Self-Reflective Summary

This self-reflective summary discusses the research, decisions, success points, room for improvement, and further development of an application. The author researched design methodologies, programming languages, software development lifecycle models, and non-functional requirements. The agile SCRUM model was selected for development. The application met functional specifications and was interactive. Improvements could be made to visual appeal and application functionality.

qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqw
ertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwert
yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui
opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiop
asdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd
fghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfgh
jklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjkl
zxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc
vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvb
nmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm
qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqw
ertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwert
yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui
opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiop
asdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd
fghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfgh
jklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcv
Self-Reflective Summary
12/16/2018

Self-Reflective Summary
Table of Contents
Research to Produce the Application.....................................................................................................2
Decisions Made.....................................................................................................................................3
Success Points.......................................................................................................................................3
Room for Improvement.........................................................................................................................4
Further Development & Desired Changes.............................................................................................4
References.............................................................................................................................................5
1

Self-Reflective Summary
Research to Produce the Application
I did a lot of research before developing the application. The primary areas that I researched
upon include the design methodologies, programming language, software development
lifecycle model, and the non-functional requirements. There are several programming
languages that are available and I researched on all the language types to select the one
suitable for the application. Similarly, responsive web design, structured design, object-
oriented design, etc. are some of the design methodologies that have been defined and each of
these methodologies has its own set of principles. I researched on the pros and cons of each
of these methodologies to determine the one apt for the application. There are several
software development lifecycle models and approaches that are now available. Some of these
are predictive in nature and some are adaptive models. I looked in to each of these two
categories to determine the model suitable for the application. Some of the models that I
analysed were Waterfall model, Spiral Model, Iterative Model, Agile SCRUM methodology,
Extreme Programming, and Incremental model. There were benefits and drawbacks identified
for all of these models. The model that I finalized was agile SCRUM model as it matched the
project needs and requirements (Ashbacher, 2010). The functional aspects were provided and
were clear for the applications. However, there was no clear definition provided on the non-
functional aspects. I researched on the non-functional aspects and system qualities integrated
in other similar applications. Some of the system qualities that I researched upon were system
performance, system availability, reliability of the system, system security, usability, and
maintainability. Security was one area that I thoroughly researched so that the information
security risks and attacks could be avoided. I wanted to make sure that the application
developed comprised of strong security controls.
There were different research and information gathering techniques that I used to complete
the research. The information for the application was gathered using the techniques as
observations, interviews, and domain analysis. The data and information sets that were
collected in the areas as application design, development, and testing were then analysed
using qualitative and quantitative methods of research. The use of both of these techniques
provided me with the ability to understand the application requirements in a better way. The
decisions that were then taken for the application were in accordance with the application
needs and requirements.
2

Self-Reflective Summary
Decisions Made
There were various decisions that I had to make for the application. I decided to use vb.net as
the programming language as it offers simple structure and supports rapid application
development. I wanted to use a programming language that could support the code and the
associated non-functional requirements with a good graphical user interface. Vb.net provided
me the ability to do the same. I wanted to develop the application that would be easy to
understand and visually appealing as well. Also, consistency is one of the principles that I
wanted to maintain throughout the application. I decided to use responsive web design as my
design methodology with the feedback to the users on the actions that they perform on the
application (Natda, 2013). The users are provided with the messages on the screen, such as
“Are you sure you want to exit”, “Match” etc. These messages make the application
interactive and the users get to understand the flow of the application. I also made a decision
to use agile SCRUM as the development model. This is because I wanted the application to
be scalable and flexible (Mahnic, 2012). Also, the development time had to be minimal. The
agile development model allowed me to develop a product that could incorporate the changes
in future. Also, there were a few modifications detected during the development phase that
were also included easily. Another reason to select agile as the development model was the
customer response and feedback that gets associated with the methodology. The application
was sent for review to the end-users to understand their expectations and incorporate the
ideas provided by the customers. The final application developed was therefore in accordance
with the expectations and requirements of the end users of the application.
Success Points
The success points for the application include the incorporation of the functional
requirements and specifications. The functional specifications could be met with the source
code that is written for the application. The unit testing and the functional testing were also
performed on the application and there were no major bugs detected during the process. The
absence of any major or critical bugs is also a sign of application success. The application is
interactive in nature and meets the principles of responsive web design (Baturay and Birtane,
2013). Also, the font size, font face, color tone, and theme are consistent across all the
screens.
3

Self-Reflective Summary
Room for Improvement
Visual appeal is one area that could be improved on the system. A basic layout and graphical
user interface is incorporated in the system to meet the functional and non-functional
specifications. The visual appeal could be improved with the user of richer graphics. Also,
cascading style sheet could be used to style the application.
Another area that could be improved upon is the application functionality. The application
currently incorporates the limited number of levels on the basis of which the time and score
of the user is displayed on the screen. There could be advanced levels added in the
application along with an option for every user to maintain the user history and information.
The previous scores could be recorded and mapped with the user.
Further Development & Desired Changes
I would set up advanced levels in the application if provided the opportunity to develop the
application again. The application is developed using agile SCRUM as the development
model. There are newer functionalities that can be added in the application as a result
(Tkachenko and Sivokoz, 2017).
I would have also enhanced the user interface of the application with the incorporation of
richer graphics. The similar changes would have been made in the portfolio if the opportunity
to do so would have been given.
4

Self-Reflective Summary
References
Ashbacher, C. (2010). Succeeding With Agile: Software Development Using Scrum, by Mike
Cohn. The Journal of Object Technology, 9(4).
Baturay, M. and Birtane, M. (2013). Responsive Web Design: A New Type of Design for
Web-based Instructional Content. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 106, pp.2275-
2279.
Mahnic, V. (2012). A Capstone Course on Agile Software Development Using Scrum. IEEE
Transactions on Education, 55(1), pp.99-106.
Natda, K. (2013). Responsive Web Design. Eduvantage, 1(1).
Tkachenko, I. and Sivokoz, K. (2017). Using Flexible Technologies Agile and Scrum for
Managing Project Stakeholders. Upravlenets, 68(4), pp.85-95.
5