Problem Solving Methodology

Question 1

What is needed in the solution scope?

Answer 1

What the solution will do?
What the solution wont do?
What are the benefits to the user?

Question 2

What are the four stages of the problem solving methodology and their primary branches

Answer 2

• Analysis
  
  • Solution Requirements
  • Solution Constraints
  • Solution Scope
• Design
  
  • Solution Design
  • Evaluation Criteria
• Development
  
  • Manipulation
  • Validation
  • Testing
  • Documentation
• Evaluation
  
  • Solution Evaluation
  • Evaluation strategy

Question 3

Name tools to represent functionality and tools to represent appearance

Answer 3

• data dictionaries
• psuedocode
• flowchart
• mockups

Question 4

What does the solution requirements involve?

Answer 4

• Attributes and functionality that the solution needs to include, information it must produce and data needed to produce this information

Question 5

What is the evaluation criteria based upon

Answer 5

• solution requirements identified in the analysis stage and are measured in terms of efficiency and effectiveness

Question 6

What is the purpose of the analysis stage?

Answer 6

The purpose of the analysis stage is to establish

• the root cause of the problem
• the specific information needs of the organisation involved
• limitation on the problem
• exactly what a possible solution would be expected to do

Question 7

What is the solution constraints?

Answer 7

• The limitations on the solution development that needs to be considered
• Constraints are classified as economic, technical, social, legal and related to usability

Question 8

What must the solution design consist of?

Answer 8

• It must clearly show a developer what the solution must look like, the specific data required and how tis data elements should be structured, validated and manipulated

Question 9

What occurs during the design stage?

Answer 9

• Several design ideas based on both appearance and function are planned, the most appropriate is chosen
• Criteria is also created to select the most appropriate ideas and evaluate the solution’s success once it has been implemented

Question 10

What occurs during the development stage?

Answer 10

The solution is created by developers during this stage from the design supplied to them

the coding takes place, but also the checking of input data, testing that the solution works and creation of user documentation

Question 11

What occurs during the evaluations stage of the PSM?

Answer 11

• The solution has been in use by the en user/client, it needs to be assessed or evaluated to ensure that it has been successful and does actually meet the user’s requirements

Question 12

Why create the evaluation criteria on the design stage?

Answer 12

• All personnel involved in the tasks are aware of the level of performance that ultimately will determine the success or otherwise of the solution