This module addresses the following indicative topics:

Key research paradigms, methods, approaches and models
- Learning and evaluating research in a simulation / case study environment
- Experimentation with datasets and models

Business Analysis in Organisations
- Role of the business analyst
- Organisational contexts and stakeholder analysis
- Requirements elicitation, analysis, and documentation
- Working with industry practitioners

System and Process Modelling
- Process modelling and system representation
- Business cases and solution justification
- Address of sustainability within the computing design process
- Evaluation of solution options and trade-offs
- Application of Enterprise to ‘live’ brief concepts

Professional Practice and Project Management
- Project lifecycles (e.g. agile, plan-driven)
- Planning, risk, quality, and change management
- Professional standards and codes of conduct
- Scoping, costing, and financial factors
- Sustainability design in relation to organisational factors and issues
- Solution feasibility and stages of design trade-off
- Software cost estimation
- Estimation of time and resources, and contingency planning Health and Safety, diversity, and inclusivity considerations
- Quality and benefits management

Teamwork and Professional Collaboration
- Real-world business scenarios and contexts, and problem solving and thinking
- Stakeholder roles in large organisational and computing based projects
- Employability expectations (employability awareness, reflection, professional practice, industry expectations, computing roles)
- Professional documentation - requirements documentation, system models, risk assessments, and business cases
- Roles, responsibilities, and communication in teams
- Managing conflict and decision-making
- Professional behaviour in collaborative environments
- Identification of Entrepreneurship opportunities, creative thinking, and business models
- Project life cycles and approaches to project management

Legal, Ethical and Employability Considerations
- Legal, social, ethical, and professional issues in computing
- Reflective practice and professional development
- Career pathways and employability skills
- Entrepreneurship and the generation of business opportunity

Accessible and inclusive learning strategies in relation to advanced computing
- Address of project specification, artefact design planning, and evaluation planning in relation to accessibility and inclusion
- Inclusivity related to ethical, legal, and societal analysis of computing technologies

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
- Enterprise and business opportunities within computing
- Entrepreneurship and innovation within the computing discipline
- Future proofing and future facing project ideas generation
- Identification and implementation of innovation and entrepreneurship

BCS / TechSkills / Employability elements:

Consideration and complete run through of the software lifecycle (addressing design, evaluation, and trade-off).
Individual and teamworking role and allocation within the computing field.
Enterprise, Entrepreneurship, and opportunity
In depth analysis of computing and business issues through a ‘live’ scenario.
Career consideration and development.
Legal, social, ethical and professional issues.

REPORT - Group Business Analysis & Professional Practice Report

You will work in a team to analyse a given organisational or business scenario (your role must be specific to your given course in order to replicate role requirements and tasks). You will elicit and document requirements, model systems and processes, and evaluate solution options using appropriate business analysis and project management techniques. As a team you will follow BCS (British Computer Society) guidance on management and professional approaches, addressing role allocation (reflecting on your degree requirements), logging progress and contribution, and conflict resolution (tutors will help you oversee the development of the report and help if required to resolve any emerging conflicts). Teams will produce a professionally structured group report supported by artefacts such as requirements models, process diagrams, risk assessments, and a justified business case. Part of the report will reflect on entrepreneurship and innovation possibilities.

REPORT - Individual Professional Reflection Employability Portfolio

You will produce an individual reflective report evaluating your professional practice and contribution to the team activity (being specific to relate this to your course and other related modules). This will include reflection on teamwork, ethical and legal considerations, professional behaviour, and employability development, supported by a skills audit and career development plan.

Formative assessment opportunities will be provided throughout the module. In generating documentation staff will regularly review your progress. This will include both written work and system models as they progress. There will be team 1-2-1s to assess the progress of groupwork regularly to ensure teams are on track to expectation.

Teaching and learning will combine lectures, tutorials, and project supervision sessions. Lectures will introduce business analysis, professional practice, and project management concepts, while tutorials will focus on applying these through case studies and simulated organisational scenarios.

You will engage in guided group work supported by formative feedback and supervision. Independent study will include research, modelling, documentation, and reflection to support both the group-based analytical assessment and the individual professional reflection.

1. Critically analyse and evaluate organisational problems to model requirements using recognised business analysis techniques.

Knowledge and Understanding
Research Skills

2. Create digital solutions using system modelling, business cases, and project planning techniques, and communicate findings effectively.

Application and Problem Solving
Communication

3. Apply professional practice, teamwork, and project management principles to manage and contribute effectively to a collaborative computing project.

Critical Reasoning and Collaboration
Communication

4. Critically reflect on professional, legal, ethical, and entrepreneurship, and employability considerations arising from teamwork and business-focused computing activities.

Reflection
Personal Development and Entrepreneurship

Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment

Collaboration and project tools (e.g. Microsoft Teams)

Modelling and diagramming tools

Office productivity software

Online professional and library resources

BCS (2022), Agile from First Principles, The Chartered Institute for IT.

Sunn, S. S. (2025) Emerging Careers for Computer Science or Software Engineering Graduates: A Practical Guide to Search Alternative Jobs 2025 ~ 2028, Independently Published

Moon, J. (2021), Reflection and Employability, Routledge.

Schwalbe, K. (2021), Information Technology Project Management, 9th ed., Cengage Learning.

Harbash, R. (2023) Professional Practice in Engineering and Computing, CRC Press.

In this module, you will develop professional skills required for computing roles by analysing organisational problems and working collaboratively to design and justify digital solutions. You will explore business analysis techniques, system modelling, and project management approaches while applying professional and ethical standards. The module emphasises teamwork, professional judgement, and employability, preparing you for industry-focused computing roles and further study. Part of your work will address innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities.