Fitness for Purpose

During the analysis stage of the development cycle, candidates identify the functional requirements when creating a requirements specification. The functional requirements are the inputs, processes, and outputs that must be included in the design and implementation of any solution to a problem.

A solution is fit for purpose if (following design, implementation, and testing) it meets all the functional requirements. In the evaluation stage of the Advanced Higher project, candidates discuss if their solution is fit for purpose.

Criteria

A website is fit for purpose if it meets the criteria:

• Has the intended purpose of the website been met?
• What were the requirements of the website and have they been met?
  • User requirements:
    • Can the users find what they are looking for?
    • Can the user access all pages of the site?
    • Do all links (internal & external) work?
  • Functional requirements:
    • Do all planned sections of the page appear in the correct place?
    • Does the navigational bar appear?
    • Are all style rules applied?
    • Do all scripts used in the page work?

We also need to consider extra features website use, such as:

• Media queries
• Use of forms
• Session variables for the site
• PHP/integrations with other software applications (programs/databases)

Maintainability

The maintainability of a website can be evaluated in the same way you would a software project.

A well-designed website will make good use of external stylesheets and scripts which makes the basic page HTML easier to view.

Any new websites being created should make use of the semantic elements provided by HTML 5 and contain internal commentary to help document the website’s development.

Semantic Elements

A semantic element clearly describes its meaning to both the browser and the developer. The semantic elements can be thought of as being similar to meaningful variable names in software development.