Software : Selecting Software

If you have a task to carry out on a computer you will need to choose the most appropriate software to use for the task. 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.

If you have to select software for a project then one possible way of writing up your software selection is to draw up a table like this example.

Sometimes there is no software package available which will let you carry out the task properly. If this is the case then you must develop a completely new system.

GCSE ICT Companion 04 - (C) P Meakin 2004