Three questions before you build
Before a developer builds, they ask three questions.
- Can I trust this information? 2. What could go wrong? 3. What do the law and fairness say?
A project that answers these three is safer, and it earns marks for PO5 and PO6.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Where information comes from. | a government website |
| Reliable | You can trust it because it is checked and true. | official documentation |
| Mitigation | What you do to make a risk smaller. | keep a backup |
| Likelihood | How likely it is that the risk happens. | 3 means very likely |
| Impact | How bad it is if the risk happens. | 3 means very bad |
| Contingency plan | What you do if the risk happens anyway. | use the backup copy |
| Ethics | Choosing what is right and fair. | do not hide a fault from users |
| Bias | A result that is unfair to some people. | a form that only fits some names |
| Personal data | Facts about a real person. | name, phone number |
| GDPR | UK rules about how to use personal data. | keep only what you need |
| Copyright | The right of the maker to control copies of their work. | a photo or a piece of code |
| Licence | Permission to use something under stated rules. | an open source licence |
| Open source | Code that anyone may read and use under a licence. | Python |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Eight places to look
| Place | Good for | Take care |
|---|---|---|
| Search engine | Finding pages fast | The top result is not always the best one |
| Wiki (a site anyone can edit, like Wikipedia) | A quick overview | Anyone may edit it. Check its sources |
| Blog | Real examples from developers | It is one person's opinion |
| Academic paper (a report by researchers) | Careful, tested findings | It can be hard to read and old |
| Classmates and friends | Fast help from people you know | They can be wrong too |
| Forum (a site where people ask and answer questions) | Answers to a very exact problem | Check the date and the votes |
| Code comments | Why the code was written this way | The code may have changed since |
| Code repository (a place that stores code) | Real code and its history | Check the licence before you copy |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Five checks for a source
| Check | Question |
|---|---|
| Who | Who wrote it? Do they know the subject? |
| When | When was it written? Is it still true? |
| Proof | Does it show evidence or give examples? |
| Agree | Do other good sources say the same? |
| Why | Why was it written? To teach, or to sell? |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Say where it came from
data-callouts.tip.label
Write the source name, the page address and the date you read it. Then anyone can check. If you use another person's code or text, say so and check the licence.
Quick check: trust a source
Have a go
Quick check: trust a source
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.
Worked example: score a risk (x means multiply)
| Risk | Likelihood (1 to 3) | Impact (1 to 3) | Score (likelihood x impact) | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data file is lost | 2 | 3 | 2 x 3 = 6 | high |
| The build takes longer | 3 | 2 | 3 x 2 = 6 | high |
| A name is typed wrong | 3 | 1 | 3 x 1 = 3 | medium |
| The colours are not nice | 1 | 1 | 1 x 1 = 1 | low |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
All nine scores in one picture
| Likelihood (down), impact (across) | Impact 1 | Impact 2 | Impact 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Likelihood 1 | 1 low | 2 low | 3 medium |
| Likelihood 2 | 2 low | 4 medium | 6 high |
| Likelihood 3 | 3 medium | 6 high | 9 high |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.