Case Study
The iterative development approach for W&RSETA
Pace Career Centre has been a client with Netgen for some time, so when they approached us with the concept for W&RSETA, we were very excited by the challenge. It was going to be a big project and almost immediately, we knew that our team would need to deploy an iterative development process to get it right.
W&RSETA is a career guidance and bursary management system that needed custom software to be built from scratch. It has been designed to help high school learners with working out what their academic and professional journeys should be. This is done through career guidance questionnaires that can help give a learner as young as grade 9 insights into what subjects they should be taking in order to reach their best possible career outcomes in the future. The system goes far further than that, however, helping learners gain bursaries for their tertiary studies and assisting with internships and more once they are ready to hit the job market.
The challenge of uncharted territory
The main challenge that we faced with this project was that the system was completely pioneering in its approach to bursary selection and management. It’s the first of its kind. This meant that our team had no precedent to work from, no existing frameworks and no models to guide development.
Our first step was to ensure that there was plenty of time and effort put into research, experimentation and innovation. This needed to be a truly collaborative project between the client and the development team to ensure that the system worked the way it needed to.
When scoping out the project, our team put a strong emphasis on ensuring the process would have room for continuous feedback from stakeholders, as well as the end users. We also knew that the requirements for the software would evolve as more research was done, and as new insights were gained. The obvious answer was to use an iterative development process for the project.
Opting for the iterative development process
When using an iterative development process, a project is broken down into small, manageable increments – often called sprints. With each sprint, the team develops one feature or set of features for the software. It’s the ideal process for a project such as W&RSETA because it allows for much greater flexibility and adaptability as the requirements for the system grew and shifted.
We’re extremely proud of the work done on W&RSETA. The initial system went live successfully, and we’ve since been able to integrate several enhancements as each sprint finished. The first was the bursary management system, with these key features:
- Automated admin processes: The system simplifies the collection of student information and documentation required for bursary applications.
- Real-time updates: Students receive timely email notifications throughout the application process, keeping them informed of their application status.
The second enhancement was an API integration. This allows educational institutions to:
- Submit student marks: Institutions can directly submit students’ academic results to the bursary management system.
- Performance monitoring: The system identifies students who are failing, excelling or in need of support systems like tutors.
- Advanced reporting tools: Various powerful reporting tools provide valuable insights into student performance and progress.
Thanks to the iterative development approach, we know that each enhancement we add to the system will get the opportunity to be tested thoroughly before going live. W&RSETA can also continue to operate seamlessly as we work on new areas of the solution. Coming up, we’ll be integrating a machine learning tool (AI). This will allow the system to predict student success and improve decision making in the bursary selection process.
