Finished work for tonight *yawns*
Please note the timestamp on this post. It's after half past eleven, and I've been working at my B23 coursework assignment for four hours solid now. I think I've put in about nine hours on this one in total ... and I'm less than halfway through.
I've had larger assignments before, but usually it's obvious from the outset that they're big. This one was deceptive. We're creating a Data Flow Diagram for a business, and the scenario is only a couple of sides of A4 ... a fairly straightforward description of what goes on. Our task is to break down the processes and data flows in this business until it has reached an atomic level.
When you start with the context diagram, this looks easy, because so much material can be shoved outside the system and forgotten about, except in terms of data sources and sinks. But each time you go down a level into more detail, you find even more detail being generated by the detail you just levelled out ... make any sense? The size and scope of the assignment is increasing exponentially. Work generates more work. At the moment I have seven sheets of paper covered in data flows, and I've only got down to Level One (there are theoretically three or four levels).
Problem is, I received this assignment ages ago, but put it off because I thought it would be easy. Now the deadline is approaching ... fast. Must work faster!
No more tonight, though. I'll sort out Level Two tomorrow.
Please note the timestamp on this post. It's after half past eleven, and I've been working at my B23 coursework assignment for four hours solid now. I think I've put in about nine hours on this one in total ... and I'm less than halfway through.
I've had larger assignments before, but usually it's obvious from the outset that they're big. This one was deceptive. We're creating a Data Flow Diagram for a business, and the scenario is only a couple of sides of A4 ... a fairly straightforward description of what goes on. Our task is to break down the processes and data flows in this business until it has reached an atomic level.
When you start with the context diagram, this looks easy, because so much material can be shoved outside the system and forgotten about, except in terms of data sources and sinks. But each time you go down a level into more detail, you find even more detail being generated by the detail you just levelled out ... make any sense? The size and scope of the assignment is increasing exponentially. Work generates more work. At the moment I have seven sheets of paper covered in data flows, and I've only got down to Level One (there are theoretically three or four levels).
Problem is, I received this assignment ages ago, but put it off because I thought it would be easy. Now the deadline is approaching ... fast. Must work faster!
No more tonight, though. I'll sort out Level Two tomorrow.
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