Design : Selecting Software

Each task could be tackled in a variety of ways. It is vital that you look at a number of possible alternatives solutions before you start work creating your system. If you do not do this then you could do an awful lot of work only to find out that there was a better, easier way to solve the problem.

You will therefore need to decide which piece of software to use. For example, is a spreadsheet or a database more suitable for keeping records of all of the members of a club ? Factors such as ease-of-use, speed, availability of software, your familiarity with the software, staff training, and the features of a software package will influence your choice.

The three important points you must cover when selecting software are :

• Identify the activities that you will need to carry out to tackle the problem.
• Investigate and explain how each of these activities could be carried out using two or three different methods.
• Draw a conclusion about which is the best method to use. Be sure to justify your conclusion.

One possible way of writing up your software selection is to draw up a table like this example.

GCSE ICT Companion 04 - (C) P Meakin 2004