Case Studies¶
Case studies show how the concepts in this course play out in realistic situations. They are the bridge between theory and the messy reality of actual projects.
How to use a case study¶
- Read the situation and the facts given.
- Answer the discussion questions before reading the model answers.
- Compare your reasoning with the model answers. Different conclusions are fine — what matters is that the reasoning is sound and grounded in the facts given.
A note on authenticity¶
Every case study in this repository states clearly whether it is:
- Real — based on a documented, citable source, with the source given; or
- Illustrative — a synthetic scenario written for teaching, which does not report on any specific real project.
Illustrative cases are deliberately constructed to exercise particular decisions. They are labelled as such so that no reader mistakes them for evidence about the real world. This course does not present invented statistics, quotations, or citations.
Available case studies¶
| Case study | Related modules | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campus Event Portal | 01, 02, 05, 08 | Illustrative | Available |
| Scope creep in a student team project | 05, 11 | Illustrative | Planned |
| A project rescued after a missed deadline | 03, 06, 07, 11 | Illustrative | Planned |
| Scaling from one team to several | 04, 12 | Illustrative | Planned |
| A quality failure traced to process | 09 | Illustrative | Planned |
Cases based on real, documented projects will be added only where the source can be cited accurately. See the Implementation Plan.
Writing your own case study¶
If you are contributing a case study, start from the Case Study Template and follow the authenticity rule above.