.

Definitions

Technical constraint

Fill in the Blanks

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

Constraint: Must run on Windows 10 only Type: _________

IF screenWidth _ 800 THEN DISPLAY "Use mobile layout" END IF

IF fileType _ "CSV" THEN DISPLAY "Cannot import file" END IF

IF ______ > deviceRAM THEN DISPLAY "Not enough memory" END IF

IF os = "iOS" __ os = "Android" THEN DISPLAY "Mobile app supported" END IF

Spot the Error

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

Question 1

A minOS ← 10

B INPUT osVersion

C IF osVersion <= minOS THEN

D OUTPUT "Supported"

E END IF

Question 2

A minRAM ← 4

B INPUT deviceRAM

C IF deviceRAM > minRAM THEN

D OUTPUT "Not enough memory"

E END IF

Question 3

A INPUT fileSizeMB

B INPUT speedMBps

C time ← fileSizeMB / speedMBps

D IF time < 30 THEN

E OUTPUT "Too slow for users"

F END IF

Question 4

A INPUT deviceType

B IF deviceType ← "tablet" THEN

C screenWidth ← 1024

D END IF

Question 5

A OUTPUT fileFormat

B IF fileFormat = "CSV" THEN

C OUTPUT "Import to legacy"

D END IF

Answer Key

Technical constraints

Section A: Quick Questions

B — A limit from technology, such as hardware, OS, network or existing software, that the solution must work within

A — Technical constraint (target devices and operating system)

A — The app must connect to the school's existing student database

A — Performance limits (network speed)

B — The operating system the solution must work on

Section B: Match the Pairs

Runs on Windows 10 and macOS only → A technical constraint on the operating system: the solution must work on these platforms and no others.

Must read data from the school's existing SQL database → A technical constraint on compatibility with existing systems: the solution must work with software already in use.

Target devices limit a solution because the hardware may have a small screen or little memory. → App must run on a 5-inch phone with 2 GB RAM

Performance limits are set by technology, such as network speed or processing power, that the solution must cope with. → Must load each page in 3 seconds on a 4 Mbps connection

Technical constraint: The client has a budget of $5000 → This is an economic constraint, not a technical one. A technical constraint is a limit from technology such as hardware, operating system, network or software.

Technical constraint: Users would like a blue and white theme → This is a user preference, not a limit from technology. It does not restrict the hardware, operating system, network or existing software.

Section C: Definitions

Technical constraint — A limit set by technology, such as the hardware, operating system, network or existing software, that a solution must work within.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

Constraint: Must run on Windows 10 only
Type: Technical

IF screenWidth < 800 THEN
  DISPLAY "Use mobile layout"
END IF

IF fileType ≠ "CSV" THEN
  DISPLAY "Cannot import file"
END IF

IF appRAM > deviceRAM THEN
  DISPLAY "Not enough memory"
END IF

IF os = "iOS" OR os = "Android" THEN
  DISPLAY "Mobile app supported"
END IF

Section E: Spot the Error

C — The operating system constraint means the device needs at least the minimum OS version. The condition should use >=, not <=, or newer systems would be rejected.

C — The hardware constraint is a minimum amount of RAM. The warning should show when RAM is less than the minimum (<), not when it is more (>).

D — Network speed is a performance limit. The 'Too slow' warning should appear when the transfer time is greater than 30 seconds (>), not less than it.

B — To check the target device you must compare values with =. The ← arrow assigns a value and cannot be used as a condition.

A — To check compatibility with an existing system, the program must first get the file format from the user. Line 1 should be INPUT fileFormat, not OUTPUT.