Capstone Project I Student Guide

Student’s name: …………………………………………………………………………………..

Student’s PIN:…………………………………………………………………………………..…
Programme:………………………………………………………………………………………..
Student’s email address (ZOU email):…………………………………………………………...

Project Title:………………………………………………………………………………………..
Name of supervisor:………………………………………………………………………………
Date of submission:……………………………………………………………………………….

Proposal

1 Title
2 Select supervisor
3 Proposal presentation
4 Project appears feasible in time available
5 Proposal submission

System and documentation

 Abstract
 Organisational background
 Problem statement
 Aim
 Objectives
 Feasibility study (operational, Technical, Economic)
 Business value
 Risk analysis
 Stakeholder analysis
 Workplan
 Data gathering methodologies
 Description of existing system
  Activity diagram
 DFD (context and detailed)
 Weakness of existing system
 Justification of alternative taken
 Requirements Analysis (use case diagrams)
 Proposed system DFDs (context and detailed)
 Architectural design
 Menu design
 Input design
 Output design
 Process design (Pseudo code, flow charts)
 Database design (DD, ER, EER diagrams)
 Program design (class, sequence, collaboration, package diagrams)
 Test data design
 Security and backup design
 Deployment diagram
 Coding
 Testing plan/evaluation verification
 Installation and conversion
 Technical support, training
 System documentation
 Maintenance plan
 Recommendations

System Presentation
PowerPoint presentation
Title
Organisational background
Problem statement
Aim
Objectives
Running of system
System correctly running
Look and feel
Use interface
Originality/uniqueness
Overall presentation

Documentation

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Use the following guidelines for preparing the project documentation. Your document shall not
be less than 50 pages and should contain page numbers except for the cover page which contains
the title. The design of the cover page shall be provided by the faculty as necessary.
Font Face Times New Roman
Font Weight 12pt
Font Colour Black
Line Spacing 1.5
Justification Full
For text formatting refer to the table below

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Appendices

Title page sample

Release form sample

Approval form sample

Abstract sample

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents Sample

Textual and Tabular Presentation of Data Sample

List of Tables

List of Figures

List of Appendices

Textual and Tabular Presentation of Data Sample

Presentation and Discussion of the findings

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1.1 The Preliminary Pages
In the preliminary or front pages of the project report you present the following
materials:-

 The Title Page

 The Approved Form

 The Release Form

 Dedication

 The Abstract

 Acknowledgements

 Table of Contents

 List of Tables

 List of Figures

1.1.1 The Title Page

It is considered as page (i) but is left unnumbered. Titles are single spaced and are
written in upper case, a good title should be explanatory by itself. It may seem
contradictory both to urge specificity and to require that the title be short. However, you
can fit a good deal of specific information into a title if you avoid padding it with words
that serve no explanatory purpose. Such as, “a study of” or “an experimental
investigation of “ don’t really add anything. If the title is more than one line, (maximum
length 12 to 15 words) it should break in a logical place for easy reading. The title page
shows:

 The institution granting the Higher Diploma in Accountancy

 Title of The Project

 Name of Writer

 Purpose of Project Project

 Name of Organisation

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  City
 Year of Award

1.1.2 The Release Form

This is a form that grants the Board permission to produce copies of the project
and also reserves the author’s publication rights.

1.1.3 Signed Approval Form

This serves as official acknowledgment and acceptance of the project as

satisfactory. It is signed by your supervisor(s) and an external
examiner/Programmer/Subject Coordinator/Tutor/Regional Coordinator where
applicable.

1.1.4 Dedication (Optional)

This serves as a tribute or recognition to as specific individual(s).

1.1.5 The Abstract

This abstract is used by potential readers to determine at a glance the contents of

the project. You should present it as a precise and well written summary. Our
abstract should contain:

 A clear statement of the problem/problems being projected on.

 The purpose of the study.

 A description of the methods used in the design, the sample size and the sample
composition.

 An indication of where and how the data/information was obtained.

 A description of the data analysis technique.

 A summary of the findings, conclusions, recommendations and suggestions

for further project. Your abstract should be at most a page in length.

1.16 Acknowledgements

In this section you thank persons to whom you are indebted to for guidance and
assistance in making your study successful. You must present this section on a
separate page.
1.1.7 Table of Contents

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 You present an outline of the components of your project report. These
components include, the preliminaries and these are typed in lower case. They are
arranged as follows:

 Title page (i)

 Release form (ii)

 Approval Form (iii)

 Dedication (iv)

 Abstract (v)

 Acknowledgements (vi)

 Table of Contents (viii)

 List of Figures (ix)

 List of Appendices (x)

After the preliminaries you then list chapters and chapter headings and sub-
headings giving the page(s) where these are located in your project report.
Lastly, you present the back pages materials, which are references and
appendices. For typing you should ensure that:-

 Chapter numbers and preliminaries page numbers are typed in Roman

Numerals;

 Chapter titles and chapter numbers are typed in upper case;

 Sub-heading of each chapter are typed in lower case and single spaced;

 Margins are 3.8cm on the left and 2,5cm at the top, bottom and right side;

 Numbering of the pages should be at the center bottom edge;

 References and appendices are presented in Arabic numerals and typed in

upper case

1.1.8 List of Tables

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 You should show the tablet number, its title and reference page. This should be
done in lower case

1.1.9 List of figures

Anything other than tables should be considered as a figure. You should write the
figure number, title and reference page. Type these in lower case.

1.2 The Project Report Text

This refers to Chapters I-V since these constitute your main project report. You need to split up
your chapters into clear enough and appropriate sub headings. The components of each of the
five chapters will be discussed in subsequent units.

1.2.1 Text Formatting

This sub-section concentrates on the presentation specification of the project

report text or main body. Reference is made to:

 Margins

 General typing rules

 Text spacing

 Quotations

 Tables included in text

 Figures included in text

 Hyphenated words

 Book titles

 Paginations

1.3 Margins

All pages should have top, bottom, left and right hand margins with the following
specifications.

I. 3.8cm on the left margin to allow for binding

II. 2.5cm at the top and bottom

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III. 2.5cm on the right hand

1.3.1Typing rules

 A4 pager is to be used

 Typing should be done on 1 side of the page only and should be double space.

 All numbers should be numbered in Roman Numerals centered and typed in capital
letters.

 All chapter titles should be centered between page in capital and 2 spaces below the
chapter and number heading.

 For all sub-headings, use capitals and lower case combinations. Sub-heading should
be underlined and flushed against the left margin. However if sub-heading are
highlighted or done in bold but still in lower case, they must not be underlined.

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1.1 Background of the Study

The background places the research study into some intelligible context, touching broadly
on some of the issues related to it. Generally, you will rely on some information which
led you to get to the source of this particular research problem in the first place. For
example, you might want to touch on the commercial, social, geographical, educational
and or political context of the problem, or the various dimensions in which it manifests
itself.

The researcher should identify the gap that must be filled by the present study. Where
the background to the study depended on literature, this must be cited.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

This section should contain a brief and clear statement of the problem to be solved.
Some of the characteristics of a good research problem statement are that it should be:

* Researchable, that is it should be possible to investigate it empirically. It should

be answered through the collection and analysis of scientific data.

* Precise, that is it should be written in clear unambiguous language.

* resolved through research. The researcher should make sure that the problem
chosen offers definite sources of information which, when collected, can answer
the key questions sufficiently.

* Carefully fit into the broader context of current theory and relevant research.

* Clearly and logically related to its sub-problems/research questions or hypothesis.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

This section succinctly clarifies the aims or objectives of the study, what the study seeks
to accomplish. You may want to explore to explain or to infer. In some cases you might
just want to replicate what is already known. You must make this clear, in summary,
research serves the following primary purposes: to describe; to explore; to explain or to
infer. These terms are further explained as:

* To explore: is just to find out more about an area which few or no people have
ventured into. Exploratory studies are done in areas which are little understood,
and where the relationships among variable are unknown or only a little is
known.

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