1.
Make use of contactsFind out what your parents, relatives, neighbours, friends, etc., do in the course of their jobs, since they might be able to suggest any ideas for you. Don't worry if the idea may seem too simple or complex, it's good to have lots of ideas initially.
2.
It's best to do improvements rather than making something newThere is nothing wrong with creating new system from scratch rather than improving an existing system. But, if you are planning to create a new system, you'll need quite a bit of prior knowledge of the type of business the system is for and there won't be any existing system for you to obtain information and see what can be improve. In conclusion, creating something from scratch is harder than improving something!
3.
DO NOT CHOOSE A SYSTEM THAT IS OUTSIDE OF YOUR EXPERIENCEYes, do not pick any ideas that you are not familiar with or else you will end up with not knowing what you are doing and unable to understanding the information and data you are obtaining.
4.
BE REALISTIC It is important to be realistic about what you can achieve within the time limit. Better projects are usually the ones which comprise fewer tasks and which are better designed, documented, fully tested and evaluated and closely focused on the problem being solved.
5.
Use a real client if possible This is entirely up to you, you can have a real client or artificial client (You make your own client) But having an artificial client will take some time to create all the information about your client's organisation and making up a problem to solve. Don't forget that your system has to be realistic and your information has to make sense.
6.
Always check the mark scheme for the projectYour choice of project is very important. Always refer to AQA ICT Specification to see how the marks are allocated and make sure you have everything that meets each sections.
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A multimedia for education, training, information, etc.
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An e-commerce site which allows the purchase of goods. (This requires a specific range of softwares)
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A user support system that can be used to log faults or errors for an organisation.
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An ICT security policy
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A system that is used for communication in a department or organisation
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A system for evaluating new software for purchase or for evaluating the new hardware that forms a system
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A backup and recovery system and a disaster recovery plan for an organisation
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A system for managing relationship with customers
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A website, intranet or extranet