Blog Posting #6, Feasibility Reports

Part 1 :
    Chapter 26 describes the major goals of a feasibility report and teaches us the reader centered writing process to write an effective feasibility report. The substructure of a feasibility report contains 7 parts: introduction, overview of alternatives, criteria, method, evaluation, conclusions, and recommendations. Before crafting the seven elements of the feasibility report, we should conduct research, plan, and define the goal of our communication. While conducting research, we should gain a full understanding of the reader's criteria and all the implications of the alternatives being considered. We should make sure we are not favoring a particular alternative by avoiding any bias while gathering information. The introduction should answer the question of why it is important to consider the alternatives. The overview of alternatives should provide the important features of the alternatives. Next element is Criteria, the standards that we apply in the feasibility report to evaluate alternatives. The Method should explain whether or not the facts we found are reliable. The evaluation of the alternatives will make it easier for the readers to make their decisions. The conclusion includes all the findings and courses of actions we have taken in the overall assessment of the feasibility report. Lastly, the Recommendation element asks the question of what the reader think we should do.

Part 2 :
      Both feasibility reports are organized in a similar manner. Both flow logically according to the seven significant elements of a feasibility report. I would choose Sample 2 because it is more reader centered and it effectively maintains the significance of each section while ignoring items that does not belong to the particular section. The use of tables in sample two, increases the effectiveness of evaluation by solidifying their arguments. The use of visuals were also supportive in making the feasibility report more reader centered.

Processes’ Posting

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tech-transport/5-ways-uber-really-different-from-regular-taxi.htm

The article explains how Uber is different from regular taxi

1.0 Identify the process in an introduction.
The article begins with an active voice explaining the clear differences between Uber and a regular taxi. It gives the pros and cons or both uber and a regular taxi. The process talks mainly about the purpose and audience of the system. It compares Uber drivers to taxi drivers. It provides step by step details on how they are different with 5 visuals that helps us. Even though the visuals in the article were not lacking, better pictures related to the topic could have been used for better understanding of the article. The main goal of the article was to give the cons of Uber. The process was enumerated in five steps and broken down so that it was effective for the reader.

2.0 Present a step-by-step explanation of the process in chronological order, including cause-and-effect explanations as necessary.
The process is defined by breaking down the differences into 5 steps. The first step explains what's Uber and how can it be helpful. It also engages the audience through Uber vs taxi debates. The purpose of step one was to explain to the reader why Uber is not better than a traditional taxi. The sub step of step one was broken down into five parts : its ambiguity, how regular taxi drivers are more synchronized with the route system, how the GPS tracking system goes off at times, and its cost. This step relates to the next step because it supports the writer's argument on the urgency to switch back to regular taxi services.

Objectives and Intro Prep Posting

Part 1 :
        After reading the three Objectives samples provided, these are my ranking from best to worst: Sample 2 Healthcare, Sample 1 Safe House, Sample 3 Website redesign.

What's good about Healthcare: 
In the sample 2, it explicitly tells the difference between functional and non functional requirements. The use of the word "must" conveys a message that these items will be done. The functional requirements were unambiguous and concise. In the Applicable standards section, it specified how the HIPAA regulation affect their system.
What could be Improved:
Certain firmware and Android version terms used can be difficult for a novice to understand. Therefore it will be beneficial to use simpler terms.

What's good about Safe House: 
They specified which platforms their application should work. They gave details and consequences of not following Clergy act.
What could be Improved:
They include some implementation details which could be avoided.

What's good about Website Redesign:
Sets some framework required for the usage of the system.
What could be Improved:
The website redesign was ranked the worst because the objectives were not completely clear. They included certain implementation details that was not supposed to be stated in the objectives. The objectives were unclear and ambiguous

Part 2 : 
Sample 1: Safe house - The main difference between version 0.1 and the final version is the breakdown of the categories. This makes it visually easier for the reader to understand the objectives more clearly and specifically. The final version has used parallelism  which made more easier to read. They have removed the details about the expansions and made the section more rich.

Sample 2: Healthcare -  The difference between version 0.1 and the final version is in the increase of the details. They have made each item in the functional and non functional requirements section more specific. They have expanded on the acceptance criteria. In the applicable standards sections they specify how HIPAA will affect their application and what they will do about it instead of just stating it.

Part 3 : 

Many of you rely on the bus system to get from one class to another, or to and from your dorm. We believe it would be beneficial for you to have a way of knowing if a bus is available at a particular stop at the time you would be needing it. The mobile application that we create will use data from your own schedule to send notifications after your class ends about available buses and routes you could take to get to your next destination in the least amount of time. There are existing applications which allow a student to check the status of the GT bus system at any given time, but our application would automate this information – providing it to you as soon as you get out of class.

1) Students have short time to get to classes
2) A user interface that would make it easy for the students to locate the buses
3) Incorporation of student schedules 
4) Notifications on bus routes, faster routes and arrival, departure times 

Blog Posting #5. Drafting Prose and Designing Documents

Part 1 :
         One of the guidelines that I regularly use in my writing is beginning a segment by announcing my topic. It is always most effective if we begin with a topic sentence because it increases clarity and answers the question of the reader on what the paragraph is about. Even for the proposal that we wrote for the project in this class, our segment started with the purpose of the proposal. Another guideline that I always like to follow is "Move from most important to least important".  This organization will help people scan for the item they are looking for more easily and quickly. It is also used to increase the persuasiveness of any form of communication when the reader reads the strongest and most convincing point first. This format is used in my resume. I have listed my education first and my skills and work experience follow the order of importance. Other guidelines from the book that I believe can result in effective communication are :  "Consider the reader's cultural background while organizing" and "smooth the flow of thought from sentence to sentence." We should take cultural backgrounds into consideration because in other cultures they must be used to different patterns segments does not necessarily have to follow one idea. We should learn the reader's expectation first before communicating with them. It is also critical that there is a strong connection between every sentence in a paragraph. The use of transitional phrases and echo words can help in the smooth flow from a sentence to sentence. I will most likely use all the guidelines provided in this chapters in my further communications.

Part 2 :
        Chapter 16 explained how certain design and graphic elements in a page will affect our readers. One of the guidelines that intrigued me is grouping related items visually. Since there are many visual people out there, in order to make a favorable impression, it is important to group closely related items together. This is related to how our brain processes information. Readers tend to interpret information grouped together as related. The guideline that I found the most useful is creating a grid that will serve as a visual framework for the page. We use this design in several documents such as essays, resumes, books, journals, reports, etc. When we use grid patterns cleverly, it can aid the usefulness and persuasiveness of the communication. This can also help us to fit different possibilities for the same page. Along with designing the elements of the page, it is also important to choose font type that will be easier for the readers to comprehend. I found it is interesting that people perceive different fonts based on their situations. Using different kinds of designs provided in this chapter will help the reader interested and focused. These guidelines will help the readers of our communication to emphasize on the significant contents and read efficiently.

Parallelism’ Posting

Non Parallel List :

• Rebooting (Gerund) the computer
• Logging (Gerund) in using proper credentials
• Open (Verb) VMware Workstation
• Revision (Noun) of a C program
• List (Noun) of all C programs 
• Compiling(Gerund)  a program
• Run (Verb)a program
• Debugging (Gerund)the result
• After we debug, printing (Gerund) the result
• Close(Verb)the terminal

The above list is non parallel because some of the list items starts with gerunds(ing form), nouns, andverbs. There is no consistency in the part of speech.

Parallel List :

• Reboot the computer
• Login using proper credentials
• Open VMware Workstation
• Write a C program
• Create a list of all C programs
• Compile a program
• Run a program
• Debug the result
• Print the result, after we debug
• Close the terminal

This list is parallel because the first word of each item in the list begins with a Verb.

Blog Posting #4: Proposals and Statements of Work (SOW)

Part 1
              Our team faces the third situation that we must define our problem ourselves. To enhance the experience, we have to review the overall goals. For the logical development of the project, the tasks/topic should be divided into sub tasks/subtopics and taken care of from bottom up. We should check the details such that we understand who our primary and secondary audiences are.
Our system is set to use data from a student's schedule to send notifications after their class ends about available buses and routes they could take to get to their next class in the least amount of time. All the students and faculties that use the GT bus service will be affected by our system. There are similar applications in existence. From the survey that we conducted, mostly everyone uses the NextBus and GTBuses application. This app lacks the feature to send notifications to students right after their class. A large number of students rely on the bus system to get from one class to another. It would be beneficial for the students to have a way of knowing if a bus is available at a particular stop at the time they would be needing it. This was the motivation for the system to be developed

Part 2
       For Sample 1: Safe house the most evident difference is the inclusion of details in every step. The final version begins with an example why their system is important while version 0.1 just states it. The final version has a cover page with all team member's names and class year. The final version is improved because it has broken down the objectives, problem statement, functional and nonfunctional requirements, etc further. The use of images is also helpful because it provides an idea of the system architecture. The use of the word "must" helps the reader think that the team will get the tasks done on time.
         For Sample 2: Healthcare, as opposed to version 0.1, the final version has a table of contents making it easier to find whats needed quicker. The use of  diagrams and images will help the user grasp the need and use of this system better. Another difference between the versions is in the applicable standards. Instead of just stating that there are HIPAA requirements affecting their project, they specified how it will be affected in the final version. The chart portrays a more organized step by step approach
 Part 3
 The rankings:

• Healthcare
• Safe House
• Website Redesign

The Healthcare system's problem statement was voted best because it is well organized and lists the separate problems. It includes why the problem is significant without suggesting a solution. They seem to have described all the problems without leaving anything off. At the beginning it focuses on the team as well. I chose the website redesign to be the worst because it is not concise and some of the problems seems to be duplicated. It also does not explain why the problems are problems.Additionally, it is not focusing on the team in the beginning. Even though the website redesign shows the problem step by step, it seems to be ambiguous.

Definition's Posting

The different types of definitions are Stipulation,Operational, Antonym, Examples, Formal, Synonym, Etymology, Negatives, and Analogy. Some of the definitions and examples from the CS field are :

Formal definition: A definition that contains three parts: the term being defined, general category that the notions belongs to, and the distinguishing characteristics.

Google Drive is a cloud storage service that allows us to store our documents, photos, videos, and more online.

Synonym: Two words that have closely related meanings
Programming and coding are used interchangeably.
Antonym: Two words that have closely opposite meanings
Hard copy and soft copy are antonyms
Examples: Giving more details about a situations through different cases
Heap overflow and  Stack buffer overflow are examples of buffer overflows
Etymology: History of a particular word
The word Polymorphism originated from the Greek term that means form and shape
Negatives: Defining a term using the opposite.
Computer architecture is not only a combination of micro architecture.
Analogy: Directly compares an unfamiliar term to a familiar term.
Doubly Linked List is similar to Singly Linked list with an additional tail node.
Stipulation: limiting the use of that particular definition, not the definition that everyone use in every context
In different CS classes, documentation of the codes varies in its quality and specificity.
Operational: Several steps involved of a process in a chronological order
C compilation is a simple process that creates an executable. It is split into 5 steps: Preprocessing, Parsing, Translation, Assembling, and Linking