← VCE Software Development U4O1

Factor affecting project plans: technical issues

Problems like bugs, tool failures or lost files that delay tasks and force changes to a project plan. Contingencies (backups, spare time) reduce their impact.

Part of: VCE Software Development - U4O1 - development and evaluation — Module 188

Understanding Factor affecting project plans: technical issues in VCE Software Development U4O1

What it does: The log shows the tool failure delaying work and the plan being changed in response. Pushing to a remote repository is a contingency, so lost local files do not delay the project. Lost files are a classic technical issue. Recreating the work takes time, so task durations and deadlines may need to change. A tool failure is when software or hardware used for development stops working. A new feature request is scope creep, not a technical issue. Technical issues often happen without warning. Good project plans include contingencies such as buffer time and backups to cope with them. Backups do not stop failures from happening. They limit the damage and the delay that the failure causes.

Common mistakes: An unexpected bug delays the task, so the delay must be added to the planned days, not subtracted. It should be actual = planned + bug_delay. An if statement must end with a colon. It should be if tool_failed:.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 186–198) and word search (Modules 172–198).

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Learning

Duo

A developer's laptop crashes and the unsaved code is lost. Is this a technical issue that can affect a project plan?

No, technical issues only affect the final product, not the planYes, lost files can delay tasks and force the plan to change

Matches

Plan: no spare time. Every task is scheduled back to back until the deadline.

↓

There is no contingency, so any technical issue such as a bug or tool failure will push the whole project past its deadline.

Applying

Meanings

Term

technical issues

Meaning

Problems like bugs, tool failures or lost files that delay tasks and force changes to a project plan. Contingencies (backups, spare time) reduce their impact.

Practice

IF tool_failure OR bug_found OR file_lost THEN

Testing

Gaps

newdays = planned delay

Check Answer

Spots

2bug_delay = 2

3actual = planned - bug_delay

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Quick Questions

1. A developer's laptop crashes and the unsaved code is lost. Is this a technical issue that can affect a project plan?

A. Yes, lost files can delay tasks and force the plan to change ✓

B. No, technical issues only affect the final product, not the plan

Lost files are a classic technical issue. Recreating the work takes time, so task durations and deadlines may need to change.

2. Which is the best example of a contingency for technical issues?

A. Adding extra features to the scope

B. Regular backups and spare time in the schedule ✓

A contingency is a back-up plan or spare resource. Backups and buffer time reduce the impact of problems such as lost files or delays.

3. An unexpected bug takes 3 days to fix, but the plan only allowed 1 day for it. What is the likely effect?

A. Later tasks are pushed back and the plan must be adjusted ✓

B. The plan stays the same because bugs are not part of the schedule

Tasks often depend on each other. When one task takes longer than expected, the following tasks and deadlines may need to change.

4. Which of these is a tool failure?

A. The code editor keeps crashing and stops work ✓

B. The client asks for a new feature halfway through

A tool failure is when software or hardware used for development stops working. A new feature request is scope creep, not a technical issue.

5. Which statement about technical issues is correct?

A. They can always be predicted, so no contingency is needed

B. They are often unexpected, so plans should allow for them ✓

Technical issues often happen without warning. Good project plans include contingencies such as buffer time and backups to cope with them.

Match the Pairs

Task 4 took 5 days instead of 2 because of an unexpected bug → An unexpected bug is a technical issue that makes a task run over time and delays later tasks

Contingency: 2 spare days after testing → A contingency is extra time or resources set aside so a technical issue does not derail the plan

A tool failure, such as a crashed IDE or broken laptop, stops work and forces tasks to be rescheduled → Log: Laptop failed on 12 May. Coding paused 3 days. Gantt chart updated.

Lost files can be recovered if a backup or version control contingency was planned → git push origin main # backup copy of the code stored on the remote repository

Plan: no spare time. Every task is scheduled back to back until the deadline. → There is no contingency, so any technical issue such as a bug or tool failure will push the whole project past its deadline.

Technical issue: files were lost. Action: ignore it and keep the original plan unchanged. → A technical issue that delays tasks must be recorded and the plan adjusted. Ignoring it makes the plan inaccurate.

Key Term

technical issues

Problems like bugs, tool failures or lost files that delay tasks and force changes to a project plan. Contingencies (backups, spare time) reduce their impact.

Fill in the Blanks

1. planned = 5 delay = 2 newdays = planned + delay

Hint: Type the arithmetic operator that adds the bug delay to the planned time.

2. down = True if down: print("Use the backup server")

Hint: Type the keyword that runs the contingency only when the tool has failed.

3. planned = 10 spare = 2 total = planned + spare

Hint: Type the variable that holds the spare time set aside for problems.

4. try: open("plan.txt") except FileNotFoundError: print("Backup")

Hint: Type the keyword that handles the error when a file has been lost.

5. delayed = ["build", "deploy"] count = len(delayed) print(count)

Hint: Type the built-in function that counts how many tasks were delayed.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A planned = 5

B bug_delay = 2

C actual = planned - bug_delay

D print(actual)

Line C — An unexpected bug delays the task, so the delay must be added to the planned days, not subtracted. It should be actual = planned + bug_delay.

Question 2

A tool_failed = True

B if tool_failed

C print('Use backup tool')

D print('Plan updated')

Line B — An if statement must end with a colon. It should be if tool_failed:.

Question 3

A files = ['a.txt', 'b.py']

B backups = []

C for f in backups:

D backups.append(f)

Line C — The loop must go through files, the originals to copy. Looping over the empty backups list means nothing is backed up, so lost files could not be recovered. It should be for f in files:.

Question 4

A planned = 10

B buffer = planned * 20

C total = planned + buffer

D print(total)

Line B — A contingency buffer of 20% is 0.2 of the planned days. Multiplying by 20 gives a huge, unrealistic buffer. It should be planned * 0.2.

Question 5

A delay = '3'

B deadline = 20

C new_date = deadline + delay

D print(new_date)

Line A — '3' is a string, so adding it to the integer deadline causes a TypeError. The delay should be the number 3, not text.

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