Unit 06: Planning a computing project

Assignment 1 Brief

Student Name/ID Number

Unit Number and Title Unit 06: Planning a computing project

Academic Year 2022-2023

Unit Tutor

Assignment Title Conduct a small scale research activity

and explore the features and business
requirements.
13 Dec 2022
Issue Date

Submission Date 13 Dec 2022

Submission Format

Format: The submission is in the form of an individual written report that shows how you have
manage the project. This should be written in a concise, formal business style using
single spacing and font size 12. You are required to make use of headings,
paragraphs and subsections as appropriate, and all work must be supported with
research and referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also provide a
bibliography using the Harvard referencing system.
Submission Students are compulsory to submit the assignment in due date and in a way
requested by the Tutors. The form of submission will be a soft copy in PDF posted on
corresponding course of http://cms.btec.edu.vn/
Note: The Assignment must be your own work, and not copied by or from another student
or from
books etc. If you use ideas, quotes or data (such as diagrams) from books, journals or other
sources, you must reference your sources, using the Harvard style. Make sure that you know how
to reference properly, and that understand the guidelines on plagiarism. If you do not, you
definitely get fail

Unit Learning Outcomes

LO1 : Conduct small-scale research, information gathering and data collection
to generate knowledge on an identified subject.
LO2 :
Explore the features and business requirements of organisations in an
identified sector.

Transferable skills and competencies developed

- Do a research project
- Searching and analytical skill to draw conclusions.
- Explore the features and business requirements of organisations
- Evaluating
- Presentation
- Teamwork
- reflect result

Vocational scenario

Introduction to theme

The environmental impact of digital transformation

The amount of data created and stored globally is expected to reach 175 Zettabytes by 2025, a
six-fold increase from 2018. This will demand additional hardware and power consumption,
which; in turn, will increase the environmental impact of the digital sector and there is already
increasing attention on the environmental footprint of ICT equipment and services as they
become more widespread in all aspects of human life. It is the responsibility of everyone to take
action in addressing the challenges of climate change, as professionals we must also seek ways
that the digital sector can play its part. While digital technologies are one of the sectors that has
achieved greater efficiency; achieving about 100 times more computation power from the same
amount of energy per decade, it remains unsustainable. The sector must continue to seek ways in
which it can continue to support and drive innovation, while addressing the global climate
emergency for a greener and fairer future.
Tasks
As a member of Research and Development department, you have been assigned a mini-project
to find out The environmental impact of digital transformation.
You need to do primary research (both qualitative and quantitative research) and secondary
research to find out that impact and conduct a report for your research. Even it’s a mini-project,
you must apply project management (PM) techniques such as project charter with aims,
objectives, cost etc. As for time management, you need to produce WBS and Gantt chart with
reasonable tasks and time. A project logbook is required to provide evidence of the project
development process and ongoing reflection for every week. This logbook will be needed later for
your reflection and evaluation in Assignment 2. As part of QA (quality assurance) policy, in the
report you also need to critically evaluate the PM process and appropriate research
methodologies applied.
Your report must have an introduction stating the project aims and objectives. This must be
followed by a copy of your project management plan. Your plan should show the milestones
when you will review with your tutor your ongoing progress so far. You will submit your logbook
which shows how you have carried out the project.
Guidance for Students
You should read this information before starting on your project. You should refer to these
instructions as you complete work for this unit.
• Read the brief and think about what the project brief is asking.
• Research what the project brief is asking. How can you approach the problem, opportunity,
hypothesis and requirements being posed?
• Apply a range of secondary research sources to plan/scope and support the project and its
findings. Secondary research sources may include textbooks, journal articles, newspapers and
magazine articles (not factual accounts).
• Develop your project plan based on the deliverables of the project, the constraints of the
project and the assumptions made.
• Conduct your project according to your stated project plan and meet with your tutor to receive
a sign-off at each stage of the project process.
• Primary research sources may include original first-hand accounts, legal and historical
documents, results of experiments and market research data collection. Apply both qualitative
and quantitative research methods to evaluate data collected from primary research.
• Keep notes of your progress throughout the project in your logbook. This is an important record
of your work and must be used to record the development of your ideas and your progress
through the project. The logbook should include:
• A record of what you did, when and what you were thinking.
• A record of where things went wrong and what you did to overcome any unexpected results.
• You will be asked to reflect on the success of your project and your own performance in a
personal performance review at the end of the project. This is a written reflection of around 500
words.
• You must complete the project in order to complete your work for this unit.
Resources and useful links
Type
of Resource
Links
Resour Titles
ce
A quick guide to
your digital https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/industrylab/
Article
carbon reports/a-quick-guide-to-your-digital-carbon-footprint
footprint
The future of
sustainable
Article https://lfca.earth/the-future-of-sustainable-digital-infrastructure/
digital
infrastructure
Uncovering the
Environmental
Article https://earth.org/environmental-impact-of-cloud-computing/
Impact of Cloud
Computing
Reducing e-
waste: Could
refurbished IT
Article https://www.wholegraindigital.com/blog/refurbished-it/
equipment be
better than
new?
Big Tech’s
Magazi https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/2020/11/big-techs-
carbon
ne carbon-problem
problem
 A Guide to https://www.greenict.org.uk/sites/default/files/Green%20ICT
Report
Green ICT %20Handbook.pdf
The climate
impact of ICT:
A review of
Report https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/150985/
estimates,
trends and
regulations
How Date
Centres impact
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9lXWCAN0wE
the
environment
Energy and
climate impacts
of digital
https://www.ted.com/talks/
technologies |
Video george_kamiya_energy_and_climate_impacts_of_digital_technol
George Kamiya
ogies
|
TEDxClimateCh
angeAI
The hidden
Video pollution of the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX8sOrz_-Fg
internet

Assignment activity and guidance

Recommended Resources
Please note that the resources listed are examples for you to use as a starting
point in your research – the list is not definitive.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Pass Merit Distinction

LO1 : Conduct small-scale research, information D1 Interpret findings to

gathering and data collection to generate
knowledge on an identified subject. generate knowledge on
 how the research theme
supports business
requirements in the
identified sector.

P1 Demonstrate M1 Analyse data and

qualitative information from primary
and quantitative and secondary sources to
research
generate knowledge on
methods to generate an
relevant primary data for identified theme
an
identified theme.
P2 Examine secondary
sources to collect
relevant
secondary data and
information for an
identified theme.

LO2 Explore the features and business requirements

of
organisations in an identified sector

P3 Discuss the features M2 Analyse the

and challenges
to the success of a
operational areas of a
business in an identified
businesses in an
sector.
identified
sector.
P4 Discuss the role of
stakeholders and their
impact on the success of
a
business