A map is better than a paragraph
Imagine somebody tells you the way to the train station in three long paragraphs. Now imagine a simple map. The map is faster to read, and you see a mistake at once.
An analyst is a person who studies what a client needs. A client is the person or company who asks for the software. Analysts use pictures the same way as a map. This lesson shows five kinds.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst | A person who studies what a client needs. | a business analyst |
| Feature | One thing the software can do. | log in |
| Model | A simple picture or table of something real. | a map of a town |
| User story | One sentence that says who wants something, what they want and why. | As a student, I want a timetable, so that I know my lessons. |
| Activity diagram | A picture of the steps a user or a system takes, in order. | order, pay, collect |
| Mind map | A picture of ideas, with the main idea in the middle. | ideas for a school app |
| Product road map | A plan of which features come now, next and later. | login now, payments next |
| Process diagram | A picture of how work moves between people and systems. | who checks an order |
| Entity | A thing we store facts about. | customer, order, pizza |
| Relationship | How two entities are linked. | a customer places an order |
| ERD | Entity relationship diagram: a picture of the entities and their links. | customer, order, pizza |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Five models, five questions
| Model | Question it answers | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| User story | Who needs what, and why? | You list what users want |
| Activity diagram | What steps happen, in what order? | You show one journey |
| Mind map | What ideas do we have? | You start and need ideas |
| Product road map | What comes first, and what later? | You plan the order of features |
| Process diagram | How does work move between people? | You study a business process |
| ERD | What data do we keep, and how is it linked? | You plan the data |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Quick check: read the diagram
Have a go
Quick check: read the diagram
3 questionsHave a go: your answers are marked here and then forgotten. Sign in if you would like your score kept, and to pick up where you left off.Sign in to keep your score
Your answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Product road map: the school app
| Now (months 1 to 2) | Next (months 3 to 4) | Later (after month 4) |
|---|---|---|
| Login | Homework due dates | Lunch ordering |
| Timetable | Messages to teachers | Parent view |
| Notices | Hand in work | Reports |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Quick check: read the road map
Have a go
Quick check: read the road map
3 questionsHave a go: your answers are marked here and then forgotten. Sign in if you would like your score kept, and to pick up where you left off.Sign in to keep your score
Your answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.