From TKI

This achievement standard involves using complex processes to develop a digital outcome. 

The assessment activity requires students to develop a digital outcome, by:

• • recognising and using an appropriate project management tools

  • decomposing the outcome into smaller components

  • trialing the components iteratively

  • using as authentic development environment or workflow

  • testing the outcome

  • explaining relevant implications.

Students could work individually or in groups to create a digital outcome. A group of students could work to develop individual digital outcomes that are a functioning component of a larger project.

Complex processes refer to recognised project management tools and techniques that are used to develop digital technologies outcomes. Examples of techniques include Agile, Waterfall, Scrum, Kanban and Lean. Tools may include various project management software or physical resources such as Kanban boards and post-it notes.

The step up from Level 2 is the requirement for students to use complex processes which are clearly specified in the Standard. Students must effectively use recognised and appropriate project management tools and techniques to plan the development and to use an authentic development environment or workflow as appropriate to the outcome type to manage feedback and/or collaborative processes. Students are required to synthesise their information gained, and to evaluate how the iterative process assisted to develop a high-quality outcome.

The project should be managed as appropriate to the methodology. For example, if students are using AGILE development, students should engage in more than one iteration of ‘Plan, Develop, Test and Evaluate” as appropriate to their methodology and the time available to develop their outcome.

Teachers are encouraged to have students provide evidence of their application of complex processes and the testing and trialing of the components to improve the functionality of the outcome.  This could include evidence of:

• • which components or techniques were trialed in the development of the outcome and why they were selected

  • trialing the components of the outcome (e.g. for expected, boundary and unexpected cases) and how you improved the functionality based on your testing

  • the student’s workflow and tools used to manage feedback and/or collaborative processes.

  • testing the outcome

  • how students address any relevant implications such as usability, functionality, legal / ethical requirements

  • the student’s evaluation of their process.

The outcome may be developed by a student, class, or group of students. The outcome may be a complete outcome for a particular purpose, or a functioning component of a larger solution.

from NZQA: Computing/digital technologies clarifications

91907: Use complex processes to develop a digital technologies outcome

Updated December 2019. Further assessment support can also be found on TKI (on this web page).

Students must use recognised and appropriate project management tools and techniques to plan the development of their outcome. The standard does not involve planning the outcome itself.

Examples of suitable project management tools and techniques are given in Explanatory Note 3. These provide guidance about the expectations at level 3, and are not an exhaustive list. Assessors may need to determine other tools and techniques that are complex.

For this standard, students are required to decompose the outcome into components, and to trial these components. Different sorts of digital outcomes will have different sorts of components.

In this context, trialling is about gathering information to inform decision making. Testing is about confirming decisions.

Students need to show how they have addressed the relevant implications. (There is no dedicated clarification for relevant implications at level 3. Guidance and definitions are provided in the level 2 clarification.)

For Merit, students should effectively trial multiple components and/or techniques, and select the most suitable. Merit does not simply require trialling more components than those required for Achieved. This means that a student should trial more than one different way to solve the same sub-problem and select the best.

For Excellence, students need evidence of synthesising the information from the planning, testing and trailing of the components, and a discussion of how this led to the development of a high-quality digital technologies outcome.