3-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.

determining points in the project at which interim

versions of the software are tested.
Programs can be integrated by means of either
the phased or the incremental approach. Phased
integration, also called big bang integration,
entails delaying the integration of component
software parts until all parts intended for release
in a version are complete. Incremental integration
is thought to offer many advantages over the traditional phased integrationfor example, easier
error location, improved progress monitoring,
earlier product delivery, and improved customer
relations. In incremental integration, the developers write and test a program in small pieces and
then combine the pieces one at a time. Additional
test infrastructure, such as stubs, drivers, and
mock objects, are usually needed to enable incremental integration. By building and integrating
one unit at a time (for example, a class or component), the construction process can provide early
feedback to developers and customers. Other
advantages of incremental integration include
easier error location, improved progress monitoring, more fully tested units, and so forth.
4.Construction Technologies
4.1.API Design and Use

[3*]

An application programming interface (API) is the

set of signatures that are exported and available to
the users of a library or a framework to write their
applications. Besides signatures, an API should
always include statements about the programs
effects and/or behaviors (i.e., its semantics).
API design should try to make the API easy
to learn and memorize, lead to readable code, be
hard to misuse, be easy to extend, be complete,
and maintain backward compatibility. As the
APIs usually outlast their implementations for
a widely used library or framework, it is desired
that the API be straightforward and kept stable to
facilitate the development and maintenance of the
client applications.
API use involves the processes of selecting, learning, testing, integrating, and possibly
extending APIs provided by a library or framework (see section 3.6, Construction with Reuse).

4.2.Object-Oriented Runtime Issues

[1*]

Object-oriented languages support a series of

runtime mechanisms including polymorphism
and reflection. These runtime mechanisms
increase the flexibility and adaptability of objectoriented programs. Polymorphism is the ability
of a language to support general operations without knowing until runtime what kind of concrete
objects the software will include. Because the
program does not know the exact types of the
objects in advance, the exact behaviour is determined at runtime (called dynamic binding).
Reflection is the ability of a program to observe
and modify its own structure and behavior at runtime. Reflection allows inspection of classes,
interfaces, fields, and methods at runtime without knowing their names at compile time. It also
allows instantiation at runtime of new objects and
invocation of methods using parameterized class
and method names.
4.3.Parameterization and Generics

[4*]

Parameterized types, also known as generics

(Ada, Eiffel) and templates (C++), enable the
definition of a type or class without specifying all
the other types it uses. The unspecified types are
supplied as parameters at the point of use. Parameterized types provide a third way (in addition to
class inheritance and object composition) to compose behaviors in object-oriented software.
4.4.Assertions, Design by Contract, and Defensive
Programming
[1*]
An assertion is an executable predicate thats
placed in a programusually a routine or macro
that allows runtime checks of the program. Assertions are especially useful in high-reliability programs. They enable programmers to more quickly
flush out mismatched interface assumptions, errors
that creep in when code is modified, and so on.
Assertions are normally compiled into the code at
development time and are later compiled out of the
code so that they dont degrade the performance.

Software Construction 3-9

Design by contract is a development approach

in which preconditions and postconditions are
included for each routine. When preconditions
and postconditions are used, each routine or
class is said to form a contract with the rest of
the program. Furthermore, a contract provides a
precise specification of the semantics of a routine,
and thus helps the understanding of its behavior.
Design by contract is thought to improve the
quality of software construction.
Defensive programming means to protect a
routine from being broken by invalid inputs.
Common ways to handle invalid inputs include
checking the values of all the input parameters
and deciding how to handle bad inputs. Assertions are often used in defensive programming to
check input values.
4.5.Error Handling, Exception Handling, and
Fault Tolerance
[1*]
The way that errors are handled affects softwares
ability to meet requirements related to correctness, robustness, and other nonfunctional attributes. Assertions are sometimes used to check
for errors. Other error handling techniquessuch
as returning a neutral value, substituting the next
piece of valid data, logging a warning message,
returning an error code, or shutting down the softwareare also used.
Exceptions are used to detect and process
errors or exceptional events. The basic structure
of an exception is that a routine uses throw to
throw a detected exception and an exception handling block will catch the exception in a try-catch
block. The try-catch block may process the erroneous condition in the routine or it may return
control to the calling routine. Exception handling
policies should be carefully designed following common principles such as including in the
exception message all information that led to the
exception, avoiding empty catch blocks, knowing
the exceptions the library code throws, perhaps
building a centralized exception reporter, and
standardizing the programs use of exceptions.
Fault tolerance is a collection of techniques
that increase software reliability by detecting
errors and then recovering from them if possible

or containing their effects if recovery is not possible. The most common fault tolerance strategies
include backing up and retrying, using auxiliary
code, using voting algorithms, and replacing an
erroneous value with a phony value that will have
a benign effect.
4.6.Executable Models

[5*]

Executable models abstract away the details of

specific programming languages and decisions
about the organization of the software. Different
from traditional software models, a specification
built in an executable modeling language like
xUML (executable UML) can be deployed in
various software environments without change.
An executable-model compiler (transformer) can
turn an executable model into an implementation
using a set of decisions about the target hardware
and software environment. Thus, constructing
executable models can be regarded as a way of
constructing executable software.
Executable models are one foundation supporting the Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) initiative of the Object Management Group (OMG). An
executable model is a way to completely specify
a Platform Independent Model (PIM); a PIM is
a model of a solution to a problem that does not
rely on any implementation technologies. Then
a Platform Specific Model (PSM), which is a
model that contains the details of the implementation, can be produced by weaving together the
PIM and the platform on which it relies.
4.7.State-Based and Table-Driven Construction
Techniques
[1*]
State-based programming, or automata-based
programming, is a programming technology
using finite state machines to describe program
behaviours. The transition graphs of a state
machine are used in all stages of software development (specification, implementation, debugging, and documentation). The main idea is to
construct computer programs the same way the
automation of technological processes is done.
State-based programming is usually combined

3-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

with object-oriented programming, forming a

new composite approach called state-based,
object-oriented programming.
A table-driven method is a schema that uses
tables to look up information rather than using
logic statements (such as if and case). Used in
appropriate circumstances, table-driven code
is simpler than complicated logic and easier to
modify. When using table-driven methods, the
programmer addresses two issues: what information to store in the table or tables, and how to efficiently access information in the table.
4.8.Runtime Configuration and
Internationalization

[1*]

To achieve more flexibility, a program is often

constructed to support late binding time of its variables. Runtime configuration is a technique that
binds variable values and program settings when
the program is running, usually by updating and
reading configuration files in a just-in-time mode.
Internationalization is the technical activity of preparing a program, usually interactive
software, to support multiple locales. The corresponding activity, localization, is the activity of
modifying a program to support a specific local
language. Interactive software may contain dozens or hundreds of prompts, status displays, help
messages, error messages, and so on. The design
and construction processes should accommodate
string and character-set issues including which
character set is to be used, what kinds of strings
are used, how to maintain the strings without
changing the code, and translating the strings into
different languages with minimal impact on the
processing code and the user interface.
4.9.Grammar-Based Input Processing

[1*] [6*]

Grammar-based input processing involves syntax

analysis, or parsing, of the input token stream. It
involves the creation of a data structure (called a
parse tree or syntax tree) representing the input
data. The inorder traversal of the parse tree usually gives the expression just parsed. The parser
checks the symbol table for the presence of

programmer-defined variables that populate the

tree. After building the parse tree, the program
uses it as input to the computational processes.
4.10.Concurrency Primitives

[7*]

A synchronization primitive is a programming

abstraction provided by a programming language
or the operating system that facilitates concurrency and synchronization. Well-known concurrency primitives include semaphores, monitors,
and mutexes.
A semaphore is a protected variable or abstract
data type that provides a simple but useful abstraction for controlling access to a common resource
by multiple processes or threads in a concurrent
programming environment.
A monitor is an abstract data type that presents
a set of programmer-defined operations that are
executed with mutual exclusion. A monitor contains the declaration of shared variables and procedures or functions that operate on those variables. The monitor construct ensures that only
one process at a time is active within the monitor.
A mutex (mutual exclusion) is a synchronization primitive that grants exclusive access to a
shared resource by only one process or thread at
a time.
4.11.Middleware

[3*] [6*]

Middleware is a broad classification for software that provides services above the operating
system layer yet below the application program
layer. Middleware can provide runtime containers for software components to provide message
passing, persistence, and a transparent location
across a network. Middleware can be viewed as
a connector between the components that use the
middleware. Modern message-oriented middleware usually provides an Enterprise Service Bus
(ESB), which supports service-oriented interaction and communication between multiple software applications.

Software Construction 3-11

4.12.Construction Methods for Distributed

Software

[7*]

A distributed system is a collection of physically

separate, possibly heterogeneous computer systems that are networked to provide the users with
access to the various resources that the system
maintains. Construction of distributed software is
distinguished from traditional software construction by issues such as parallelism, communication, and fault tolerance.
Distributed programming typically falls into one
of several basic architectural categories: clientserver, 3-tier architecture, n-tier architecture, distributed objects, loose coupling, or tight coupling
(see section 14.3 of the Computing Foundations
KA and section 3.2 of the Software Design KA).
4.13.Constructing Heterogeneous Systems

[6*]

Heterogeneous systems consist of a variety of

specialized computational units of different types,
such as Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), microcontrollers, and peripheral processors. These
computational units are independently controlled
and communicate with one another. Embedded
systems are typically heterogeneous systems.
The design of heterogeneous systems may
require the combination of several specification
languages in order to design different parts of
the systemin other words, hardware/software
codesign. The key issues include multilanguage
validation, cosimulation, and interfacing.
During the hardware/software codesign, software development and virtual hardware development proceed concurrently through stepwise
decomposition. The hardware part is usually
simulated in field programmable gate arrays
(FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The software part is translated into
a low-level programming language.
4.14.Performance Analysis and Tuning

[1*]

Code efficiencydetermined by architecture,

detailed design decisions, and data-structure and

algorithm selectioninfluences an execution

speed and size. Performance analysis is the investigation of a programs behavior using information gathered as the program executes, with the
goal of identifying possible hot spots in the program to be improved.
Code tuning, which improves performance at
the code level, is the practice of modifying correct
code in ways that make it run more efficiently.
Code tuning usually involves only small-scale
changes that affect a single class, a single routine,
or, more commonly, a few lines of code. A rich
set of code tuning techniques is available, including those for tuning logic expressions, loops, data
transformations, expressions, and routines. Using
a low-level language is another common technique for improving some hot spots in a program.
4.15.Platform Standards

[6*] [7*]

Platform standards enable programmers to

develop portable applications that can be executed in compatible environments without
changes. Platform standards usually involve a
set of standard services and APIs that compatible platform implementations must implement.
Typical examples of platform standards are Java
2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and the
POSIX standard for operating systems (Portable
Operating System Interface), which represents
a set of standards implemented primarily for
UNIX-based operating systems.
4.16.Test-First Programming

[1*]

Test-first programming (also known as TestDriven DevelopmentTDD) is a popular development style in which test cases are written prior
to writing any code. Test-first programming can
usually detect defects earlier and correct them
more easily than traditional programming styles.
Furthermore, writing test cases first forces programmers to think about requirements and design
before coding, thus exposing requirements and
design problems sooner.

3-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

5.Software Construction Tools

5.1.Development Environments

5.3.Unit Testing Tools

[1*]

A development environment, or integrated development environment (IDE), provides comprehensive facilities to programmers for software
construction by integrating a set of development
tools. The choices of development environments
can affect the efficiency and quality of software
construction.
In additional to basic code editing functions,
modern IDEs often offer other features like compilation and error detection from within the editor, integration with source code control, build/
test/debugging tools, compressed or outline
views of programs, automated code transforms,
and support for refactoring.
5.2.GUI Builders

[1*]

A GUI (Graphical User Interface) builder is a

software development tool that enables the developer to create and maintain GUIs in a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) mode. A
GUI builder usually includes a visual editor
for the developer to design forms and windows
and manage the layout of the widgets by dragging, dropping, and parameter setting. Some GUI
builders can automatically generate the source
code corresponding to the visual GUI design.
Because current GUI applications usually follow the event-driven style (in which the flow of
the program is determined by events and event
handling), GUI builder tools usually provide
code generation assistants, which automate the
most repetitive tasks required for event handling.
The supporting code connects widgets with the
outgoing and incoming events that trigger the
functions providing the application logic.
Some modern IDEs provide integrated GUI
builders or GUI builder plug-ins. There are also
many standalone GUI builders.

[1*] [2*]
Unit testing verifies the functioning of software
modules in isolation from other software elements
that are separately testable (for example, classes,
routines, components). Unit testing is often automated. Developers can use unit testing tools
and frameworks to extend and create automated
testing environment. With unit testing tools and
frameworks, the developer can code criteria into
the test to verify the units correctness under various data sets. Each individual test is implemented
as an object, and a test runner runs all of the tests.
During the test execution, those failed test cases
will be automatically flagged and reported.
5.4.Profiling, Performance Analysis, and
Slicing Tools

[1*]

Performance analysis tools are usually used to

support code tuning. The most common performance analysis tools are profiling tools. An
execution profiling tool monitors the code while
it runs and records how many times each statement is executed or how much time the program
spends on each statement or execution path. Profiling the code while it is running gives insight
into how the program works, where the hot spots
are, and where the developers should focus the
code tuning efforts.
Program slicing involves computation of the
set of program statements (i.e., the program slice)
that may affect the values of specified variables
at some point of interest, which is referred to as
a slicing criterion. Program slicing can be used
for locating the source of errors, program understanding, and optimization analysis. Program
slicing tools compute program slices for various
programming languages using static or dynamic
analysis methods.

Software Construction 3-13

1.Software
Construction
Fundamentals
c2, c3,
c7-c9,
1.1.Minimizing
c24, c27,
Complexity
c28, c31,
c32, c34
c3c5,
1.2.Anticipating
c24, c31,
Change
c32, c34
c8,
1.3.Constructing for
c20
Verification
c23, c31,
c34
1.4.Reuse
1.5.Standards in
c4
Construction
2.Managing
Construction
2.1.Construction in
c2, c3,
Life Cycle Models
c27, c29
c3, c4,
2.2.Construction
c21,
Planning
c27c29
2.3.Construction
c25, c28
Measurement
3.Practical
Considerations
3.1.Construction
c3, c5,
Design
c24
3.2.Construction
c4
Languages
c5c19,
3.3.Coding
c25c26

c16

Silberschatz et al. 2008

[7*]

Null and Lobur 2006

[6*]

Mellor and Balcer 2002

[5*]

Gamma et al. 1994

[4*]

Clements et al. 2010

[3*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

McConnell 2004
[1*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

3.4.Construction
c22, c23
Testing
3.5.Construction for
Reuse
3.6.Construction
with Reuse
3.7.Construction
c8,
Quality
c20c25
3.8.Integration
c29
4.Construction
Technologies
4.1.API Design and
Use
4.2.Object-Oriented
c6, c7
Runtime Issues
4.3.
Parameterization
and Generics
4.4.Assertions,
Design by Contract,
c8, c9
and Defensive
Programming
4.5.Error Handling,
Exception Handling,
c3, c8
and Fault Tolerance
4.6.Executable
Models
4.7.State-Based
and Table-Driven
c18
Construction
Techniques
4.8.Runtime
Configuration and
c3, c10
Internationalization
4.9.Grammar-Based
c5
Input Processing

c16
c16

c7

c1

c1

c8

Silberschatz et al. 2008

[7*]

Null and Lobur 2006

[6*]

Mellor and Balcer 2002

[5*]

Gamma et al. 1994

[4*]

Clements et al. 2010

[3*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

McConnell 2004
[1*]

3-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

4.10.Concurrency
Primitives
4.11.Middleware
4.12.Construction
Methods for
Distributed Software
4.13.Constructing
Heterogeneous
Systems
4.14.Performance
c25, c26
Analysis and Tuning
4.15.Platform
Standards
4.16.Test-First
c22
Programming
5.Construction Tools
5.1.Development
Environments
5.2.GUI Builders
5.3.Unit Testing
Tools
5.4.Profiling,
Performance
Analysis, and
Slicing Tools

c1

Silberschatz et al. 2008

[7*]

Mellor and Balcer 2002

[5*]

Null and Lobur 2006

[6*]
c8

c2

c9

c10

c30

c25, c26

Gamma et al. 1994

[4*]

c6

c30

c22

Clements et al. 2010

[3*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

McConnell 2004
[1*]

Software Construction 3-15

c8

c1

3-16 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

FURTHER READINGS

REFERENCES

IEEE Std. 1517-2010 Standard for Information

TechnologySystem and Software Life
Cycle ProcessesReuse Processes, IEEE,
2010 [8].

[1*] S. McConnell, Code Complete, 2nd ed.,

Microsoft Press, 2004.

This standard specifies the processes, activities,

and tasks to be applied during each phase of the
software life cycle to enable a software product
to be constructed from reusable assets. It covers
the concept of reuse-based development and the
processes of construction for reuse and construction with reuse.
IEEE Std. 12207-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC
12207:2008) Standard for Systems and
Software EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle
Processes, IEEE, 2008 [9].
This standard defines a series of software development processes, including software construction process, software integration process, and
software reuse process.

[2*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th

ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.
[3*] P. Clements et al., Documenting Software
Architectures: Views and Beyond, 2nd ed.,
Pearson Education, 2010.
[4*] E. Gamma et al., Design Patterns: Elements
of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, 1st
ed., Addison-Wesley Professional, 1994.
[5*] S.J. Mellor and M.J. Balcer, Executable
UML: A Foundation for Model-Driven
Architecture, 1st ed., Addison-Wesley,
2002.
[6*] L. Null and J. Lobur, The Essentials of
Computer Organization and Architecture,
2nd ed., Jones and Bartlett Publishers,
2006.
[7*] A. Silberschatz, P.B. Galvin, and G. Gagne,
Operating System Concepts, 8th ed., Wiley,
2008.
[8] IEEE Std. 1517-2010 Standard for
Information TechnologySystem and
Software Life Cycle ProcessesReuse
Processes, IEEE, 2010.
[9] IEEE Std. 12207-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC
12207:2008) Standard for Systems and
Software EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle
Processes, IEEE, 2008.

CHAPTER 4
SOFTWARE TESTING
ACRONYMS
API
TDD
TTCN3
XP

execute. This is why, in practice, a complete

set of tests can generally be considered infinite, and testing is conducted on a subset of
all possible tests, which is determined by risk
and prioritization criteria. Testing always
implies a tradeoff between limited resources
and schedules on the one hand and inherently
unlimited test requirements on the other.
Selected: The many proposed test techniques differ essentially in how the test set
is selected, and software engineers must be
aware that different selection criteria may
yield vastly different degrees of effectiveness. How to identify the most suitable
selection criterion under given conditions is
a complex problem; in practice, risk analysis
techniques and software engineering expertise are applied.
Expected: It must be possible, although not
always easy, to decide whether the observed
outcomes of program testing are acceptable
or not; otherwise, the testing effort is useless. The observed behavior may be checked
against user needs (commonly referred to
as testing for validation), against a specification (testing for verification), or, perhaps, against the anticipated behavior from
implicit requirements or expectations (see
Acceptance Tests in the Software Requirements KA).

Application Program Interface

Test-Driven Development
Testing and Test Control Notation
Version 3
Extreme Programming

INTRODUCTION
Software testing consists of the dynamic verification that a program provides expected behaviors
on a finite set of test cases, suitably selected from
the usually infinite execution domain.
In the above definition, italicized words correspond to key issues in describing the Software
Testing knowledge area (KA):
Dynamic: This term means that testing
always implies executing the program on
selected inputs. To be precise, the input
value alone is not always sufficient to specify a test, since a complex, nondeterministic
system might react to the same input with
different behaviors, depending on the system
state. In this KA, however, the term input
will be maintained, with the implied convention that its meaning also includes a specified input state in those cases for which it
is important. Static techniques are different
from and complementary to dynamic testing.
Static techniques are covered in the Software
Quality KA. It is worth noting that terminology is not uniform among different communities and some use the term testing also in
reference to static techniques.
Finite: Even in simple programs, so many test
cases are theoretically possible that exhaustive testing could require months or years to

In recent years, the view of software testing

has matured into a constructive one. Testing is
no longer seen as an activity that starts only after
the coding phase is complete with the limited
purpose of detecting failures. Software testing
is, or should be, pervasive throughout the entire
development and maintenance life cycle. Indeed,
planning for software testing should start with the
early stages of the software requirements process,
4-1

4-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 4.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Software Testing KA

and test plans and procedures should be systematically and continuously developedand possibly refinedas software development proceeds.
These test planning and test designing activities
provide useful input for software designers and
help to highlight potential weaknesses, such as
design oversights/contradictions, or omissions/
ambiguities in the documentation.
For many organizations, the approach to software quality is one of prevention: it is obviously
much better to prevent problems than to correct
them. Testing can be seen, then, as a means for
providing information about the functionality

and quality attributes of the software and also

for identifying faults in those cases where error
prevention has not been effective. It is perhaps
obvious but worth recognizing that software can
still contain faults, even after completion of an
extensive testing activity. Software failures experienced after delivery are addressed by corrective
maintenance. Software maintenance topics are
covered in the Software Maintenance KA.
In the Software Quality KA (see Software Quality Management Techniques), software quality
management techniques are notably categorized
into static techniques (no code execution) and

Software Testing 4-3

dynamic techniques (code execution). Both categories are useful. This KA focuses on dynamic
techniques.
Software testing is also related to software
construction (see Construction Testing in the
Software Construction KA). In particular, unit
and integration testing are intimately related to
software construction, if not part of it.
BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR
SOFTWARE TESTING
The breakdown of topics for the Software Testing KA is shown in Figure 4.1. A more detailed
breakdown is provided in the Matrix of Topics
vs. Reference Material at the end of this KA.
The first topic describes Software Testing Fundamentals. It covers the basic definitions in the
field of software testing, the basic terminology
and key issues, and software testings relationship with other activities.
The second topic, Test Levels, consists of two
(orthogonal) subtopics: the first subtopic lists the
levels in which the testing of large software is
traditionally subdivided, and the second subtopic
considers testing for specific conditions or properties and is referred to as Objectives of Testing.
Not all types of testing apply to every software
product, nor has every possible type been listed.
The test target and test objective together
determine how the test set is identified, both with
regard to its consistencyhow much testing is
enough for achieving the stated objectiveand
to its compositionwhich test cases should
be selected for achieving the stated objective
(although usually for achieving the stated objective remains implicit and only the first part of the
two italicized questions above is posed). Criteria
for addressing the first question are referred to as
test adequacy criteria, while those addressing the
second question are the test selection criteria.
Several Test Techniques have been developed
in the past few decades, and new ones are still
being proposed. Generally accepted techniques
are covered in the third topic.
Test-Related Measures are dealt with in the
fourth topic, while the issues relative to Test Process are covered in the fifth. Finally, Software
Testing Tools are presented in topic six.

1.Software Testing Fundamentals

1.1.Testing-Related Terminology
1.1.1.Definitions of Testing and Related
Terminology
[1*, c1, c2] [2*, c8]
Definitions of testing and testing-related terminology are provided in the cited references and
summarized as follows.
1.1.2.Faults vs. Failures

[1*, c1s5] [2*, c11]

Many terms are used in the software engineering

literature to describe a malfunction: notably fault,
failure, and error, among others. This terminology is precisely defined in [3, c2]. It is essential
to clearly distinguish between the cause of a malfunction (for which the term fault will be used
here) and an undesired effect observed in the systems delivered service (which will be called a
failure). Indeed there may well be faults in the
software that never manifest themselves as failures (see Theoretical and Practical Limitations
of Testing in section 1.2, Key Issues). Thus testing can reveal failures, but it is the faults that can
and must be removed [3]. The more generic term
defect can be used to refer to either a fault or a
failure, when the distinction is not important [3].
However, it should be recognized that the cause
of a failure cannot always be unequivocally identified. No theoretical criteria exist to definitively
determine, in general, the fault that caused an
observed failure. It might be said that it was the
fault that had to be modified to remove the failure,
but other modifications might have worked just
as well. To avoid ambiguity, one could refer to
failure-causing inputs instead of faultsthat is,
those sets of inputs that cause a failure to appear.
1.2.Key Issues
1.2.1.Test Selection Criteria / Test Adequacy
Criteria (Stopping Rules)
[1*, c1s14, c6s6, c12s7]
A test selection criterion is a means of selecting
test cases or determining that a set of test cases

4-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

is sufficient for a specified purpose. Test adequacy criteria can be used to decide when sufficient testing will be, or has been accomplished
[4] (see Termination in section 5.1, Practical
Considerations).
1.2.2.Testing Effectiveness / Objectives for
Testing
[1*, c11s4, c13s11]
Testing effectiveness is determined by analyzing
a set of program executions. Selection of tests to
be executed can be guided by different objectives:
it is only in light of the objective pursued that the
effectiveness of the test set can be evaluated.
1.2.3.Testing for Defect Discovery

[1*, c1s14]

In testing for defect discovery, a successful test

is one that causes the system to fail. This is quite
different from testing to demonstrate that the
software meets its specifications or other desired
properties, in which case testing is successful if
no failures are observed under realistic test cases
and test environments.
1.2.4.The Oracle Problem

[1*, c1s9, c9s7]

An oracle is any human or mechanical agent that

decides whether a program behaved correctly
in a given test and accordingly results in a verdict of pass or fail. There exist many different kinds of oracles; for example, unambiguous
requirements specifications, behavioral models,
and code annotations. Automation of mechanized
oracles can be difficult and expensive.
1.2.5.Theoretical and Practical Limitations of
Testing
[1*, c2s7]
Testing theory warns against ascribing an unjustified level of confidence to a series of successful
tests. Unfortunately, most established results of
testing theory are negative ones, in that they state
what testing can never achieve as opposed to what
is actually achieved. The most famous quotation

in this regard is the Dijkstra aphorism that program testing can be used to show the presence of
bugs, but never to show their absence [5]. The
obvious reason for this is that complete testing is
not feasible in realistic software. Because of this,
testing must be driven based on risk [6, part 1]
and can be seen as a risk management strategy.
1.2.6.The Problem of Infeasible Paths
[1*, c4s7]
Infeasible paths are control flow paths that cannot
be exercised by any input data. They are a significant problem in path-based testing, particularly
in automated derivation of test inputs to exercise
control flow paths.
1.2.7.Testability

[1*, c17s2]

The term software testability has two related

but different meanings: on the one hand, it refers
to the ease with which a given test coverage
criterion can be satisfied; on the other hand, it
is defined as the likelihood, possibly measured
statistically, that a set of test cases will expose
a failure if the software is faulty. Both meanings
are important.
1.3.Relationship of Testing to Other Activities
Software testing is related to, but different from,
static software quality management techniques,
proofs of correctness, debugging, and program
construction. However, it is informative to consider testing from the point of view of software
quality analysts and of certifiers.
Testing vs. Static Software Quality Management Techniques (see Software Quality
Management Techniques in the Software
Quality KA [1*, c12]).
Testing vs. Correctness Proofs and Formal
Verification (see the Software Engineering
Models and Methods KA [1*, c17s2]).
Testing vs. Debugging (see Construction
Testing in the Software Construction KA
and Debugging Tools and Techniques in the
Computing Foundations KA [1*, c3s6]).

Software Testing 4-5

Testing vs. Program Construction (see Construction Testing in the Software Construction KA [1*, c3s2]).
2.Test Levels
Software testing is usually performed at different levels throughout the development and maintenance processes. Levels can be distinguished
based on the object of testing, which is called
the target, or on the purpose, which is called the
objective (of the test level).
2.1.The Target of the Test

[1*, c1s13] [2*, c8s1]

The target of the test can vary: a single module, a

group of such modules (related by purpose, use,
behavior, or structure), or an entire system. Three
test stages can be distinguished: unit, integration, and system. These three test stages do not
imply any process model, nor is any one of them
assumed to be more important than the other two.
2.1.1.Unit Testing

[1*, c3] [2*, c8]

Unit testing verifies the functioning in isolation

of software elements that are separately testable.
Depending on the context, these could be the
individual subprograms or a larger component
made of highly cohesive units. Typically, unit
testing occurs with access to the code being tested
and with the support of debugging tools. The programmers who wrote the code typically, but not
always, conduct unit testing.
2.1.2.Integration Testing

[1*, c7] [2*, c8]

Integration testing is the process of verifying the

interactions among software components. Classical integration testing strategies, such as topdown and bottom-up, are often used with hierarchically structured software.
Modern, systematic integration strategies are
typically architecture-driven, which involves
incrementally integrating the software components or subsystems based on identified

functional threads. Integration testing is often an

ongoing activity at each stage of development
during which software engineers abstract away
lower-level perspectives and concentrate on the
perspectives of the level at which they are integrating. For other than small, simple software,
incremental integration testing strategies are usually preferred to putting all of the components
together at oncewhich is often called big
bang testing.
2.1.3.System Testing

[1*, c8] [2*, c8]

System testing is concerned with testing the

behavior of an entire system. Effective unit and
integration testing will have identified many of
the software defects. System testing is usually
considered appropriate for assessing the nonfunctional system requirementssuch as security, speed, accuracy, and reliability (see Functional and Non-Functional Requirements in the
Software Requirements KA and Software Quality Requirements in the Software Quality KA).
External interfaces to other applications, utilities,
hardware devices, or the operating environments
are also usually evaluated at this level.
2.2.Objectives of Testing

[1*, c1s7]

Testing is conducted in view of specific objectives, which are stated more or less explicitly
and with varying degrees of precision. Stating
the objectives of testing in precise, quantitative
terms supports measurement and control of the
test process.
Testing can be aimed at verifying different properties. Test cases can be designed to check that
the functional specifications are correctly implemented, which is variously referred to in the literature as conformance testing, correctness testing, or functional testing. However, several other
nonfunctional properties may be tested as well
including performance, reliability, and usability, among many others (see Models and Quality
Characteristics in the Software Quality KA).
Other important objectives for testing include
but are not limited to reliability measurement,

4-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

identification of security vulnerabilities, usability

evaluation, and software acceptance, for which
different approaches would be taken. Note that,
in general, the test objectives vary with the test
target; different purposes are addressed at different levels of testing.
The subtopics listed below are those most
often cited in the literature. Note that some kinds
of testing are more appropriate for custom-made
software packagesinstallation testing, for
exampleand others for consumer products, like
beta testing.
2.2.1.Acceptance / Qualification Testing
[1*, c1s7] [2*, c8s4]
Acceptance / qualification testing determines
whether a system satisfies its acceptance criteria,
usually by checking desired system behaviors
against the customers requirements. The customer or a customers representative thus specifies or directly undertakes activities to check
that their requirements have been met, or in the
case of a consumer product, that the organization
has satisfied the stated requirements for the target market. This testing activity may or may not
involve the developers of the system.
2.2.2.Installation Testing

[1*, c12s2]

Often, after completion of system and acceptance

testing, the software is verified upon installation
in the target environment. Installation testing can
be viewed as system testing conducted in the
operational environment of hardware configurations and other operational constraints. Installation procedures may also be verified.
2.2.3.Alpha and Beta Testing
[1*, c13s7, c16s6] [2*, c8s4]
Before software is released, it is sometimes given
to a small, selected group of potential users for
trial use (alpha testing) and/or to a larger set of
representative users (beta testing). These users
report problems with the product. Alpha and beta
testing are often uncontrolled and are not always
referred to in a test plan.

2.2.4.Reliability Achievement and Evaluation

[1*, c15] [2*, c15s2]
Testing improves reliability by identifying and
correcting faults. In addition, statistical measures
of reliability can be derived by randomly generating test cases according to the operational profile of
the software (see Operational Profile in section 3.5,
Usage-Based Techniques). The latter approach is
called operational testing. Using reliability growth
models, both objectives can be pursued together
[3] (see Life Test, Reliability Evaluation in section
4.1, Evaluation of the Program under Test).
2.2.5.Regression Testing

[1*, c8s11, c13s3]

According to [7], regression testing is the selective retesting of a system or component to verify
that modifications have not caused unintended
effects and that the system or component still
complies with its specified requirements. In
practice, the approach is to show that software
still passes previously passed tests in a test suite
(in fact, it is also sometimes referred to as nonregression testing). For incremental development,
the purpose of regression testing is to show that
software behavior is unchanged by incremental changes to the software, except insofar as it
should. In some cases, a tradeoff must be made
between the assurance given by regression testing
every time a change is made and the resources
required to perform the regression tests, which
can be quite time consuming due to the large
number of tests that may be executed. Regression
testing involves selecting, minimizing, and/or
prioritizing a subset of the test cases in an existing test suite [8]. Regression testing can be conducted at each of the test levels described in section 2.1, The Target of the Test, and may apply to
functional and nonfunctional testing.
2.2.6.Performance Testing

[1*, c8s6]

Performance testing verifies that the software

meets the specified performance requirements
and assesses performance characteristicsfor
instance, capacity and response time.

Software Testing 4-7

2.2.7.Security Testing

[1*, c8s3] [2*, c11s4]

Security testing is focused on the verification that

the software is protected from external attacks. In
particular, security testing verifies the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the systems
and its data. Usually, security testing includes
verification against misuse and abuse of the software or system (negative testing).
2.2.8.Stress Testing

[1*, c8s8]

Stress testing exercises software at the maximum

design load, as well as beyond it, with the goal
of determining the behavioral limits, and to test
defense mechanisms in critical systems.
2.2.9.Back-to-Back Testing

[7]

IEEE/ISO/IEC Standard 24765 defines back-toback testing as testing in which two or more
variants of a program are executed with the same
inputs, the outputs are compared, and errors are
analyzed in case of discrepancies.
2.2.10.Recovery Testing

[1*, c14s2]

Recovery testing is aimed at verifying software

restart capabilities after a system crash or other
disaster.
2.2.11.Interface Testing
[2*, c8s1.3] [9*, c4s4.5]
Interface defects are common in complex systems. Interface testing aims at verifying whether
the components interface correctly to provide the
correct exchange of data and control information. Usually the test cases are generated from
the interface specification. A specific objective of
interface testing is to simulate the use of APIs by
end-user applications. This involves the generation of parameters of the API calls, the setting of
external environment conditions, and the definition of internal data that affect the API.

2.2.12.Configuration Testing

[1*, c8s5]

In cases where software is built to serve different

users, configuration testing verifies the software
under different specified configurations.
2.2.13.Usability and Human Computer Interaction Testing
[10*, c6]
The main task of usability and human computer
interaction testing is to evaluate how easy it is
for end users to learn and to use the software. In
general, it may involve testing the software functions that supports user tasks, documentation that
aids users, and the ability of the system to recover
from user errors (see User Interface Design in the
Software Design KA).
3.Test Techniques
One of the aims of testing is to detect as many
failures as possible. Many techniques have been
developed to do this [6, part 4]. These techniques
attempt to break a program by being as systematic as possible in identifying inputs that will
produce representative program behaviors; for
instance, by considering subclasses of the input
domain, scenarios, states, and data flows.
The classification of testing techniques presented here is based on how tests are generated:
from the software engineers intuition and experience, the specifications, the code structure, the
real or imagined faults to be discovered, predicted
usage, models, or the nature of the application.
One category deals with the combined use of two
or more techniques.
Sometimes these techniques are classified as
white-box (also called glass-box), if the tests are
based on information about how the software has
been designed or coded, or as black-box if the test
cases rely only on the input/output behavior of
the software. The following list includes those
testing techniques that are commonly used, but
some practitioners rely on some of the techniques
more than others.

4-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

3.1.Based on the Software Engineers Intuition

and Experience
3.1.1.Ad Hoc
Perhaps the most widely practiced technique is
ad hoc testing: tests are derived relying on the
software engineers skill, intuition, and experience with similar programs. Ad hoc testing can
be useful for identifying tests cases that not easily
generated by more formalized techniques.
3.1.2.Exploratory Testing
Exploratory testing is defined as simultaneous
learning, test design, and test execution [6, part
1]; that is, the tests are not defined in advance
in an established test plan, but are dynamically
designed, executed, and modified. The effectiveness of exploratory testing relies on the software
engineers knowledge, which can be derived
from various sources: observed product behavior
during testing, familiarity with the application,
the platform, the failure process, the type of possible faults and failures, the risk associated with a
particular product, and so on.
3.2.Input Domain-Based Techniques
3.2.1.Equivalence Partitioning

[1*, c9s4]

Equivalence partitioning involves partitioning the

input domain into a collection of subsets (or equivalent classes) based on a specified criterion or relation. This criterion or relation may be different
computational results, a relation based on control
flow or data flow, or a distinction made between
valid inputs that are accepted and processed by the
system and invalid inputs, such as out of range values, that are not accepted and should generate an
error message or initiate error processing. A representative set of tests (sometimes only one) is usually taken from each equivalency class.
3.2.2.Pairwise Testing

[1*, c9s3]

Test cases are derived by combining interesting

values for every pair of a set of input variables

instead of considering all possible combinations.

Pairwise testing belongs to combinatorial testing,
which in general also includes higher-level combinations than pairs: these techniques are referred
to as t-wise, whereby every possible combination
of t input variables is considered.
3.2.3.Boundary-Value Analysis

[1*, c9s5]

Test cases are chosen on or near the boundaries of

the input domain of variables, with the underlying rationale that many faults tend to concentrate
near the extreme values of inputs. An extension of
this technique is robustness testing, wherein test
cases are also chosen outside the input domain of
variables to test program robustness in processing
unexpected or erroneous inputs.
3.2.4.Random Testing

[1*, c9s7]

Tests are generated purely at random (not to be

confused with statistical testing from the operational profile, as described in Operational Profile
in section 3.5). This form of testing falls under the
heading of input domain testing since the input
domain must be known in order to be able to pick
random points within it. Random testing provides
a relatively simple approach for test automation;
recently, enhanced forms of random testing have
been proposed in which the random input sampling is directed by other input selection criteria
[11]. Fuzz testing or fuzzing is a special form of
random testing aimed at breaking the software; it
is most often used for security testing.
3.3.Code-Based Techniques
3.3.1.Control Flow-Based Criteria

[1*, c4]

Control flow-based coverage criteria are aimed

at covering all the statements, blocks of statements, or specified combinations of statements
in a program. The strongest of the control flowbased criteria is path testing, which aims to
execute all entry-to-exit control flow paths in a
programs control flow graph. Since exhaustive
path testing is generally not feasible because of

Software Testing 4-9

loops, other less stringent criteria focus on coverage of paths that limit loop iterations such as
statement coverage, branch coverage, and condition/decision testing. The adequacy of such
tests is measured in percentages; for example,
when all branches have been executed at least
once by the tests, 100% branch coverage has
been achieved.
3.3.2.Data Flow-Based Criteria

[1*, c5]

In data flow-based testing, the control flow graph

is annotated with information about how the
program variables are defined, used, and killed
(undefined). The strongest criterion, all definition-use paths, requires that, for each variable,
every control flow path segment from a definition of that variable to a use of that definition is
executed. In order to reduce the number of paths
required, weaker strategies such as all-definitions
and all-uses are employed.
3.3.3.Reference Models for Code-Based
Testing
[1*, c4]
Although not a technique in itself, the control
structure of a program can be graphically represented using a flow graph to visualize codebased testing techniques. A flow graph is a
directed graph, the nodes and arcs of which correspond to program elements (see Graphs and
Trees in the Mathematical Foundations KA).
For instance, nodes may represent statements or
uninterrupted sequences of statements, and arcs
may represent the transfer of control between
nodes.
3.4.Fault-Based Techniques

[1*, c1s14]

With different degrees of formalization, faultbased testing techniques devise test cases specifically aimed at revealing categories of likely
or predefined faults. To better focus the test case
generation or selection, a fault model can be
introduced that classifies the different types of
faults.

3.4.1.Error Guessing

[1*, c9s8]

In error guessing, test cases are specifically

designed by software engineers who try to anticipate the most plausible faults in a given program.
A good source of information is the history of
faults discovered in earlier projects, as well as the
software engineers expertise.
3.4.2.Mutation Testing

[1*, c3s5]

A mutant is a slightly modified version of the

program under test, differing from it by a small
syntactic change. Every test case exercises both
the original program and all generated mutants:
if a test case is successful in identifying the difference between the program and a mutant, the
latter is said to be killed. Originally conceived
as a technique to evaluate test sets (see section
4.2. Evaluation of the Tests Performed), mutation testing is also a testing criterion in itself:
either tests are randomly generated until enough
mutants have been killed, or tests are specifically
designed to kill surviving mutants. In the latter
case, mutation testing can also be categorized as
a code-based technique. The underlying assumption of mutation testing, the coupling effect,
is that by looking for simple syntactic faults,
more complex but real faults will be found. For
the technique to be effective, a large number of
mutants must be automatically generated and
executed in a systematic way [12].
3.5.Usage-Based Techniques
3.5.1.Operational Profile

[1*, c15s5]

In testing for reliability evaluation (also called

operational testing), the test environment reproduces the operational environment of the software, or the operational profile, as closely as
possible. The goal is to infer from the observed
test results the future reliability of the software
when in actual use. To do this, inputs are assigned
probabilities, or profiles, according to their frequency of occurrence in actual operation. Operational profiles can be used during system testing

4-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

to guide derivation of test cases that will assess

the achievement of reliability objectives and
exercise relative usage and criticality of different
functions similar to what will be encountered in
the operational environment [3].
3.5.2.User Observation Heuristics
[10*, c5, c7]
Usability principles can provide guidelines for discovering problems in the design of the user interface [10*, c1s4] (see User Interface Design in the
Software Design KA). Specialized heuristics, also
called usability inspection methods, are applied
for the systematic observation of system usage
under controlled conditions in order to determine how well people can use the system and its
interfaces. Usability heuristics include cognitive
walkthroughs, claims analysis, field observations,
thinking aloud, and even indirect approaches such
as user questionnaires and interviews.
3.6.Model-Based Testing Techniques
A model in this context is an abstract (formal)
representation of the software under test or of
its software requirements (see Modeling in the
Software Engineering Models and Methods KA).
Model-based testing is used to validate requirements, check their consistency, and generate test
cases focused on the behavioral aspects of the
software. The key components of model-based
testing are [13]: the notation used to represent the
model of the software or its requirements; workflow models or similar models; the test strategy
or algorithm used for test case generation; the
supporting infrastructure for the test execution;
and the evaluation of test results compared to
expected results. Due to the complexity of the
techniques, model-based testing approaches
are often used in conjunction with test automation harnesses. Model-based testing techniques
include the following.
3.6.1.Decision Tables

[1*, c9s6]

Decision tables represent logical relationships

between conditions (roughly, inputs) and actions

(roughly, outputs). Test cases are systematically

derived by considering every possible combination of conditions and their corresponding resultant actions. A related technique is cause-effect
graphing [1*, c13s6].
3.6.2.Finite-State Machines

[1*, c10]

By modeling a program as a finite state machine,

tests can be selected in order to cover the states
and transitions.
3.6.3.Formal Specifications
[1*, c10s11] [2*, c15]
Stating the specifications in a formal language
(see Formal Methods in the Software Engineering Models and Methods KA) permits automatic
derivation of functional test cases, and, at the
same time, provides an oracle for checking test
results.
TTCN3 (Testing and Test Control Notation
version 3) is a language developed for writing test
cases. The notation was conceived for the specific
needs of testing telecommunication systems, so it
is particularly suitable for testing complex communication protocols.
3.6.4.Workflow Models

[2*, c8s3.2, c19s3.1]

Workflow models specify a sequence of activities performed by humans and/or software applications, usually represented through graphical
notations. Each sequence of actions constitutes
one workflow (also called a scenario). Both typical and alternate workflows should be tested [6,
part 4]. A special focus on the roles in a workflow specification is targeted in business process
testing.
3.7.Techniques Based on the Nature of the
Application
The above techniques apply to all kinds of software. Additional techniques for test derivation
and execution are based on the nature of the software being tested; for example,

Software Testing 4-11

object-oriented software
component-based software
web-based software
concurrent programs
protocol-based software
real-time systems
safety-critical systems
service-oriented software
open-source software
embedded software
3.8.Selecting and Combining Techniques
3.8.1.Combining Functional and Structural
[1*, c9]
Model-based and code-based test techniques
are often contrasted as functional vs. structural
testing. These two approaches to test selection
are not to be seen as alternatives but rather as
complements; in fact, they use different sources
of information and have been shown to highlight different kinds of problems. They could be
used in combination, depending on budgetary
considerations.
3.8.2.Deterministic vs. Random

[1*, c9s6]

Test cases can be selected in a deterministic way,

according to one of many techniques, or randomly drawn from some distribution of inputs,
such as is usually done in reliability testing. Several analytical and empirical comparisons have
been conducted to analyze the conditions that
make one approach more effective than the other.
4.Test-Related Measures
Sometimes testing techniques are confused with
testing objectives. Testing techniques can be
viewed as aids that help to ensure the achievement of test objectives [6, part 4]. For instance,
branch coverage is a popular testing technique.
Achieving a specified branch coverage measure
(e.g., 95% branch coverage) should not be the
objective of testing per se: it is a way of improving the chances of finding failures by attempting
to systematically exercise every program branch

at every decision point. To avoid such misunderstandings, a clear distinction should be made
between test-related measures that provide an
evaluation of the program under test, based on
the observed test outputs, and the measures that
evaluate the thoroughness of the test set. (See
Software Engineering Measurement in the Software Engineering Management KA for information on measurement programs. See Software
Process and Product Measurement in the Software Engineering Process KA for information on
measures.)
Measurement is usually considered fundamental to quality analysis. Measurement may also be
used to optimize the planning and execution of
the tests. Test management can use several different process measures to monitor progress. (See
section 5.1, Practical Considerations, for a discussion of measures of the testing process useful
for management purposes.)
4.1.Evaluation of the Program Under Test
4.1.1.Program Measurements That Aid in
Planning and Designing Tests
[9*, c11]
Measures based on software size (for example,
source lines of code or functional size; see Measuring Requirements in the Software Requirements KA) or on program structure can be used
to guide testing. Structural measures also include
measurements that determine the frequency with
which modules call one another.
4.1.2.Fault Types, Classification, and
Statistics

[9*, c4]

The testing literature is rich in classifications and

taxonomies of faults. To make testing more effective, it is important to know which types of faults
may be found in the software under test and the
relative frequency with which these faults have
occurred in the past. This information can be useful in making quality predictions as well as in
process improvement (see Defect Characterization in the Software Quality KA).

4-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

4.1.3.Fault Density

[1*, c13s4] [9*, c4]

A program under test can be evaluated by counting

discovered faults as the ratio between the number
of faults found and the size of the program.
4.1.4.Life Test, Reliability Evaluation
[1*, c15] [9*, c3]
A statistical estimate of software reliability,
which can be obtained by observing reliability achieved, can be used to evaluate a software
product and decide whether or not testing can be
stopped (see section 2.2, Reliability Achievement
and Evaluation).
4.1.5.Reliability Growth Models
[1*, c15] [9*, c8]
Reliability growth models provide a prediction of
reliability based on failures. They assume, in general, that when the faults that caused the observed
failures have been fixed (although some models
also accept imperfect fixes), the estimated products reliability exhibits, on average, an increasing
trend. There are many published reliability growth
models. Notably, these models are divided into
failure-count and time-between-failure models.
4.2.Evaluation of the Tests Performed
4.2.1.Coverage / Thoroughness Measures
[9*, c11]
Several test adequacy criteria require that the test
cases systematically exercise a set of elements
identified in the program or in the specifications
(see topic 3, Test Techniques). To evaluate the
thoroughness of the executed tests, software engineers can monitor the elements covered so that
they can dynamically measure the ratio between
covered elements and the total number. For example, it is possible to measure the percentage of
branches covered in the program flow graph or the
percentage of functional requirements exercised
among those listed in the specifications document.
Code-based adequacy criteria require appropriate
instrumentation of the program under test.

4.2.2.Fault Seeding

[1*, c2s5] [9*, c6]

In fault seeding, some faults are artificially introduced into a program before testing. When the
tests are executed, some of these seeded faults will
be revealed as well as, possibly, some faults that
were already there. In theory, depending on which
and how many of the artificial faults are discovered, testing effectiveness can be evaluated and the
remaining number of genuine faults can be estimated. In practice, statisticians question the distribution and representativeness of seeded faults
relative to genuine faults and the small sample size
on which any extrapolations are based. Some also
argue that this technique should be used with great
care since inserting faults into software involves
the obvious risk of leaving them there.
4.2.3.Mutation Score

[1*, c3s5]

In mutation testing (see Mutation Testing in section 3.4, Fault-Based Techniques), the ratio of
killed mutants to the total number of generated
mutants can be a measure of the effectiveness of
the executed test set.
4.2.4.Comparison and Relative Effectiveness
of Different Techniques
Several studies have been conducted to compare the relative effectiveness of different testing
techniques. It is important to be precise as to the
property against which the techniques are being
assessed; what, for instance, is the exact meaning
given to the term effectiveness? Possible interpretations include the number of tests needed to
find the first failure, the ratio of the number of
faults found through testing to all the faults found
during and after testing, and how much reliability was improved. Analytical and empirical comparisons between different techniques have been
conducted according to each of the notions of
effectiveness specified above.
5.Test Process
Testing concepts, strategies, techniques, and measures need to be integrated into a defined and

Software Testing 4-13

controlled process. The test process supports testing activities and provides guidance to testers and
testing teams, from test planning to test output
evaluation, in such a way as to provide assurance
that the test objectives will be met in a cost-effective way.
5.1.Practical Considerations
5.1.1.Attitudes / Egoless Programming
[1*c16] [9*, c15]
An important element of successful testing is a
collaborative attitude towards testing and quality
assurance activities. Managers have a key role in
fostering a generally favorable reception towards
failure discovery and correction during software
development and maintenance; for instance, by
overcoming the mindset of individual code ownership among programmers and by promoting a
collaborative environment with team responsibility for anomalies in the code.
5.1.2.Test Guides

[1*, c12s1] [9*, c15s1]

The testing phases can be guided by various

aimsfor example, risk-based testing uses the
product risks to prioritize and focus the test strategy, and scenario-based testing defines test cases
based on specified software scenarios.
5.1.3.Test Process Management
[1*, c12] [9*, c15]
Test activities conducted at different levels (see
topic 2, Test Levels) must be organizedtogether
with people, tools, policies, and measuresinto a
well-defined process that is an integral part of the
life cycle.
5.1.4.Test Documentation and Work Products
[1*, c8s12] [9*, c4s5]
Documentation is an integral part of the formalization of the test process [6, part 3]. Test documents
may include, among others, the test plan, test
design specification, test procedure specification,
test case specification, test log, and test incident
report. The software under test is documented as

the test item. Test documentation should be produced and continually updated to the same level
of quality as other types of documentation in
software engineering. Test documentation should
also be under the control of software configuration management (see the Software Configuration
Management KA). Moreover, test documentation
includes work products that can provide material
for user manuals and user training.
5.1.5.Test-Driven Development

[1*, c1s16]

Test-driven development (TDD) originated as one

of the core XP (extreme programming) practices
and consists of writing unit tests prior to writing
the code to be tested (see Agile Methods in the
Software Engineering Models and Method KA).
In this way, TDD develops the test cases as a surrogate for a software requirements specification
document rather than as an independent check
that the software has correctly implemented the
requirements. Rather than a testing strategy, TDD
is a practice that requires software developers to
define and maintain unit tests; it thus can also
have a positive impact on elaborating user needs
and software requirements specifications.
5.1.6.Internal vs. Independent Test Team
[1*, c16]
Formalizing the testing process may also involve
formalizing the organization of the testing team.
The testing team can be composed of internal
members (that is, on the project team, involved or
not in software construction), of external members
(in the hope of bringing an unbiased, independent
perspective), or of both internal and external members. Considerations of cost, schedule, maturity
levels of the involved organizations, and criticality
of the application can guide the decision.
5.1.7.Cost/Effort Estimation and Test Process
Measures
[1*, c18s3] [9*, c5s7]
Several measures related to the resources spent
on testing, as well as to the relative fault-finding
effectiveness of the various test phases, are used
by managers to control and improve the testing

4-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

process. These test measures may cover such

aspects as number of test cases specified, number of test cases executed, number of test cases
passed, and number of test cases failed, among
others.
Evaluation of test phase reports can be combined with root-cause analysis to evaluate testprocess effectiveness in finding faults as early as
possible. Such an evaluation can be associated
with the analysis of risks. Moreover, the resources
that are worth spending on testing should be commensurate with the use/criticality of the application: different techniques have different costs and
yield different levels of confidence in product
reliability.
5.1.8.Termination

[9*, c10s4]

A decision must be made as to how much testing is enough and when a test stage can be terminated. Thoroughness measures, such as achieved
code coverage or functional coverage, as well as
estimates of fault density or of operational reliability, provide useful support but are not sufficient in themselves. The decision also involves
considerations about the costs and risks incurred
by possible remaining failures, as opposed to
the costs incurred by continuing to test (see Test
Selection Criteria / Test Adequacy Criteria in
section 1.2, Key Issues).
5.1.9.Test Reuse and Test Patterns

[9*, c2s5]

To carry out testing or maintenance in an organized and cost-effective way, the means used to
test each part of the software should be reused
systematically. A repository of test materials
should be under the control of software configuration management so that changes to software requirements or design can be reflected in
changes to the tests conducted.
The test solutions adopted for testing some
application types under certain circumstances,
with the motivations behind the decisions taken,
form a test pattern that can itself be documented
for later reuse in similar projects.

5.2.Test Activities
As shown in the following description, successful
management of test activities strongly depends
on the software configuration management process (see the Software Configuration Management KA).
5.2.1.Planning

[1*, c12s1, c12s8]

Like all other aspects of project management,

testing activities must be planned. Key aspects
of test planning include coordination of personnel, availability of test facilities and equipment,
creation and maintenance of all test-related documentation, and planning for possible undesirable outcomes. If more than one baseline of the
software is being maintained, then a major planning consideration is the time and effort needed
to ensure that the test environment is set to the
proper configuration.
5.2.2.Test-Case Generation

[1*, c12s1, c12s3]

Generation of test cases is based on the level of

testing to be performed and the particular testing
techniques. Test cases should be under the control of software configuration management and
include the expected results for each test.
5.2.3.Test Environment Development
[1*, c12s6]
The environment used for testing should be compatible with the other adopted software engineering tools. It should facilitate development
and control of test cases, as well as logging and
recovery of expected results, scripts, and other
testing materials.
5.2.4.Execution

[1*, c12s7]

Execution of tests should embody a basic principle of scientific experimentation: everything

done during testing should be performed and
documented clearly enough that another person

Software Testing 4-15

could replicate the results. Hence, testing should

be performed in accordance with documented
procedures using a clearly defined version of the
software under test.
5.2.5.Test Results Evaluation

[9*, c15]

The results of testing should be evaluated to

determine whether or not the testing has been
successful. In most cases, successful means
that the software performed as expected and did
not have any major unexpected outcomes. Not
all unexpected outcomes are necessarily faults
but are sometime determined to be simply noise.
Before a fault can be removed, an analysis and
debugging effort is needed to isolate, identify,
and describe it. When test results are particularly
important, a formal review board may be convened to evaluate them.
5.2.6.Problem Reporting / Test Log

[1*, c13s9]

Testing activities can be entered into a testing

log to identify when a test was conducted, who
performed the test, what software configuration
was used, and other relevant identification information. Unexpected or incorrect test results can
be recorded in a problem reporting system, the
data for which forms the basis for later debugging and fixing the problems that were observed
as failures during testing. Also, anomalies not
classified as faults could be documented in case
they later turn out to be more serious than first
thought. Test reports are also inputs to the change
management request process (see Software Configuration Control in the Software Configuration
Management KA).
5.2.7.Defect Tracking

[9*, c9]

Defects can be tracked and analyzed to determine

when they were introduced into the software,
why they were created (for example, poorly
defined requirements, incorrect variable declaration, memory leak, programming syntax error),
and when they could have been first observed in

the software. Defect tracking information is used

to determine what aspects of software testing
and other processes need improvement and how
effective previous approaches have been.
6.Software Testing Tools
6.1.Testing Tool Support

[1*, c12s11] [9*, c5]

Testing requires many labor-intensive tasks, running numerous program executions, and handling
a great amount of information. Appropriate tools
can alleviate the burden of clerical, tedious operations and make them less error-prone. Sophisticated tools can support test design and test case
generation, making it more effective.
6.1.1.Selecting Tools

[1*, c12s11]

Guidance to managers and testers on how to select

testing tools that will be most useful to their organization and processes is a very important topic,
as tool selection greatly affects testing efficiency
and effectiveness. Tool selection depends on
diverse evidence, such as development choices,
evaluation objectives, execution facilities, and so
on. In general, there may not be a unique tool that
will satisfy particular needs, so a suite of tools
could be an appropriate choice.
6.2.Categories of Tools
We categorize the available tools according to
their functionality:
Test harnesses (drivers, stubs) [1*, c3s9]
provide a controlled environment in which
tests can be launched and the test outputs can
be logged. In order to execute parts of a program, drivers and stubs are provided to simulate calling and called modules, respectively.
Test generators [1*, c12s11] provide assistance in the generation test cases. The generation can be random, path-based, modelbased, or a mix thereof.
Capture/replay tools [1*, c12s11] automatically reexecute, or replay, previously

4-16 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

executed tests which have recorded inputs

and outputs (e.g., screens).
Oracle/file comparators/assertion checking
tools [1*, c9s7] assist in deciding whether a
test outcome is successful or not.
Coverage analyzers and instrumenters [1*,
c4] work together. Coverage analyzers assess
which and how many entities of the program
flow graph have been exercised amongst all
those required by the selected test coverage
criterion. The analysis can be done thanks to
program instrumenters that insert recording
probes into the code.

Tracers [1*, c1s7] record the history of a

programs execution paths.
Regression testing tools [1*, c12s16] support
the reexecution of a test suite after a section
of software has been modified. They can also
help to select a test subset according to the
change made.
Reliability evaluation tools [9*, c8] support
test results analysis and graphical visualization in order to assess reliability-related measures according to selected models.

Software Testing 4-17

1.1.Testing-Related Terminology
1.1.1.Definitions of Testing and
Related Terminology
1.1.2.Faults vs. Failures
1.2.Key Issues
1.2.1.Test Selection Criteria /
Test Adequacy Criteria
(Stopping Rules)
1.2.2.Testing Effectiveness /
Objectives for Testing
1.2.3.Testing for Defect
Identification

c8

c1s5

c11

1.2.4.The Oracle Problem

1.2.5.Theoretical and Practical
Limitations of Testing
1.2.6.The Problem of Infeasible
Paths
1.2.7.Testability
1.3.Relationship of Testing to
Other Activities
1.3.1.Testing vs. Static
Software Quality Management
Techniques
1.3.2.Testing vs. Correctness
Proofs and Formal Verification
1.3.3.Testing vs. Debugging
1.3.4.Testing vs. Programming
2.Test Levels
2.1.The Target of the Test
2.1.1.Unit Testing
2.1.2.Integration Testing
2.1.3.System Testing

c1s14, c6s6,
c12s7
c13s11, c11s4
c1s14
c1s9,
c9s7
c2s7
c4s7
c17s2

c12
c17s2
c3s6
c3s2
c1s13
c3
c7
c8

c8s1
c8
c8
c8

Nielsen 1993
[10*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

c1,c2

1.Software Testing Fundamentals

Kan 2003
[9*]

Naik and Tripathy 2008

[1*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

2.2.Objectives of Testing
2.2.1.Acceptance / Qualification
2.2.2.Installation Testing
2.2.3.Alpha and Beta Testing
2.2.4.Reliability Achievement
and Evaluation
2.2.5.Regression Testing
2.2.6.Performance Testing
2.2.7.Security Testing
2.2.8.Stress Testing
2.2.9.Back-to-Back Testing
2.2.10.Recovery Testing
2.2.11.Interface Testing
2.2.12.Configuration Testing
2.2.13.Usability and Human
Computer Interaction Testing
3. Test Techniques
3.1.Based on the Software
Engineers Intuition and
Experience
3.1.1.Ad Hoc
3.1.2.Exploratory Testing
3.2.Input Domain-Based
Techniques
3.2.1.Equivalence Partitioning
3.2.2.Pairwise Testing
3.2.3.Boundary-Value Analysis
3.2.4.Random Testing
3.3.Code-Based Techniques
3.3.1.Control Flow-Based
Criteria

c1s7
c1s7
c12s2
c13s7,
c16s6
c15
c8s11,
c13s3
c8s6
c8s3
c8s8

Nielsen 1993
[10*]

Kan 2003
[9*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

Naik and Tripathy 2008

[1*]

4-18 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

c8s4
c8s4
c15s2

c11s4

c14s2
c8s1.3

c4s4.5

c8s5
c6

c9s4
c9s3
c9s5
c9s7
c4

3.3.2.Data Flow-Based Criteria

3.3.3.Reference Models for
Code-Based Testing
3.4.Fault-Based Techniques
3.4.1.Error Guessing
3.4.2.Mutation Testing
3.5.Usage-Based Techniques
3.5.1.Operational Profile
3.5.2.User Observation
Heuristics
3.6.Model-Based Testing
Techniques
3.6.1.Decision Table
3.6.2.Finite-State Machines
3.6.3.Testing from Formal
Specifications
3.7.Techniques Based on the
Nature of the Application
3.8.Selecting and Combining
Techniques
3.8.1.Functional and Structural
3.8.2.Deterministic vs. Random
4.Test-Related Measures
4.1.Evaluation of the Program
Under Test
4.1.1.Program Measurements
That Aid in Planning and
Designing Testing
4.1.2.Fault Types, Classification,
and Statistics
4.1.3.Fault Density
4.1.4.Life Test, Reliability
Evaluation
4.1.5.Reliability Growth Models

Nielsen 1993
[10*]

Kan 2003
[9*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

Naik and Tripathy 2008

[1*]

Software Testing 4-19

c5
c4
c1s14
c9s8
c3s5
c15s5
c5, c7

c9s6
c10
c10s11

c15

c9
c9s6

c11
c4
c13s4

c4

c15

c3

c15

c8

4.2.Evaluation of the Tests

Performed
4.2.1.Coverage / Thoroughness
Measures
4.2.2.Fault Seeding
4.2.3.Mutation Score
4.2.4.Comparison and Relative
Effectiveness of Different
Techniques
5.Test Process
5.1.Practical Considerations
5.1.1.Attitudes / Egoless
Programming
5.1.2.Test Guides
5.1.3.Test Process Management
5.1.4.Test Documentation and
Work Products
5.1.5.Test-Driven Development
5.1.6.Internal vs. Independent
Test Team
5.1.7.Cost/Effort Estimation and
Other Process Measures
5.1.8.Termination
5.1.9.Test Reuse and Patterns
5.2.Test Activities
5.2.1.Planning
5.2.2.Test-Case Generation
5.2.3.Test Environment
Development
5.2.4.Execution
5.2.5.Test Results Evaluation

c11
c2s5
c3s5

c6

c16

c15

c12s1
c12

c15s1
c15

c8s12

c4s5

c1s16
c16
c18s3

c5s7
c10s4
c2s5

c12s1
c12s8
c12s1
c12s3
c12s6
c12s7
c15

Nielsen 1993
[10*]

Kan 2003
[9*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

Naik and Tripathy 2008

[1*]

4-20 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

5.2.6.Problem Reporting / Test

Log
5.2.7.Defect Tracking
6.Software Testing Tools
6.1.Testing Tool Support
6.1.1.Selecting Tools
6.2.Categories of Tools

c13s9
c9
c12s11
c12s11
c1s7, c3s9,
c4, c9s7,
c12s11,
c12s16

c5

c8

Nielsen 1993
[10*]

Kan 2003
[9*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

Naik and Tripathy 2008

[1*]

Software Testing 4-21

4-22 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

REFERENCES
[1*] S. Naik and P. Tripathy, Software Testing
and Quality Assurance: Theory and
Practice, Wiley-Spektrum, 2008.
[2*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th
ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.
[3] M.R. Lyu, ed., Handbook of Software
Reliability Engineering, McGraw-Hill and
IEEE Computer Society Press, 1996.
[4] H. Zhu, P.A.V. Hall, and J.H.R. May,
Software Unit Test Coverage and
Adequacy, ACM Computing Surveys, vol.
29, no. 4, Dec. 1997, pp. 366427.
[5] E.W. Dijkstra, Notes on Structured
Programming, T.H.-Report 70-WSE-03,
Technological University, Eindhoven, 1970;
http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/
ewd02xx/EWD249.PDF.
[6] ISO/IEC/IEEE P29119-1/DIS Draft Standard
for Software and Systems Engineering
Software TestingPart 1: Concepts and
Definitions, ISO/IEC/IEEE, 2012.
[7] ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and
Software EngineeringVocabulary, ISO/
IEC/IEEE, 2010.

[8] S. Yoo and M. Harman, Regression Testing

Minimization, Selection and Prioritization:
A Survey, Software Testing Verification
and Reliability, vol. 22, no. 2, Mar. 2012,
pp. 67120.
[9*] S.H. Kan, Metrics and Models in Software
Quality Engineering, 2nd ed., AddisonWesley, 2002.
[10*] J. Nielsen, Usability Engineering, Morgan
Kaufmann, 1993.
[11] T.Y. Chen et al., Adaptive Random Testing:
The ART of Test Case Diversity, Journal
of Systems and Software, vol. 83, no. 1, Jan.
2010, pp. 6066.
[12] Y. Jia and M. Harman, An Analysis
and Survey of the Development of
Mutation Testing, IEEE Trans. Software
Engineering, vol. 37, no. 5, Sep.Oct. 2011,
pp. 649678.
[13] M. Utting and B. Legeard, Practical
Model-Based Testing: A Tools Approach,
Morgan Kaufmann, 2007.

CHAPTER 5
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
ACRONYMS
MR

Modification Request

PR

Problem Report
Software Configuration
Management
Service-Level Agreement
Software Quality Assurance
Verification and Validation

SCM
SLA
SQA
V&V

during the postdelivery stage. Predelivery activities include planning for postdelivery operations,
maintainability, and logistics determination for
transition activities [1*, c6s9]. Postdelivery
activities include software modification, training,
and operating or interfacing to a help desk.
The Software Maintenance knowledge area
(KA) is related to all other aspects of software
engineering. Therefore, this KA description is
linked to all other software engineering KAs of
the Guide.

INTRODUCTION

BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR

SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE

Software development efforts result in the delivery of a software product that satisfies user
requirements. Accordingly, the software product
must change or evolve. Once in operation, defects
are uncovered, operating environments change,
and new user requirements surface. The maintenance phase of the life cycle begins following a
warranty period or postimplementation support
delivery, but maintenance activities occur much
earlier.
Software maintenance is an integral part of a
software life cycle. However, it has not received
the same degree of attention that the other phases
have. Historically, software development has had
a much higher profile than software maintenance
in most organizations. This is now changing, as
organizations strive to squeeze the most out of
their software development investment by keeping software operating as long as possible. The
open source paradigm has brought further attention to the issue of maintaining software artifacts
developed by others.
In this Guide, software maintenance is defined
as the totality of activities required to provide
cost-effective support to software. Activities are
performed during the predelivery stage as well as

The breakdown of topics for the Software Maintenance KA is shown in Figure 5.1.
1.Software Maintenance Fundamentals
This first section introduces the concepts and
terminology that form an underlying basis to
understanding the role and scope of software
maintenance. The topics provide definitions and
emphasize why there is a need for maintenance.
Categories of software maintenance are critical to
understanding its underlying meaning.
1.1.Definitions and Terminology
[1*, c3] [2*, c1s2, c2s2]
The purpose of software maintenance is defined
in the international standard for software maintenance: ISO/IEC/IEEE 14764 [1*].1 In the context
of software engineering, software maintenance is
essentially one of the many technical processes.
1 For the purpose of conciseness and ease of reading, this standard is referred to simply as IEEE 14764
in the subsequent text of this KA.
5-1

5-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 5.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Software Maintenance KA

The objective of software maintenance is to

modify existing software while preserving its
integrity. The international standard also states
the importance of having some maintenance
activities prior to the final delivery of software
(predelivery activities). Notably, IEEE 14764
emphasizes the importance of the predelivery
aspects of maintenanceplanning, for example.
1.2.Nature of Maintenance

[2*, c1s3]

Software maintenance sustains the software product throughout its life cycle (from development
to operations). Modification requests are logged
and tracked, the impact of proposed changes is
determined, code and other software artifacts are

modified, testing is conducted, and a new version

of the software product is released. Also, training and daily support are provided to users. The
term maintainer is defined as an organization that
performs maintenance activities. In this KA, the
term will sometimes refer to individuals who perform those activities, contrasting them with the
developers.
IEEE 14764 identifies the primary activities of
software maintenance as process implementation,
problem and modification analysis, modification
implementation, maintenance review/acceptance,
migration, and retirement. These activities are
discussed in section 3.2, Maintenance Activities.
Maintainers can learn from the developers knowledge of the software. Contact with
the developers and early involvement by the

Software Maintenance 5-3

maintainer helps reduce the overall maintenance

effort. In some instances, the initial developer
cannot be reached or has moved on to other tasks,
which creates an additional challenge for maintainers. Maintenance must take software artifacts
from development (for example, code or documentation) and support them immediately, then
progressively evolve/maintain them over a software life cycle.
1.3.Need for Maintenance

[2*, c1s5]

Maintenance is needed to ensure that the software

continues to satisfy user requirements. Maintenance is applicable to software that is developed
using any software life cycle model (for example,
spiral or linear). Software products change due
to corrective and noncorrective software actions.
Maintenance must be performed in order to
correct faults;
improve the design;
implement enhancements;
interface with other software;
adapt programs so that different hardware,
software, system features, and telecommunications facilities can be used;
migrate legacy software; and
retire software.
Five key characteristics comprise the maintainers activities:
maintaining control over the softwares dayto-day functions;
maintaining
control
over
software
modification;
perfecting existing functions;
identifying security threats and fixing security vulnerabilities; and
preventing software performance from
degrading to unacceptable levels.

perception of software maintenance is that it

merely fixes faults. However, studies and surveys over the years have indicated that the majority, over 80 percent, of software maintenance is
used for noncorrective actions [2*, figure 4.1].
Grouping enhancements and corrections together
in management reports contributes to some misconceptions regarding the high cost of corrections. Understanding the categories of software
maintenance helps to understand the structure of
software maintenance costs. Also, understanding
the factors that influence the maintainability of
software can help to contain costs. Some environmental factors and their relationship to software
maintenance costs include the following:
Operating environment refers to hardware
and software.
Organizational environment refers to policies, competition, process, product, and
personnel.
1.5.Evolution of Software

[2*, c3s5]

Software maintenance in terms of evolution was

first addressed in the late 1960s. Over a period of
twenty years, research led to the formulation of
eight Laws of Evolution. Key findings include a
proposal that maintenance is evolutionary development and that maintenance decisions are aided
by understanding what happens to software over
time. Some state that maintenance is continued
development, except that there is an extra input
(or constraint)in other words, existing large software is never complete and continues to evolve;
as it evolves, it grows more complex unless some
action is taken to reduce this complexity.
1.6.Categories of Maintenance
[1*, c3, c6s2] [2*, c3s3.1]

1.4.Majority of Maintenance Costs

[2*, c4s3, c5s5.2]

Three categories (types) of maintenance have

been defined: corrective, adaptive, and perfective [2*, c4s3]. IEEE 14764 includes a fourth
categorypreventative.

Maintenance consumes a major share of the financial resources in a software life cycle. A common

Corrective maintenance: reactive modification (or repairs) of a software product

5-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

performed after delivery to correct discovered problems. Included in this category

is emergency maintenance, which is an
unscheduled modification performed to temporarily keep a software product operational
pending corrective maintenance.
Adaptive maintenance: modification of a
software product performed after delivery to
keep a software product usable in a changed
or changing environment. For example,
the operating system might be upgraded
and some changes to the software may be
necessary.
Perfective maintenance: modification of a
software product after delivery to provide
enhancements for users, improvement of
program documentation, and recoding to
improve software performance, maintainability, or other software attributes.
Preventive maintenance: modification of a
software product after delivery to detect and
correct latent faults in the software product
before they become operational faults.
IEEE 14764 classifies adaptive and perfective
maintenance as maintenance enhancements. It
also groups together the corrective and preventive maintenance categories into a correction category, as shown in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1. Software Maintenance Categories

Proactive
Reactive

Correction

Enhancement

Preventive
Corrective

Perfective
Adaptive

2.Key Issues in Software Maintenance

A number of key issues must be dealt with to
ensure the effective maintenance of software.
Software maintenance provides unique technical and management challenges for software
engineersfor example, trying to find a fault in
software containing a large number of lines of
code that another software engineer developed.
Similarly, competing with software developers
for resources is a constant battle. Planning for a
future release, which often includes coding the

next release while sending out emergency patches

for the current release, also creates a challenge.
The following section presents some of the technical and management issues related to software
maintenance. They have been grouped under the
following topic headings:
technical issues,
management issues,
cost estimation, and
measurement.
2.1.Technical Issues
2.1.1.Limited Understanding

[2*, c6]

Limited understanding refers to how quickly a

software engineer can understand where to make
a change or correction in software that he or she
did not develop. Research indicates that about half
of the total maintenance effort is devoted to understanding the software to be modified. Thus, the
topic of software comprehension is of great interest to software engineers. Comprehension is more
difficult in text-oriented representationin source
code, for examplewhere it is often difficult to
trace the evolution of software through its releases/
versions if changes are not documented and if the
developers are not available to explain it, which is
often the case. Thus, software engineers may initially have a limited understanding of the software;
much has to be done to remedy this.
2.1.2.Testing

[1*, c6s2.2.2] [2*, c9]

The cost of repeating full testing on a major

piece of software is significant in terms of time
and money. In order to ensure that the requested
problem reports are valid, the maintainer should
replicate or verify problems by running the
appropriate tests. Regression testing (the selective retesting of software or a component to verify that the modifications have not caused unintended effects) is an important testing concept in
maintenance. Additionally, finding time to test is
often difficult. Coordinating tests when different
members of the maintenance team are working

Software Maintenance 5-5

on different problems at the same time remains a

challenge. When software performs critical functions, it may be difficult to bring it offline to test.
Tests cannot be executed in the most meaningful placethe production system. The Software
Testing KA provides additional information and
references on this matter in its subtopic on regression testing.
2.1.3.Impact Analysis

[1*, c5s2.5] [2*, c13s3]

Impact analysis describes how to conduct, costeffectively, a complete analysis of the impact of
a change in existing software. Maintainers must
possess an intimate knowledge of the softwares
structure and content. They use that knowledge
to perform impact analysis, which identifies all
systems and software products affected by a software change request and develops an estimate of
the resources needed to accomplish the change.
Additionally, the risk of making the change is
determined. The change request, sometimes called
a modification request (MR) and often called a
problem report (PR), must first be analyzed and
translated into software terms. Impact analysis is
performed after a change request enters the software configuration management process. IEEE
14764 states the impact analysis tasks:
analyze MRs/PRs;
replicate or verify the problem;
develop options for implementing the
modification;
document the MR/PR, the results, and the
execution options;
obtain approval for the selected modification
option.
The severity of a problem is often used to
decide how and when it will be fixed. The software engineer then identifies the affected components. Several potential solutions are provided,
followed by a recommendation as to the best
course of action.
Software designed with maintainability in mind
greatly facilitates impact analysis. More information can be found in the Software Configuration
Management KA.

2.1.4.Maintainability

[1*, c6s8] [2*, c12s5.5]

IEEE 14764 [1*, c3s4] defines maintainability

as the capability of the software product to be
modified. Modifications may include corrections,
improvements, or adaptation of the software to
changes in environment as well as changes in
requirements and functional specifications.
As a primary software quality characteristic,
maintainability should be specified, reviewed, and
controlled during software development activities in order to reduce maintenance costs. When
done successfully, the softwares maintainability
will improve. Maintainability is often difficult to
achieve because the subcharacteristics are often
not an important focus during the process of software development. The developers are, typically,
more preoccupied with many other activities and
frequently prone to disregard the maintainers
requirements. This in turn can, and often does,
result in a lack of software documentation and test
environments, which is a leading cause of difficulties in program comprehension and subsequent
impact analysis. The presence of systematic and
mature processes, techniques, and tools helps to
enhance the maintainability of software.
2.2.Management Issues
2.2.1.Alignment with Organizational
Objectives

[2*, c4]

Organizational objectives describe how to demonstrate the return on investment of software maintenance activities. Initial software development is
usually project-based, with a defined time scale and
budget. The main emphasis is to deliver a product
that meets user needs on time and within budget.
In contrast, software maintenance often has the
objective of extending the life of software for as
long as possible. In addition, it may be driven by
the need to meet user demand for software updates
and enhancements. In both cases, the return on
investment is much less clear, so that the view at
the senior management level is often that of a major
activity consuming significant resources with no
clear quantifiable benefit for the organization.

5-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

2.2.2.Staffing

[2*, c4s5, c10s4]

Staffing refers to how to attract and keep software maintenance staff. Maintenance is not often
viewed as glamorous work. As a result, software
maintenance personnel are frequently viewed
as second-class citizens, and morale therefore
suffers.
2.2.3.Process

[1*, c5] [2*, c5]

The software life cycle process is a set of activities,

methods, practices, and transformations that people use to develop and maintain software and its
associated products. At the process level, software
maintenance activities share much in common
with software development (for example, software
configuration management is a crucial activity in
both). Maintenance also requires several activities
that are not found in software development (see
section 3.2 on unique activities for details). These
activities present challenges to management.
2.2.4.Organizational Aspects of Maintenance
[1*, c7s2.3] [2*, c10]
Organizational aspects describe how to identify which organization and/or function will be
responsible for the maintenance of software. The
team that develops the software is not necessarily assigned to maintain the software once it is
operational.
In deciding where the software maintenance
function will be located, software engineering
organizations may, for example, stay with the
original developer or go to a permanent maintenance-specific team (or maintainer). Having a
permanent maintenance team has many benefits:
allows for specialization;
creates communication channels;
promotes an egoless, collegiate atmosphere;
reduces dependency on individuals;
allows for periodic audit checks.
Since there are many pros and cons to each
option, the decision should be made on a case-bycase basis. What is important is the delegation or

assignment of the maintenance responsibility to a

single group or person, regardless of the organizations structure.
2.2.5.Outsourcing

[3*]

Outsourcing and offshoring software maintenance has become a major industry. Organizations are outsourcing entire portfolios of software, including software maintenance. More
often, the outsourcing option is selected for less
mission-critical software, as organizations are
unwilling to lose control of the software used in
their core business. One of the major challenges
for outsourcers is to determine the scope of the
maintenance services required, the terms of a service-level agreement, and the contractual details.
Outsourcers will need to invest in a maintenance
infrastructure, and the help desk at the remote site
should be staffed with native-language speakers.
Outsourcing requires a significant initial investment and the setup of a maintenance process that
will require automation.
2.3.Maintenance Cost Estimation
Software engineers must understand the different
categories of software maintenance, discussed
above, in order to address the question of estimating the cost of software maintenance. For planning purposes, cost estimation is an important
aspect of planning for software maintenance.
2.3.1.Cost Estimation

[2*, c7s2.4]

Section 2.1.3 describes how impact analysis identifies all systems and software products affected
by a software change request and develops an
estimate of the resources needed to accomplish
that change.
Maintenance cost estimates are affected
by many technical and nontechnical factors.
IEEE 14764 states that the two most popular
approaches to estimating resources for software
maintenance are the use of parametric models
and the use of experience [1*, c7s4.1]. A combination of these two can also be used.

Software Maintenance 5-7

2.3.2.Parametric Models

[2*, c12s5.6]

Parametric cost modeling (mathematical models)

has been applied to software maintenance. Of significance is that historical data from past maintenance are needed in order to use and calibrate
the mathematical models. Cost driver attributes
affect the estimates.
2.3.3.Experience

[2*, c12s5.5]

Experience, in the form of expert judgment,

is often used to estimate maintenance effort.
Clearly, the best approach to maintenance estimation is to combine historical data and experience. The cost to conduct a modification (in terms
of number of people and amount of time) is then
derived. Maintenance estimation historical data
should be provided as a result of a measurement
program.
2.4.Software Maintenance Measurement
[1*, c6s5] [2*, c12]
Entities related to software maintenance, whose
attributes can be subjected to measurement,
include process, resource, and product [2*,
c12s3.1].
There are several software measures that can
be derived from the attributes of the software,
the maintenance process, and personnel, including size, complexity, quality, understandability,
maintainability, and effort. Complexity measures
of software can also be obtained using available
commercial tools. These measures constitute a
good starting point for the maintainers measurement program. Discussion of software process
and product measurement is also presented in the
Software Engineering Process KA. The topic of
a software measurement program is described in
the Software Engineering Management KA.
2.4.1.Specific Measures

[2*, c12]

The maintainer must determine which measures

are appropriate for a specific organization based
on that organizations own context. The software

quality model suggests measures that are specific

for software maintenance. Measures for subcharacteristics of maintainability include the following [4*, p. 60]:
Analyzability: measures of the maintainers
effort or resources expended in trying either
to diagnose deficiencies or causes of failure
or to identify parts to be modified.
Changeability: measures of the maintainers
effort associated with implementing a specified modification.
Stability: measures of the unexpected behavior of software, including that encountered
during testing.
Testability: measures of the maintainers and
users effort in trying to test the modified
software.
Other measures that maintainers use include
size of the software,
complexity of the software ,
understandability, and
maintainability.
Providing software maintenance effort, by
categories, for different applications provides
business information to users and their organizations. It can also enable the comparison of software maintenance profiles internally within an
organization.
3.Maintenance Process
In addition to standard software engineering processes and activities described in IEEE 14764,
there are a number of activities that are unique to
maintainers.
3.1.Maintenance Processes
[1*, c5] [2*, c5] [5, s5.5]
Maintenance processes provide needed activities
and detailed inputs/outputs to those activities as
described in IEEE 14764. The maintenance process activities of IEEE 14764 are shown in Figure
5.2. Software maintenance activities include
process implementation,
problem and modification analysis,
modification implementation,

5-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

maintenance review/acceptance,
migration, and
software retirement.

activities and tasks are the responsibility of the

maintainer. As already noted, many maintenance
activities are similar to those of software development. Maintainers perform analysis, design, coding, testing, and documentation. They must track
requirements in their activitiesjust as is done
in developmentand update documentation as
baselines change. IEEE 14764 recommends that
when a maintainer uses a development process,
it must be tailored to meet specific needs [1*,
c5s3.2.2]. However, for software maintenance,
some activities involve processes unique to software maintenance.
3.2.1.Unique Activities
[1*, c3s10, c6s9, c7s2, c7s3] [2*, c6, c7]
There are a number of processes, activities, and
practices that are unique to software maintenance:

Figure 5.2. Software Maintenance Process

Other maintenance process models include:

quick fix,
spiral,
Osbornes,
iterative enhancement, and
reuse-oriented.
Recently, agile methodologies, which promote
light processes, have been also adapted to maintenance. This requirement emerges from the everincreasing demand for fast turnaround of maintenance services. Improvement to the software
maintenance process is supported by specialized
software maintenance capability maturity models
(see [6] and [7], which are briefly annotated in the
Further Readings section).
3.2.Maintenance Activities
[1*, c5, c6s8.2, c7s3.3]
The maintenance process contains the activities
and tasks necessary to modify an existing software product while preserving its integrity. These

Program understanding: activities needed to

obtain a general knowledge of what a software
product does and how the parts work together.
Transition: a controlled and coordinated
sequence of activities during which software
is transferred progressively from the developer to the maintainer.
Modification request acceptance/rejection:
modifications requesting work beyond a certain size/effort/complexity may be rejected
by maintainers and rerouted to a developer.
Maintenance help desk: an end-user and
maintenance coordinated support function
that triggers the assessment, prioritization,
and costing of modification requests.
Impact analysis: a technique to identify areas
impacted by a potential change;
Maintenance Service-Level Agreements
(SLAs) and maintenance licenses and contracts: contractual agreements that describe
the services and quality objectives.
3.2.2.Supporting Activities
[1*, c4s1, c5, c6s7] [2*, c9]
Maintainers may also perform support activities,
such as documentation, software configuration
management, verification and validation, problem
resolution, software quality assurance, reviews,

Software Maintenance 5-9

and audits. Another important support activity

consists of training the maintainers and users.
3.2.3.Maintenance Planning Activities
[1*, c7s3]
An important activity for software maintenance is
planning, and maintainers must address the issues
associated with a number of planning perspectives, including
business planning (organizational level),
maintenance planning (transition level),
release/version planning (software level), and
individual software change request planning
(request level).
At the individual request level, planning is
carried out during the impact analysis (see section 2.1.3, Impact Analysis). The release/version
planning activity requires that the maintainer:
collect the dates of availability of individual
requests,
agree with users on the content of subsequent
releases/versions,
identify potential conflicts and develop
alternatives,
assess the risk of a given release and develop
a back-out plan in case problems should
arise, and
inform all the stakeholders.
Whereas software development projects can
typically last from some months to a few years,
the maintenance phase usually lasts for many
years. Making estimates of resources is a key element of maintenance planning. Software maintenance planning should begin with the decision
to develop a new software product and should
consider quality objectives. A concept document
should be developed, followed by a maintenance
plan. The maintenance concept for each software
product needs to be documented in the plan [1*,
c7s2] and should address the
scope of the software maintenance,
adaptation of the software maintenance
process,

identification of the software maintenance

organization, and
estimate of software maintenance costs.
The next step is to develop a corresponding
software maintenance plan. This plan should be
prepared during software development and should
specify how users will request software modifications or report problems. Software maintenance
planning is addressed in IEEE 14764. It provides
guidelines for a maintenance plan. Finally, at
the highest level, the maintenance organization
will have to conduct business planning activities
(budgetary, financial, and human resources) just
like all the other divisions of the organization.
Management is discussed in the chapter Related
Disciplines of Software Engineering.
3.2.4.Software Configuration Management
[1*, c5s1.2.3] [2*, c11]
IEEE 14764 describes software configuration
management as a critical element of the maintenance process. Software configuration management procedures should provide for the verification, validation, and audit of each step required
to identify, authorize, implement, and release the
software product.
It is not sufficient to simply track modification requests or problem reports. The software
product and any changes made to it must be controlled. This control is established by implementing and enforcing an approved software configuration management (SCM) process. The Software
Configuration Management KA provides details
of SCM and discusses the process by which software change requests are submitted, evaluated,
and approved. SCM for software maintenance is
different from SCM for software development in
the number of small changes that must be controlled on operational software. The SCM process is implemented by developing and following
a software configuration management plan and
operating procedures. Maintainers participate in
Configuration Control Boards to determine the
content of the next release/version.

5-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

3.2.5.Software Quality
[1*, c6s5, c6s7, c6s8] [2*, c12s5.3]

4.3.Reverse Engineering
[1*, c6s2] [2*, c7, c14s5]

It is not sufficient to simply hope that increased

quality will result from the maintenance of software. Maintainers should have a software quality program. It must be planned and processes
must be implemented to support the maintenance
process. The activities and techniques for Software Quality Assurance (SQA), V&V, reviews,
and audits must be selected in concert with all
the other processes to achieve the desired level
of quality. It is also recommended that the maintainer adapt the software development processes,
techniques and deliverables (for instance, testing
documentation), and test results. More details can
be found in the Software Quality KA.

Reverse engineering is the process of analyzing

software to identify the softwares components
and their inter-relationships and to create representations of the software in another form or at
higher levels of abstraction. Reverse engineering is passive; it does not change the software
or result in new software. Reverse engineering efforts produce call graphs and control flow
graphs from source code. One type of reverse
engineering is redocumentation. Another type is
design recovery. Finally, data reverse engineering, where logical schemas are recovered from
physical databases, has grown in importance over
the last few years. Tools are key for reverse engineering and related tasks such as redocumentation and design recovery.

4.Techniques for Maintenance

This topic introduces some of the generally
accepted techniques used in software maintenance.

4.4.Migration

4.1.Program Comprehension

During softwares life, it may have to be modified to run in different environments. In order to
migrate it to a new environment, the maintainer
needs to determine the actions needed to accomplish the migration, and then develop and document the steps required to effect the migration in
a migration plan that covers migration requirements, migration tools, conversion of product
and data, execution, verification, and support.
Migrating software can also entail a number of
additional activities such as

[2*, c6, c14s5]

Programmers spend considerable time reading and

understanding programs in order to implement
changes. Code browsers are key tools for program
comprehension and are used to organize and present source code. Clear and concise documentation
can also aid in program comprehension.
4.2.Reengineering

[2*, c7]

Reengineering is defined as the examination and

alteration of software to reconstitute it in a new
form, and includes the subsequent implementation of the new form. It is often not undertaken to
improve maintainability but to replace aging legacy software. Refactoring is a reengineering technique that aims at reorganizing a program without
changing its behavior. It seeks to improve a program structure and its maintainability. Refactoring techniques can be used during minor changes.

[1*, c5s5]

notification of intent: a statement of why

the old environment is no longer to be supported, followed by a description of the new
environment and its date of availability;
parallel operations: make available the
old and new environments so that the user
experiences a smooth transition to the new
environment;
notification of completion: when the scheduled migration is completed, a notification is
sent to all concerned;

Software Maintenance 5-11

postoperation review: an assessment of parallel operation and the impact of changing to

the new environment;
data archival: storing the old software data.
4.5.Retirement

[1*, c5s6]

Once software has reached the end of its useful life, it must be retired. An analysis should
be performed to assist in making the retirement
decision. This analysis should be included in the
retirement plan, which covers retirement requirements, impact, replacement, schedule, and effort.
Accessibility of archive copies of data may also
be included. Retiring software entails a number
of activities similar to migration.
5.Software Maintenance Tools
[1*, c6s4] [2*, c14]
This topic encompasses tools that are particularly
important in software maintenance where existing software is being modified. Examples regarding program comprehension include

program slicers, which select only parts of a

program affected by a change;
static analyzers, which allow general viewing and summaries of a program content;
dynamic analyzers, which allow the maintainer to trace the execution path of a
program;
data flow analyzers, which allow the maintainer to track all possible data flows of a
program;
cross-referencers, which generate indices of
program components; and
dependency analyzers, which help maintainers analyze and understand the interrelationships between components of a program.
Reverse engineering tools assist the process by
working backwards from an existing product to
create artifacts such as specification and design
descriptions, which can then be transformed to
generate a new product from an old one. Maintainers also use software test, software configuration management, software documentation, and
software measurement tools.

5-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Grubb and Takang 2003

[2*]

c3

c1s2, c2s2

Sneed 2008
[3*]

IEEE/ISO/IEC 14764 2006

[1*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

1.Software Maintenance
Fundamentals
1.1.Definitions and Terminology
1.2.Nature of Maintenance

c1s3

1.3.Need for Maintenance

c1s5

1.4.Majority of Maintenance Costs

c4s3, c5s5.2

1.5.Evolution of Software
1.6.Categories of Maintenance

c3s5
c3, c6s2

c3s3.1, c4s3

2.Key Issues in Software

Maintenance
2.1.Technical Issues
2.1.1.Limited Understanding
2.1.2.Testing

c6
c6s2.2.2

c9

2.1.3.Impact Analysis

c5s2.5

c13s3

2.1.4.Maintainability

c6s8, c3s4

c12s5.5

2.2.Management Issues
2.2.1.Alignment with
Organizational objectives

c4

2.2.2.Staffing
2.2.3.Process
2.2.4.Organizational Aspects of
Maintenance

c4s5, c10s4
c5

c5

c7s.2.3

c10

2.2.5.Outsourcing/Offshoring

all

2.3.Maintenance Cost Estimation

2.3.1.Cost Estimation

c7s4.1

c7s2.4

2.3.2.Parametric Models

c12s5.6

2.3.3.Experience

c12s5.5

2.4.Software Maintenance
Measurement

c6s5

2.4.1.Specific Measures

c12, c12s3.1
c12

3.Maintenance Process
3.1.Maintenance Processes
3.2.Maintenance Activities
3.2.1.Unique Activities
3.2.2.Supporting Activities
3.2.3.Maintenance Planning
Activities
3.2.4.Software Configuration
Management
3.2.5.Software Quality

c5
c5, c5s3.2.2,
c6s8.2, c7s3.3
c3s10, c6s9, c7s2,
c7s3
c4s1, c5, c6s7

c5

c6,c7
c9

c7s2, c7s.3
c5s1.2.3

c11

c6s5, c6s7, c6s8

c12s5.3

4.Techniques for Maintenance

4.1.Program Comprehension

c6,c14s5

4.2.Reengineering

c7

4.3.Reverse Engineering

c6s2

4.4.Migration

c5s5

4.5.Retirement

c5s6

5.Software Maintenance Tools

c6s4

c7, c14s5

c14

Sneed 2008
[3*]

Grubb and Takang 2003

[2*]

IEEE/ISO/IEC 14764 2006

[1*]

Software Maintenance 5-13

5-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

FURTHER READINGS

REFERENCES

A. April and A. Abran, Software Maintenance

Management: Evaluation and Continuous
Improvement [6].

[1*] IEEE Std. 14764-2006 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC

14764:2006) Standard for Software
EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle
ProcessesMaintenance, IEEE, 2006.

This book explores the domain of small software

maintenance processes (S3M). It provides roadmaps for improving software maintenance processes in organizations. It describes a software
maintenance specific maturity model organized
by levels which allow for benchmarking and continuous improvement. Goals for each key practice area are provided, and the process model presented is fully aligned with the architecture and
framework of international standards ISO12207,
ISO14764 and ISO15504 and popular maturity
models like ITIL, CoBIT, CMMI and CM3.
M. Kajko-Mattsson, Towards a Business
Maintenance Model, IEEE Intl Conf.
Software Maintenance [7].
This paper presents an overview of the Corrective Maintenance Maturity Model (CM3). In
contrast to other process models, CM3 is aspecializedmodel, entirely dedicated to corrective
maintenance of software. It views maintenance in
terms of the activities to be performed and their
order, in terms of the information used by these
activities, goals, rules and motivations for their
execution, andorganizationallevels and roles
involved at various stages of a typical corrective
maintenance process.

[2*] P. Grubb and A.A. Takang, Software

Maintenance: Concepts and Practice, 2nd
ed., World Scientific Publishing, 2003.
[3*] H.M. Sneed, Offering Software
Maintenance as an Offshore Service, Proc.
IEEE Intl Conf. Software Maintenance
(ICSM 08), IEEE, 2008, pp. 15.
[4*] J.W. Moore, The Road Map to Software
Engineering: A Standards-Based Guide,
Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press, 2006.
[5] ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and
Software EngineeringVocabulary, ISO/
IEC/IEEE, 2010.
[6] A. April and A. Abran, Software
Maintenance Management: Evaluation
and Continuous Improvement, Wiley-IEEE
Computer Society Press, 2008.
[7] M. Kajko-Mattsson, Towards a Business
Maintenance Model, Proc. Intl Conf.
Software Maintenance, IEEE, 2001, pp.
500509.

CHAPTER 6
SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT
ACRONYMS
CCB
CM
FCA

Configuration Control Board

Configuration Management
Functional Configuration Audit

PCA

Physical Configuration Audit

SCCB
SCI
SCM
SCMP
SCR
SCSA
SDD
SEI/
CMMI
SQA
SRS

to serve a particular purpose. Configuration management (CM), then, is the discipline of identifying the configuration of a system at distinct points
in time for the purpose of systematically controlling changes to the configuration and maintaining
the integrity and traceability of the configuration
throughout the system life cycle. It is formally
defined as

Software Configuration Control

Board
Software Configuration Item
Software Configuration
Management
Software Configuration
Management Plan
Software Change Request
Software Configuration Status
Accounting
Software Design Document
Software Engineering Institutes
Capability Maturity Model
Integration
Software Quality Assurance
Software Requirement
Specification

A discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to: identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item,
control changes to those characteristics,
record and report change processing and
implementation status, and verify compliance with specified requirements. [1]
Software configuration management (SCM)
is a supporting-software life cycle process that
benefits project management, development and
maintenance activities, quality assurance activities, as well as the customers and users of the end
product.
The concepts of configuration management
apply to all items to be controlled, although there
are some differences in implementation between
hardware CM and software CM.
SCM is closely related to the software quality assurance (SQA) activity. As defined in the
Software Quality knowledge area (KA), SQA
processes provide assurance that the software
products and processes in the project life cycle
conform to their specified requirements by planning, enacting, and performing a set of activities
to provide adequate confidence that quality is
being built into the software. SCM activities help
in accomplishing these SQA goals. In some project contexts, specific SQA requirements prescribe
certain SCM activities.

INTRODUCTION
A system can be defined as the combination of
interacting elements organized to achieve one or
more stated purposes [1]. The configuration of a
system is the functional and physical characteristics of hardware or software as set forth in technical documentation or achieved in a product [1]; it
can also be thought of as a collection of specific
versions of hardware, firmware, or software items
combined according to specific build procedures
6-1

6-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 6.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Software Configuration Management KA

The SCM activities are management and planning of the SCM process, software configuration
identification, software configuration control,
software configuration status accounting, software configuration auditing, and software release
management and delivery.
The Software Configuration Management KA
is related to all the other KAs, since the object
of configuration management is the artifact produced and used throughout the software engineering process.
BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR
SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION
MANAGEMENT
The breakdown of topics for the Software Configuration Management KA is shown in Figure 6.1.
1.Management of the SCM Process
SCM controls the evolution and integrity of a
product by identifying its elements; managing and
controlling change; and verifying, recording, and
reporting on configuration information. From the
software engineers perspective, SCM facilitates

development and change implementation activities. A successful SCM implementation requires

careful planning and management. This, in turn,
requires an understanding of the organizational
context for, and the constraints placed on, the
design and implementation of the SCM process.
1.1.Organizational Context for SCM
[2*, c6, ann. D] [3*, introduction] [4*, c29]
To plan an SCM process for a project, it is necessary to understand the organizational context and
the relationships among organizational elements.
SCM interacts with several other activities or
organizational elements.
The organizational elements responsible for the
software engineering supporting processes may be
structured in various ways. Although the responsibility for performing certain SCM tasks might be
assigned to other parts of the organization (such as
the development organization), the overall responsibility for SCM often rests with a distinct organizational element or designated individual.
Software is frequently developed as part of a
larger system containing hardware and firmware
elements. In this case, SCM activities take place

Software Configuration Management 6-3

in parallel with hardware and firmware CM activities and must be consistent with system-level
CM. Note that firmware contains hardware and
software; therefore, both hardware and software
CM concepts are applicable.
SCM might interface with an organizations
quality assurance activity on issues such as
records management and nonconforming items.
Regarding the former, some items under SCM
control might also be project records subject to
provisions of the organizations quality assurance
program. Managing nonconforming items is usually the responsibility of the quality assurance
activity; however, SCM might assist with tracking and reporting on software configuration items
falling into this category.
Perhaps the closest relationship is with the
software development and maintenance organizations. It is within this context that many of
the software configuration control tasks are conducted. Frequently, the same tools support development, maintenance, and SCM purposes.
1.2.Constraints and Guidance for the SCM
Process
[2*, c6, ann. D, ann. E] [3*, c2, c5]
[5*, c19s2.2]
Constraints affecting, and guidance for, the SCM
process come from a number of sources. Policies and procedures set forth at corporate or other
organizational levels might influence or prescribe
the design and implementation of the SCM process for a given project. In addition, the contract
between the acquirer and the supplier might contain provisions affecting the SCM process. For
example, certain configuration audits might be
required, or it might be specified that certain items
be placed under CM. When software products to
be developed have the potential to affect public
safety, external regulatory bodies may impose
constraints. Finally, the particular software life
cycle process chosen for a software project and
the level of formalism selected to implement the
software affect the design and implementation of
the SCM process.
Guidance for designing and implementing an
SCM process can also be obtained from best
practice, as reflected in the standards on software

engineering issued by the various standards organizations (see Appendix B on standards).

1.3.Planning for SCM
[2*, c6, ann. D, ann. E] [3*, c23] [4*, c29]
The planning of an SCM process for a given
project should be consistent with the organizational context, applicable constraints, commonly accepted guidance, and the nature of the
project (for example, size, safety criticality, and
security). The major activities covered are software configuration identification, software configuration control, software configuration status
accounting, software configuration auditing, and
software release management and delivery. In
addition, issues such as organization and responsibilities, resources and schedules, tool selection
and implementation, vendor and subcontractor
control, and interface control are typically considered. The results of the planning activity are
recorded in an SCM Plan (SCMP), which is typically subject to SQA review and audit.
Branching and merging strategies should be
carefully planned and communicated, since they
impact many SCM activities. From an SCM standpoint, a branch is defined as a set of evolving source
file versions [1]. Merging consists in combining
different changes to the same file [1]. This typically occurs when more than one person changes a
configuration item. There are many branching and
merging strategies in common use (see the Further
Readings section for additional discussion).
The software development life cycle model
(see Software Life Cycle Models in the Software
Engineering Process KA) also impacts SCM
activities, and SCM planning should take this
into account. For instance, continuous integration
is a common practice in many software development approaches. It is typically characterized by
frequent build-test-deploy cycles. SCM activities
must be planned accordingly.
1.3.1.SCM Organization and Responsibilities
[2*, ann. Ds5, ann. Ds6] [3*, c10-11]
[4*, introduction, c29]
To prevent confusion about who will perform
given SCM activities or tasks, organizational

6-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

roles to be involved in the SCM process need

to be clearly identified. Specific responsibilities
for given SCM activities or tasks also need to be
assigned to organizational entities, either by title
or by organizational element. The overall authority and reporting channels for SCM should also be
identified, although this might be accomplished
at the project management or quality assurance
planning stage.
1.3.2.SCM Resources and Schedules
[2*, ann. Ds8] [3*, c23]
Planning for SCM identifies the staff and tools
involved in carrying out SCM activities and tasks.
It addresses scheduling questions by establishing
necessary sequences of SCM tasks and identifying their relationships to the project schedules
and milestones established at the project management planning stage. Any training requirements
necessary for implementing the plans and training new staff members are also specified.
1.3.3.Tool Selection and Implementation
[3*, c26s2, c26s6] [4*, c29s5]
As for any area of software engineering, the
selection and implementation of SCM tools
should be carefully planned. The following questions should be considered:
Organization: what motivates tool acquisition from an organizational perspective?
Tools: can we use commercial tools or
develop them ourselves?
Environment: what are the constraints
imposed by the organization and its technical context?
Legacy: how will projects use (or not) the
new tools?
Financing: who will pay for the tools
acquisition, maintenance, training, and
customization?
Scope: how will the new tools be deployed
for instance, through the entire organization
or only on specific projects?
Ownership: who is responsible for the introduction of new tools?

Future: what is the plan for the tools use in

the future?
Change: how adaptable are the tools?
Branching and merging: are the tools capabilities compatible with the planned branching and merging strategies?
Integration: do the various SCM tools integrate among themselves? With other tools in
use in the organization?
Migration: can the repository maintained by
the version control tool be ported to another
version control tool while maintaining complete history of the configuration items it
contains?
SCM typically requires a set of tools, as
opposed to a single tool. Such tool sets are sometimes referred to as workbenches. In such a context, another important consideration in planning for tool selection is determining if the SCM
workbench will be open (in other words, tools
from different suppliers will be used in different activities of the SCM process) or integrated
(where elements of the workbench are designed
to work together).
The size of the organization and the type of
projects involved may also impact tool selection
(see topic 7, Software Configuration Management Tools).
1.3.4.Vendor/Subcontractor Control
[2*, c13] [3*, c13s9, c14s2]
A software project might acquire or make use of
purchased software products, such as compilers
or other tools. SCM planning considers if and
how these items will be taken under configuration control (for example, integrated into the project libraries) and how changes or updates will be
evaluated and managed.
Similar considerations apply to subcontracted
software. When using subcontracted software,
both the SCM requirements to be imposed on
the subcontractors SCM process as part of the
subcontract and the means for monitoring compliance need to be established. The latter includes
consideration of what SCM information must be
available for effective compliance monitoring.

Software Configuration Management 6-5

1.3.5.Interface Control

[2*, c12] [3*, c24s4]

When a software item will interface with

another software or hardware item, a change
to either item can affect the other. Planning for
the SCM process considers how the interfacing
items will be identified and how changes to the
items will be managed and communicated. The
SCM role may be part of a larger, system-level
process for interface specification and control;
it may involve interface specifications, interface
control plans, and interface control documents.
In this case, SCM planning for interface control
takes place within the context of the systemlevel process.
1.4.SCM Plan

[2*, ann. D] [3*, c23] [4*, c29s1]

The results of SCM planning for a given project

are recorded in a software configuration management plan (SCMP), a living document which
serves as a reference for the SCM process. It is
maintained (that is, updated and approved) as
necessary during the software life cycle. In implementing the SCMP, it is typically necessary to
develop a number of more detailed, subordinate
procedures defining how specific requirements
will be carried out during day-to-day activities
for example, which branching strategies will be
used and how frequently builds occur and automated tests of all kinds are run.
Guidance on the creation and maintenance of
an SCMP, based on the information produced by
the planning activity, is available from a number
of sources, such as [2*]. This reference provides
requirements for the information to be contained
in an SCMP; it also defines and describes six categories of SCM information to be included in an
SCMP:
Introduction (purpose, scope, terms used)
SCM Management (organization, responsibilities, authorities, applicable policies,
directives, and procedures)
SCM Activities (configuration identification,
configuration control, and so on)

SCM Schedules (coordination with other

project activities)
SCM Resources (tools, physical resources,
and human resources)
SCMP Maintenance.
1.5.Surveillance of Software Configuration
Management
[3*, c11s3]
After the SCM process has been implemented,
some degree of surveillance may be necessary
to ensure that the provisions of the SCMP are
properly carried out. There are likely to be specific SQA requirements for ensuring compliance
with specified SCM processes and procedures.
The person responsible for SCM ensures that
those with the assigned responsibility perform
the defined SCM tasks correctly. The software
quality assurance authority, as part of a compliance auditing activity, might also perform this
surveillance.
The use of integrated SCM tools with process
control capability can make the surveillance
task easier. Some tools facilitate process compliance while providing flexibility for the software engineer to adapt procedures. Other tools
enforce process, leaving the software engineer
with less flexibility. Surveillance requirements
and the level of flexibility to be provided to the
software engineer are important considerations
in tool selection.
1.5.1.SCM Measures and Measurement
[3*, c9s2, c25s2s3]
SCM measures can be designed to provide specific information on the evolving product or to
provide insight into the functioning of the SCM
process. A related goal of monitoring the SCM
process is to discover opportunities for process
improvement. Measurements of SCM processes
provide a good means for monitoring the effectiveness of SCM activities on an ongoing basis.
These measurements are useful in characterizing the current state of the process as well as in
providing a basis for making comparisons over
time. Analysis of the measurements may produce

6-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

insights leading to process changes and corresponding updates to the SCMP.

Software libraries and the various SCM tool
capabilities provide sources for extracting information about the characteristics of the SCM
process (as well as providing project and management information). For example, information
about the time required to accomplish various
types of changes would be useful in an evaluation of the criteria for determining what levels of
authority are optimal for authorizing certain types
of changes and for estimating future changes.
Care must be taken to keep the focus of the
surveillance on the insights that can be gained
from the measurements, not on the measurements
themselves. Discussion of software process and
product measurement is presented in the Software Engineering Process KA. Software measurement programs are described in the Software
Engineering Management KA.
1.5.2.In-Process Audits of SCM

[3*, c1s1]

Audits can be carried out during the software

engineering process to investigate the current status of specific elements of the configuration or to
assess the implementation of the SCM process.
In-process auditing of SCM provides a more formal mechanism for monitoring selected aspects
of the process and may be coordinated with the
SQA function (see topic 5, Software Configuration Auditing).
2.Software Configuration Identification
[2*, c8] [4*, c29s1.1]
Software configuration identification identifies
items to be controlled, establishes identification
schemes for the items and their versions, and
establishes the tools and techniques to be used in
acquiring and managing controlled items. These
activities provide the basis for the other SCM
activities.
2.1.Identifying Items to Be Controlled
[2*, c8s2.2] [4*, c29s1.1]
One of the first steps in controlling change is
identifying the software items to be controlled.

This involves understanding the software configuration within the context of the system configuration, selecting software configuration items,
developing a strategy for labeling software items
and describing their relationships, and identifying
both the baselines to be used and the procedure
for a baselines acquisition of the items.
2.1.1.Software Configuration

[1, c3]

Software configuration is the functional and physical characteristics of hardware or software as set
forth in technical documentation or achieved in
a product. It can be viewed as part of an overall
system configuration.
2.1.2.Software Configuration Item

[4*, c29s1.1]

A configuration item (CI) is an item or aggregation of hardware or software or both that is

designed to be managed as a single entity. A software configuration item (SCI) is a software entity
that has been established as a configuration item
[1]. The SCM typically controls a variety of items
in addition to the code itself. Software items with
potential to become SCIs include plans, specifications and design documentation, testing materials, software tools, source and executable code,
code libraries, data and data dictionaries, and
documentation for installation, maintenance,
operations, and software use.
Selecting SCIs is an important process in
which a balance must be achieved between providing adequate visibility for project control purposes and providing a manageable number of
controlled items.
2.1.3.Software Configuration Item
Relationships

[3*, c7s4]

Structural relationships among the selected

SCIs, and their constituent parts, affect other
SCM activities or tasks, such as software
building or analyzing the impact of proposed
changes. Proper tracking of these relationships
is also important for supporting traceability.
The design of the identification scheme for SCIs

Software Configuration Management 6-7

Figure 6.2. Acquisition of Items

should consider the need to map identified items

to the software structure, as well as the need to
support the evolution of the software items and
their relationships.
2.1.4.Software Version

[1, c3] [4*, c29s3]

Software items evolve as a software project proceeds. A version of a software item is an identified instance of an item. It can be thought of as a
state of an evolving item. A variant is a version of
a program resulting from the application of software diversity.
2.1.5.Baseline

[1, c3]

A software baseline is a formally approved version of a configuration item (regardless of media)

that is formally designated and fixed at a specific
time during the configuration items life cycle.
The term is also used to refer to a particular version of a software configuration item that has
been agreed on. In either case, the baseline can
only be changed through formal change control procedures. A baseline, together with all
approved changes to the baseline, represents the
current approved configuration.
Commonly used baselines include functional, allocated, developmental, and product

baselines. The functional baseline corresponds

to the reviewed system requirements. The allocated baseline corresponds to the reviewed
software requirements specification and software interface requirements specification. The
developmental baseline represents the evolving
software configuration at selected times during
the software life cycle. Change authority for
this baseline typically rests primarily with the
development organization but may be shared
with other organizations (for example, SCM or
Test). The product baseline corresponds to the
completed software product delivered for system integration. The baselines to be used for a
given project, along with the associated levels of
authority needed for change approval, are typically identified in the SCMP.
2.1.6.Acquiring Software Configuration Items
[3*, c18]
Software configuration items are placed under
SCM control at different times; that is, they are
incorporated into a particular baseline at a particular point in the software life cycle. The triggering
event is the completion of some form of formal
acceptance task, such as a formal review. Figure
6.2 characterizes the growth of baselined items as
the life cycle proceeds. This figure is based on the
waterfall model for purposes of illustration only;
the subscripts used in the figure indicate versions

6-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

of the evolving items. The software change request

(SCR) is described in section 3.1.
In acquiring an SCI, its origin and initial integrity must be established. Following the acquisition of an SCI, changes to the item must be formally approved as appropriate for the SCI and
the baseline involved, as defined in the SCMP.
Following approval, the item is incorporated into
the software baseline according to the appropriate
procedure.
2.2.Software Library

[3*, c1s3] [4*, c29s1.2]

A software library is a controlled collection of

software and related documentation designed to
aid in software development, use, or maintenance
[1]. It is also instrumental in software release management and delivery activities. Several types of
libraries might be used, each corresponding to the
software items particular level of maturity. For
example, a working library could support coding
and a project support library could support testing, while a master library could be used for finished products. An appropriate level of SCM control (associated baseline and level of authority for
change) is associated with each library. Security,
in terms of access control and the backup facilities, is a key aspect of library management.
The tool(s) used for each library must support
the SCM control needs for that libraryboth in
terms of controlling SCIs and controlling access
to the library. At the working library level, this is
a code management capability serving developers, maintainers, and SCM. It is focused on managing the versions of software items while supporting the activities of multiple developers. At
higher levels of control, access is more restricted
and SCM is the primary user.
These libraries are also an important source
of information for measurements of work and
progress.
3.Software Configuration Control
[2*, c9] [4*, c29s2]
Software configuration control is concerned
with managing changes during the software
life cycle. It covers the process for determining

what changes to make, the authority for approving certain changes, support for the implementation of those changes, and the concept of formal
deviations from project requirements as well as
waivers of them. Information derived from these
activities is useful in measuring change traffic
and breakage as well as aspects of rework.
3.1.Requesting, Evaluating, and Approving
Software Changes
[2*, c9s2.4] [4*, c29s2]
The first step in managing changes to controlled
items is determining what changes to make. The
software change request process (see a typical
flow of a change request process in Figure 6.3)
provides formal procedures for submitting and
recording change requests, evaluating the potential cost and impact of a proposed change, and
accepting, modifying, deferring, or rejecting
the proposed change. A change request (CR) is
a request to expand or reduce the project scope;
modify policies, processes, plans, or procedures;
modify costs or budgets; or revise schedules
[1]. Requests for changes to software configuration items may be originated by anyone at any
point in the software life cycle and may include
a suggested solution and requested priority. One
source of a CR is the initiation of corrective
action in response to problem reports. Regardless
of the source, the type of change (for example,
defect or enhancement) is usually recorded on the
Software CR (SCR).
This provides an opportunity for tracking
defects and collecting change activity measurements by change type. Once an SCR is received,
a technical evaluation (also known as an impact
analysis) is performed to determine the extent of
the modifications that would be necessary should
the change request be accepted. A good understanding of the relationships among software
(and, possibly, hardware) items is important for
this task. Finally, an established authoritycommensurate with the affected baseline, the SCI
involved, and the nature of the changewill
evaluate the technical and managerial aspects
of the change request and either accept, modify,
reject, or defer the proposed change.

Software Configuration Management 6-9

Figure 6.3. Flow of a Change Control Process

3.1.1.Software Configuration Control Board

[2*, c9s2.2] [3*, c11s1] [4*, c29s2]
The authority for accepting or rejecting proposed
changes rests with an entity typically known as a
Configuration Control Board (CCB). In smaller
projects, this authority may actually reside with
the leader or an assigned individual rather than a
multiperson board. There can be multiple levels
of change authority depending on a variety of criteriasuch as the criticality of the item involved,
the nature of the change (for example, impact on
budget and schedule), or the projects current
point in the life cycle. The composition of the
CCBs used for a given system varies depending
on these criteria (an SCM representative would
always be present). All stakeholders, appropriate
to the level of the CCB, are represented. When
the scope of authority of a CCB is strictly software, it is known as a Software Configuration
Control Board (SCCB). The activities of the CCB
are typically subject to software quality audit or
review.
3.1.2.Software Change Request Process
[3*, c1s4, c8s4]
An effective software change request (SCR) process requires the use of supporting tools and procedures for originating change requests, enforcing the flow of the change process, capturing

CCB decisions, and reporting change process

information. A link between this tool capability
and the problem-reporting system can facilitate
the tracking of solutions for reported problems.
3.2.Implementing Software Changes

[4*, c29]

Approved SCRs are implemented using the

defined software procedures in accordance with
the applicable schedule requirements. Since a
number of approved SCRs might be implemented
simultaneously, it is necessary to provide a means
for tracking which SCRs are incorporated into
particular software versions and baselines. As
part of the closure of the change process, completed changes may undergo configuration audits
and software quality verificationthis includes
ensuring that only approved changes have been
made. The software change request process
described above will typically document the
SCM (and other) approval information for the
change.
Changes may be supported by source code version control tools. These tools allow a team of
software engineers, or a single software engineer,
to track and document changes to the source code.
These tools provide a single repository for storing
the source code, can prevent more than one software engineer from editing the same module at
the same time, and record all changes made to the

6-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

source code. Software engineers check modules

out of the repository, make changes, document
the changes, and then save the edited modules
in the repository. If needed, changes can also be
discarded, restoring a previous baseline. More
powerful tools can support parallel development
and geographically distributed environments.
These tools may be manifested as separate,
specialized applications under the control of an
independent SCM group. They may also appear
as an integrated part of the software engineering
environment. Finally, they may be as elementary
as a rudimentary change control system provided
with an operating system.
3.3.Deviations and Waivers

[1, c3]

The constraints imposed on a software engineering effort or the specifications produced during the
development activities might contain provisions
that cannot be satisfied at the designated point
in the life cycle. A deviation is a written authorization, granted prior to the manufacture of an
item, to depart from a particular performance or
design requirement for a specific number of units
or a specific period of time. A waiver is a written authorization to accept a configuration item or
other designated item that is found, during production or after having been submitted for inspection,
to depart from specified requirements but is nevertheless considered suitable for use as-is or after
rework by an approved method. In these cases, a
formal process is used for gaining approval for
deviations from, or waivers of, the provisions.
4.Software Configuration Status Accounting
[2*, c10]
Software configuration status accounting (SCSA)
is an element of configuration management consisting of the recording and reporting of information needed to manage a configuration effectively.
4.1.Software Configuration Status Information
[2*, c10s2.1]
The SCSA activity designs and operates a system for the capture and reporting of necessary
information as the life cycle proceeds. As in any

information system, the configuration status information to be managed for the evolving configurations must be identified, collected, and maintained.
Various information and measurements are needed
to support the SCM process and to meet the configuration status reporting needs of management,
software engineering, and other related activities.
The types of information available include the
approved configuration identification as well as
the identification and current implementation status of changes, deviations, and waivers.
Some form of automated tool support is necessary to accomplish the SCSA data collection and
reporting tasks; this could be a database capability, a stand-alone tool, or a capability of a larger,
integrated tool environment.
4.2.Software Configuration Status Reporting
[2*, c10s2.4] [3*, c1s5, c9s1, c17]
Reported information can be used by various
organizational and project elementsincluding
the development team, the maintenance team,
project management, and software quality activities. Reporting can take the form of ad hoc queries to answer specific questions or the periodic
production of predesigned reports. Some information produced by the status accounting activity
during the course of the life cycle might become
quality assurance records.
In addition to reporting the current status of the
configuration, the information obtained by the
SCSA can serve as a basis of various measurements. Examples include the number of change
requests per SCI and the average time needed to
implement a change request.
5.Software Configuration Auditing

[2*, c11]

A software audit is an independent examination of a work product or set of work products to

assess compliance with specifications, standards,
contractual agreements, or other criteria [1].
Audits are conducted according to a well-defined
process consisting of various auditor roles and
responsibilities. Consequently, each audit must
be carefully planned. An audit can require a number of individuals to perform a variety of tasks
over a fairly short period of time. Tools to support

Software Configuration Management 6-11

the planning and conduct of an audit can greatly

facilitate the process.
Software configuration auditing determines
the extent to which an item satisfies the required
functional and physical characteristics. Informal
audits of this type can be conducted at key points
in the life cycle. Two types of formal audits might
be required by the governing contract (for example, in contracts covering critical software): the
Functional Configuration Audit (FCA) and the
Physical Configuration Audit (PCA). Successful
completion of these audits can be a prerequisite
for the establishment of the product baseline.
5.1.Software Functional Configuration Audit
[2*, c11s2.1]
The purpose of the software FCA is to ensure that
the audited software item is consistent with its
governing specifications. The output of the software verification and validation activities (see
Verification and Validation in the Software Quality KA) is a key input to this audit.
5.2.Software Physical Configuration Audit
[2*, c11s2.2]
The purpose of the software physical configuration audit (PCA) is to ensure that the design and
reference documentation is consistent with the
as-built software product.
5.3.In-Process Audits of a Software Baseline
[2*, c11s2.3]
As mentioned above, audits can be carried out
during the development process to investigate
the current status of specific elements of the configuration. In this case, an audit could be applied
to sampled baseline items to ensure that performance is consistent with specifications or to
ensure that evolving documentation continues to
be consistent with the developing baseline item.
6.Software Release Management and
Delivery
[2*, c14] [3*, c8s2]
In this context, release refers to the distribution of a software configuration item outside

the development activity; this includes internal

releases as well as distribution to customers. When
different versions of a software item are available
for delivery (such as versions for different platforms or versions with varying capabilities), it is
frequently necessary to recreate specific versions
and package the correct materials for delivery of
the version. The software library is a key element
in accomplishing release and delivery tasks.
6.1.Software Building

[4*, c29s4]

Software building is the activity of combining the

correct versions of software configuration items,
using the appropriate configuration data, into an
executable program for delivery to a customer or
other recipient, such as the testing activity. For
systems with hardware or firmware, the executable
program is delivered to the system-building activity. Build instructions ensure that the proper build
steps are taken in the correct sequence. In addition
to building software for new releases, it is usually
also necessary for SCM to have the capability to
reproduce previous releases for recovery, testing,
maintenance, or additional release purposes.
Software is built using particular versions of
supporting tools, such as compilers (see Compiler Basics in the Computing Foundations KA).
It might be necessary to rebuild an exact copy of
a previously built software configuration item. In
this case, supporting tools and associated build
instructions need to be under SCM control to
ensure availability of the correct versions of the
tools.
A tool capability is useful for selecting the correct versions of software items for a given target
environment and for automating the process of
building the software from the selected versions
and appropriate configuration data. For projects
with parallel or distributed development environments, this tool capability is necessary. Most
software engineering environments provide this
capability. These tools vary in complexity from
requiring the software engineer to learn a specialized scripting language to graphics-oriented
approaches that hide much of the complexity of
an intelligent build facility.
The build process and products are often subject to software quality verification. Outputs of

6-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

the build process might be needed for future reference and may become quality assurance records.

7.Software Configuration Management Tools

[3*, c26s1] [4*, c8s2]

6.2.Software Release Management

When discussing software configuration management tools, it is helpful to classify them. SCM
tools can be divided into three classes in terms
of the scope at which they provide support: individual support, project-related support, and companywide-process support.
Individual support tools are appropriate and
typically sufficient for small organizations or
development groups without variants of their
software products or other complex SCM requirements. They include:

[4*, c29s3.2]

Software release management encompasses the

identification, packaging, and delivery of the
elements of a productfor example, an executable program, documentation, release notes, and
configuration data. Given that product changes
can occur on a continuing basis, one concern for
release management is determining when to issue
a release. The severity of the problems addressed
by the release and measurements of the fault densities of prior releases affect this decision. The
packaging task must identify which product items
are to be delivered and then select the correct
variants of those items, given the intended application of the product. The information documenting the physical contents of a release is known
as a version description document. The release
notes typically describe new capabilities, known
problems, and platform requirements necessary
for proper product operation. The package to be
released also contains installation or upgrading
instructions. The latter can be complicated by the
fact that some current users might have versions
that are several releases old. In some cases, release
management might be required in order to track
distribution of the product to various customers
or target systemsfor example, in a case where
the supplier was required to notify a customer of
newly reported problems. Finally, a mechanism
to ensure the integrity of the released item can be
implementedfor example by releasing a digital
signature with it.
A tool capability is needed for supporting
these release management functions. It is useful to have a connection with the tool capability
supporting the change request process in order to
map release contents to the SCRs that have been
received. This tool capability might also maintain
information on various target platforms and on
various customer environments.

Version control tools: track, document, and

store individual configuration items such as
source code and external documentation.
Build handling tools: in their simplest form,
such tools compile and link an executable
version of the software. More advanced
building tools extract the latest version from
the version control software, perform quality checks, run regression tests, and produce
various forms of reports, among other tasks.
Change control tools: mainly support the
control of change requests and events notification (for example, change request status
changes, milestones reached).
Project-related support tools mainly support
workspace management for development teams
and integrators; they are typically able to support distributed development environments. Such
tools are appropriate for medium to large organizations with variants of their software products
and parallel development but no certification
requirements.
Companywide-process support tools can typically automate portions of a companywide process, providing support for workflow managements, roles, and responsibilities. They are able
to handle many items, data, and life cycles. Such
tools add to project-related support by supporting
a more formal development process, including
certification requirements.

Software Configuration Management 6-13

1.3.Planning for SCM

1.3.1.SCM Organization and
Responsibilities
1.3.2.SCM Resources and
Schedules
1.3.3.Tool Selection and
Implementation
1.3.4.Vendor/Subcontractor
Control
1.3.5.Interface Control
1.4.SCM Plan
1.5.Surveillance of Software
Configuration Management
1.5.1.SCM Measures and
Measurement
1.5.2.In-Process Audits of
SCM
2.Software Configuration
Identification
2.1.Identifying Items to Be
Controlled
2.1.1.Software Configuration
2.1.2.Software Configuration
Item
2.1.3.Software Configuration
Item Relationships
2.1.4.Software Version

introduction

c6, ann.D,
ann.E
c6, ann.D,
ann.E

c2

Sommerville 2011
[4*]

c6, ann.D

Moore 2006
[5*]

Hass 2003
[3*]

1.Management of the SCM

Process
1.1.Organizational Context for
SCM
1.2.Constraints and Guidance
for the SCM Process

IEEE 828-2012
[2*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

c29
c19s2.2

c29 intro

c23

c29

ann.Ds56

c1011

c29 intro

ann.Ds8

c23
c26s2; s6

c13

c13s9c14s2

c12
ann.D

c24s4
c23

c29s5

c29s1

c11s3
c9s2;
c25s2s3
c1s1
c29s1.1
c8s2.2

c29s1.1

c29s1.1
c7s4
c29s3

2.1.5.Baseline
2.1.6.Acquiring Software
Configuration Items
2.2.Software Library
3.Software Configuration
Control
3.1.Requesting, Evaluating, and
Approving Software Changes
3.1.1.Software Configuration
Control Board
3.1.2.Software Change
Request Process
3.2.Implementing Software
Changes
3.3.Deviations and Waivers
4.Software Configuration
Status Accounting
4.1.Software Configuration
Status Information
4.2.Software Configuration
Status Reporting
5.Software Configuration
Auditing
5.1.Software Functional
Configuration Audit
5.2.Software Physical
Configuration Audit
5.3.In-Process Audits of a
Software Baseline
6.Software Release
Management and Delivery
6.1.Software Building
6.2.Software Release
Management
7.Software Configuration
Management Tools

Sommerville 2011
[4*]

Moore 2006
[5*]

Hass 2003
[3*]

IEEE 828-2012
[2*]

6-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

c18
c1s3

c29s1.2

c9

c29s2

c9s2.4

c29s2

c9s2.2

c11s1

c29s2

c1s4, c8s4
c29

c10
c10s2.1
c10s2.4

c1s5, c9s1,
c17

c11
c11s2.1
c11s2.2
c11s2.3
c14

c8s2

c29s3
c29s4
c29s3.2

c26s1

Software Configuration Management 6-15

FURTHER READINGS

REFERENCES

Stephen P. Berczuk and Brad Appleton,

Software Configuration Management
Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical
Integration [6].

[1] ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and

Software EngineeringVocabulary, ISO/
IEC/IEEE, 2010.

This book expresses useful SCM practices and

strategies as patterns. The patterns can be implemented using various tools, but they are expressed
in a tool-agnostic fashion.
CMMI for Development, Version 1.3, pp.
137147 [7].
This model presents a collection of best practices to help software development organizations
improve their processes. At maturity level 2, it
suggests configuration management activities.

[2*] IEEE Std. 828-2012, Standard for

Configuration Management in Systems and
Software Engineering, IEEE, 2012.
[3*] A.M.J. Hass, Configuration Management
Principles and Practices, 1st ed., AddisonWesley, 2003.
[4*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th
ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.
[5*] J.W. Moore, The Road Map to Software
Engineering: A Standards-Based Guide,
Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press, 2006.
[6] S.P. Berczuk and B. Appleton, Software
Configuration Management Patterns:
Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration,
Addison-Wesley Professional, 2003.
[7] CMMI Product Team, CMMI for
Development, Version 1.3, Software
Engineering Institute, 2010; http://
resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.
cfm?assetID=9661.

CHAPTER 7
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT
ACRONYMS
PMBOK
Guide
SDLC
SEM

Guide to the Project Management

Body of Knowledge
Software Development Life Cycle
Software Engineering Management

SQA

Software Quality Assurance

SWX
WBS

Clients often dont know what is needed or

what is feasible.
Clients often lack appreciation for the complexities inherent in software engineering,
particularly regarding the impact of changing requirements.
It is likely that increased understanding and
changing conditions will generate new or
changed software requirements.
As a result of changing requirements, software is often built using an iterative process
rather than as a sequence of closed tasks.
Software engineering necessarily incorporates creativity and discipline. Maintaining
an appropriate balance between the two is
sometimes difficult.
The degree of novelty and complexity is
often high.
There is often a rapid rate of change in the
underlying technology.

Software Extension to the PMBOK

Guide
Work Breakdown Structure

INTRODUCTION
Software engineering management can be defined
as the application of management activitiesplanning, coordinating, measuring, monitoring, controlling, and reporting1to ensure that software
products and software engineering services are
delivered efficiently, effectively, and to the benefit
of stakeholders. The related discipline of management is an important element of all the knowledge
areas (KAs), but it is of course more relevant to
this KA than to other KAs. Measurement is also an
important aspect of all KAs; the topic of measurement programs is presented in this KA.
In one sense, it should be possible to manage
a software engineering project in the same way
other complex endeavors are managed. However,
there are aspects specific to software projects
and software life cycle processes that complicate
effective management, including these:

Software engineering management activities

occur at three levels: organizational and infrastructure management, project management,
and management of the measurement program.
The last two are covered in detail in this KA
description. However, this is not to diminish the
importance of organizational and infrastructure
management issues. It is generally agreed that
software organizational engineering managers
should be conversant with the project management and software measurement knowledge
described in this KA. They should also possess
some target domain knowledge. Likewise, it is
also helpful if managers of complex projects and
programs in which software is a component of
the system architecture are aware of the differences that software processes introduce into project management and project measurement.

1 The terms Initiating, Planning, Executing,

Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing are used to
describe process groups in the PMBOK Guide and
SWX.

7-1

7-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 7.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Software Engineering Management KA

Other aspects of organizational management

exert an impact on software engineering (for
example, organizational policies and procedures
that provide the framework in which software
engineering projects are undertaken). These policies and procedures may need to be adjusted by
the requirements for effective software development and maintenance. In addition, a number of
policies specific to software engineering may
need to be in place or established for effective
management of software engineering at the organizational level. For example, policies are usually
necessary to establish specific organization-wide
processes or procedures for software engineering
tasks such as software design, software construction, estimating, monitoring, and reporting. Such
policies are important for effective long-term
management of software engineering projects
across an organization (for example, establishing
a consistent basis by which to analyze past project performance and implement improvements).

Another important aspect of organizational

management is personnel management policies
and procedures for hiring, training, and mentoring personnel for career development, not only at
the project level, but also to the longer-term success of an organization. Software engineering personnel may present unique training or personnel
management challenges (for example, maintaining
currency in a context where the underlying technology undergoes rapid and continuous change).
Communication management is also often
mentioned as an overlooked but important aspect
of the performance of individuals in a field where
precise understanding of user needs, software
requirements, and software designs is necessary.
Furthermore, portfolio management, which provides an overall view, not only of software currently under development in various projects and
programs (integrated projects), but also of software planned and currently in use in an organization, is desirable. Also, software reuse is a key

Software Engineering Management 7-3

factor in maintaining and improving productivity

and competitiveness. Effective reuse requires a
strategic vision that reflects the advantages and
disadvantages of reuse.
In addition to understanding the aspects of
management that are uniquely influenced by software projects, software engineers should have
some knowledge of the more general aspects of
management that are discussed in this KA (even
in the first few years after graduation).
Attributes of organizational culture and behavior, plus management of other functional areas
of the enterprise, have an influence, albeit indirectly, on an organizations software engineering
processes.
Extensive information concerning software
project management can be found in the Guide
to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK Guide) and the Software Extension to
the PMBOK Guide (SWX) [1] [2]. Each of these
guides includes ten project management KAs:
project integration management, project scope
management, project time management, project
cost management, project quality management,
project human resource management, project
communications management, project risk management, project procurement management, and
project stakeholder management. Each KA has
direct relevance to this Software Engineering
Management KA.
Additional information is also provided in the
other references and further readings for this KA.
This Software Engineering Management KA
consists of the software project management processes in the first five topics in Figure 7.1 (Initiation and Scope Definition, Software Project Planning, Software Project Enactment, Review and
Evaluation, Closure), plus Software Engineering
Measurement in the sixth topic and Software
Engineering Management Tools in the seventh
topic. While project management and measurement management are often regarded as being
separate, and indeed each does possess many
unique attributes, the close relationship has led to
combined treatment in this KA.
Unfortunately, a common perception of the software industry is that software products are delivered late, over budget, of poor quality, and with
incomplete functionality. Measurement-informed

managementa basic principle of any true engineering discipline (see Measurement in the Engineering Foundations KA)can help improve
the perception and the reality. In essence, management without measurement (qualitative and
quantitative) suggests a lack of discipline, and
measurement without management suggests a
lack of purpose or context. Effective management
requires a combination of both measurement and
experience.
The following working definitions are adopted
here:
Management is a system of processes and
controls required to achieve the strategic
objectives set by the organization.
Measurement refers to the assignment of values and labels to software engineering work
products, processes, and resources plus the
models that are derived from them, whether
these models are developed using statistical
or other techniques [3* , c7, c8].
The software engineering project management
sections in this KA make extensive use of the
software engineering measurement section.
This KA is closely related to others in the
SWEBOK Guide, and reading the following KA
descriptions in conjunction with this one will be
particularly helpful:
The Engineering Foundations KA describes
some general concepts of measurement that
are directly applicable to the Software Engineering Measurement section of this KA.
In addition, the concepts and techniques
presented in the Statistical Analysis section
of the Engineering Foundations KA apply
directly to many topics in this KA.
The Software Requirements KA describes
some of the activities that should be performed during the Initiation and Scope definition phase of the project.
The Software Configuration Management
KA deals with identification, control, status
accounting, and auditing of software configurations along with software release management and delivery and software configuration management tools.

7-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

The Software Engineering Process KA

describes software life cycle models and the
relationships between processes and work
products.
The Software Quality KA emphasizes quality as a goal of management and as an aim of
many software engineering activities.
The Software Engineering Economics KA
discusses how to make software-related
decisions in a business context.
BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
MANAGEMENT
Because most software development life cycle
models require similar activities that may be executed in different ways, the breakdown of topics
is activity-based. That breakdown is shown in
Figure 7.1. The elements of the top-level breakdown shown in that figure are the activities that
are usually performed when a software development project is being managed, independent of
the software development life cycle model (see
Software Life Cycle Models in the Software
Engineering Process KA) that has been chosen for
a specific project. There is no intent in this breakdown to recommend a specific life cycle model.
The breakdown implies only what happens and
does not imply when, how, or how many times
each activity occurs. The seven topics are:
Initiation and Scope Definition, which deal
with the decision to embark on a software
engineering project;
Software Project Planning, which addresses
the activities undertaken to prepare for a successful software engineering project from
the management perspective;
Software Project Enactment, which deals
with generally accepted software engineering
management activities that occur during the
execution of a software engineering project;
Review and Evaluation, which deal with
ensuring that technical, schedule, cost, and
quality engineering activities are satisfactory;
Closure, which addresses the activities
accomplished to complete a project;
Software Engineering Measurement, which
deals with the effective development and

implementation of measurement programs in

software engineering organizations;
Software Engineering Management Tools,
which describes the selection and use of tools
for managing a software engineering project.
1.Initiation and Scope Definition
The focus of these activities is on effective determination of software requirements using various elicitation methods and the assessment of
project feasibility from a variety of standpoints.
Once project feasibility has been established, the
remaining tasks within this section are the specification of requirements and selection of the processes for revision and review of requirements.
1.1.Determination and Negotiation of
Requirements

[3*, c3]

Determining and negotiating requirements set

the visible boundaries for the set of tasks being
undertaken (see the Software Requirements KA).
Activities include requirements elicitation, analysis, specification, and validation. Methods and
techniques should be selected and applied, taking
into account the various stakeholder perspectives.
This leads to the determination of project scope in
order to meet objectives and satisfy constraints.
1.2.Feasibility Analysis

[4*, c4]

The purpose of feasibility analysis is to develop a

clear description of project objectives and evaluate alternative approaches in order to determine
whether the proposed project is the best alternative given the constraints of technology, resources,
finances, and social/political considerations. An
initial project and product scope statement, project
deliverables, project duration constraints, and an
estimate of resources needed should be prepared.
Resources include a sufficient number of
people who have the needed skills, facilities,
infrastructure, and support (either internally or
externally). Feasibility analysis often requires
approximate estimations of effort and cost based
on appropriate methods (see section 2.3, Effort,
Schedule, and Cost Estimation).

Software Engineering Management 7-5

1.3.Process for the Review and Revision of

Requirements
[3*, c3]
Given the inevitability of change, stakeholders
should agree on the means by which requirements
and scope are to be reviewed and revised (for
example, change management procedures, iterative cycle retrospectives). This clearly implies
that scope and requirements will not be set in
stone but can and should be revisited at predetermined points as the project unfolds (for example,
at the time when backlog priorities are created or
at milestone reviews). If changes are accepted,
then some form of traceability analysis and risk
analysis should be used to ascertain the impact
of those changes (see section 2.5, Risk Management, and Software Configuration Control in the
Software Configuration Management KA).
A managed-change approach can also form the
basis for evaluation of success during closure of
an incremental cycle or an entire project, based
on changes that have occurred along the way (see
topic 5, Closure).
2.Software Project Planning
The first step in software project planning should
be selection of an appropriate software development life cycle model and perhaps tailoring it
based on project scope, software requirements,
and a risk assessment. Other factors to be considered include the nature of the application domain,
functional and technical complexity, and software quality requirements (see Software Quality
Requirements in the Software Quality KA).
In all SDLCs, risk assessment should be an
element of initial project planning, and the risk
profile of the project should be discussed and
accepted by all relevant stakeholders. Software
quality management processes (see Software
Quality Management Processes in the Software
Quality KA) should be determined as part of the
planning process and result in procedures and
responsibilities for software quality assurance,
verification and validation, reviews, and audits
(see the Software Quality KA). Processes and
responsibilities for ongoing review and revision
of the project plan and related plans should also
be clearly stated and agreed upon.

2.1.Process Planning

[3*, c3, c4, c5] [5*, c1]

Software development life cycle (SDLC) models span a continuum from predictive to adaptive
(see Software Life Cycle Models in the Software
Engineering Process KA). Predictive SDLCs are
characterized by development of detailed software requirements, detailed project planning, and
minimal planning for iteration among development phases. Adaptive SDLCs are designed to
accommodate emergent software requirements
and iterative adjustment of plans. A highly predictive SDLC executes the first five processes
listed in Figure 7.1 in a linear sequence with revisions to earlier phases only as necessary. Adaptive SDLCs are characterized by iterative development cycles. SDLCs in the mid-range of the
SDLC continuum produce increments of functionality on either a preplanned schedule (on the
predictive side of the continuum) or as the products of frequently updated development cycles
(on the adaptive side of the continuum).
Well-known SDLCs include the waterfall,
incremental, and spiral models plus various forms
of agile software development [2] [3*, c2].
Relevant methods (see the Software Engineering Models and Methods KA) and tools should be
selected as part of planning. Automated tools that
will be used throughout the project should also
be planned for and acquired. Tools may include
tools for project scheduling, software requirements, software design, software construction,
software maintenance, software configuration
management, software engineering process, software quality, and others. While many of these
tools should be selected based primarily on the
technical considerations discussed in other KAs,
some of them are closely related to the management considerations discussed in this chapter.
2.2.Determine Deliverables

[3*, c4, c5, c6]

The work product(s) of each project activity (for

example, software architecture design documents, inspection reports, tested software) should
be identified and characterized. Opportunities to
reuse software components from previous projects or to utilize off-the-shelf software products

7-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

should be evaluated. Procurement of software

and use of third parties to develop deliverables
should be planned and suppliers selected (see
section 3.2, Software Acquisition and Supplier
Contract Management).
2.3.Effort, Schedule, and Cost Estimation
[3*, c6]
The estimated range of effort required for a project, or parts of a project, can be determined using
a calibrated estimation model based on historical
size and effort data (when available) and other
relevant methods such as expert judgment and
analogy. Task dependencies can be established
and potential opportunities for completing tasks
concurrently and sequentially can be identified
and documented using a Gantt chart, for example. For predictive SDLC projects, the expected
schedule of tasks with projected start times, durations, and end times is typically produced during
planning. For adaptive SDLC projects, an overall estimate of effort and schedule is typically
developed from the initial understanding of the
requirements, or, alternatively, constraints on
overall effort and schedule may be specified and
used to determine an initial estimate of the number of iterative cycles and estimates of effort and
other resources allocated to each cycle.
Resource requirements (for example, people
and tools) can be translated into cost estimates.
Initial estimation of effort, schedule, and cost is
an iterative activity that should be negotiated and
revised among affected stakeholders until consensus is reached on resources and time available
for project completion.
2.4.Resource Allocation

[3*, c5, c10, c11]

Equipment, facilities, and people should be allocated to the identified tasks, including the allocation of responsibilities for completion of various elements of a project and the overall project.
A matrix that shows who is responsible for,
accountable for, consulted about, and informed
about each of the tasks can be used. Resource
allocation is based on, and constrained by, the
availability of resources and their optimal use, as

well as by issues relating to personnel (for example, productivity of individuals and teams, team
dynamics, and team structures).
2.5.Risk Management

[3*, c9] [5*, c5]

Risk and uncertainty are related but distinct concepts. Uncertainty results from lack of information. Risk is characterized by the probability of an
event that will result in a negative impact plus a
characterization of the negative impact on a project. Risk is often the result of uncertainty. The
converse of risk is opportunity, which is characterized by the probability that an event having a
positive outcome might occur.
Risk management entails identification of risk
factors and analysis of the probability and potential impact of each risk factor, prioritization of
risk factors, and development of risk mitigation
strategies to reduce the probability and minimize
the negative impact if a risk factor becomes a
problem. Risk assessment methods (for example,
expert judgment, historical data, decision trees,
and process simulations) can sometimes be used
in order to identify and evaluate risk factors.
Project abandonment conditions can also be
determined at this point in discussion with all
relevant stakeholders. Software-unique aspects
of risk, such as software engineers tendency to
add unneeded features, or the risks related to softwares intangible nature, can influence risk management of a software project. Particular attention should be paid to the management of risks
related to software quality requirements such as
safety or security (see the Software Quality KA).
Risk management should be done not only at the
beginning of a project, but also at periodic intervals throughout the project life cycle.
2.6.Quality Management

[3*, c4] [4*, c24]

Software quality requirements should be identified, perhaps in both quantitative and qualitative
terms, for a software project and the associated
work products. Thresholds for acceptable quality measurements should be set for each software
quality requirement based on stakeholder needs

Software Engineering Management 7-7

and expectations. Procedures concerned with

ongoing Software Quality Assurance (SQA) and
quality improvement throughout the development
process, and for verification and validation of
the deliverable software product, should also be
specified during quality planning (for example,
technical reviews and inspections or demonstrations of completed functionality; see the Software
Quality KA).
2.7.Plan Management

[3*, c4]

For software projects, where change is an expectation, plans should be managed. Managing the
project plan should thus be planned. Plans and
processes selected for software development
should be systematically monitored, reviewed,
reported, and, when appropriate, revised. Plans
associated with supporting processes (for example, documentation, software configuration management, and problem resolution) also should be
managed. Reporting, monitoring, and controlling
a project should fit within the selected SDLC and
the realities of the project; plans should account
for the various artifacts that will be used to manage the project.
3.Software Project Enactment
During software project enactment (also known
as project execution) plans are implemented and
the processes embodied in the plans are enacted.
Throughout, there should be a focus on adherence to the selected SDLC processes, with an
overriding expectation that adherence will lead to
the successful satisfaction of stakeholder requirements and achievement of the projects objectives. Fundamental to enactment are the ongoing
management activities of monitoring, controlling, and reporting.
3.1.Implementation of Plans

[4*, c2]

Project activities should be undertaken in accordance with the project plan and supporting plans.
Resources (for example, personnel, technology,
and funding) are utilized and work products (for

example, software design, software code, and

software test cases) are generated.
3.2.Software Acquisition and Supplier Contract
Management
[3*, c3, c4]
Software acquisition and supplier contract management is concerned with issues involved in
contracting with customers of the software development organization who acquire the deliverable
work products and with suppliers who supply
products or services to the software engineering
organization.
This may involve selection of appropriate kinds
of contracts, such as fixed price, time and materials, cost plus fixed fee, or cost plus incentive fee.
Agreements with customers and suppliers typically specify the scope of work and the deliverables and include clauses such as penalties for late
delivery or nondelivery and intellectual property
agreements that specify what the supplier or suppliers are providing and what the acquirer is paying for, plus what will be delivered to and owned
by the acquirer. For software being developed by
suppliers (both internal to or external to the software development organization), agreements commonly indicate software quality requirements for
acceptance of the delivered software.
After the agreement has been put in place, execution of the project in compliance with the terms
of the agreement should be managed (see chapter
12 of SWX, Software Procurement Management,
for more information on this topic [2]).
3.3.Implementation of Measurement Process
[3*, c7]
The measurement process should be enacted during the software project to ensure that relevant
and useful data are collected (see sections 6.2,
Plan the Measurement Process, and 6.3, Perform
the Measurement Process).
3.4.Monitor Process

[3*, c8]

Adherence to the project plan and related

plans should be assessed continually and at

7-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

predetermined intervals. Also, outputs and completion criteria for each task should be assessed.
Deliverables should be evaluated in terms of their
required characteristics (for example, via inspections or by demonstrating working functionality).
Effort expenditure, schedule adherence, and costs
to date should be analyzed, and resource usage
examined. The project risk profile (see section
2.5, Risk Management) should be revisited, and
adherence to software quality requirements evaluated (see Software Quality Requirements in the
Software Quality KA).
Measurement data should be analyzed (see Statistical Analysis in the Engineering Foundations
KA). Variance analysis based on the deviation of
actual from expected outcomes and values should
be determined. This may include cost overruns,
schedule slippage, or other similar measures.
Outlier identification and analysis of quality and
other measurement data should be performed (for
example, defect analysis; see Software Quality
Measurement in the Software Quality KA). Risk
exposures should be recalculated (see section 2.5,
Risk Management). These activities can enable
problem detection and exception identification
based on thresholds that have been exceeded.
Outcomes should be reported when thresholds
have been exceeded, or as necessary.
3.5.Control Process

[3*, c7, c8]

The outcomes of project monitoring activities

provide the basis on which decisions can be made.
Where appropriate, and when the probability and
impact of risk factors are understood, changes can
be made to the project. This may take the form of
corrective action (for example, retesting certain
software components); it may involve incorporating additional actions (for example, deciding
to use prototyping to assist in software requirements validation; see Prototyping in the Software
Requirements KA); and/or it may entail revision
of the project plan and other project documents
(for example, the software requirements specification) to accommodate unanticipated events and
their implications.
In some instances, the control process may
lead to abandonment of the project. In all cases,

software configuration control and software configuration management procedures should be

adhered to (see the Software Configuration Management KA), decisions should be documented
and communicated to all relevant parties, plans
should be revisited and revised when necessary,
and relevant data recorded (see section 6.3, Perform the Measurement Process).
3.6.Reporting

[3*, c11]

At specified and agreed-upon times, progress to

date should be reportedboth within the organization (for example, to a project steering committee) and to external stakeholders (for example, clients or users). Reports should focus on
the information needs of the target audience as
opposed to the detailed status reporting within the
project team.
4.Review and Evaluation
At prespecified times and as needed, overall progress towards achievement of the stated objectives
and satisfaction of stakeholder (user and customer)
requirements should be evaluated. Similarly,
assessments of the effectiveness of the software
process, the personnel involved, and the tools and
methods employed should also be undertaken regularly and as determined by circumstances.
4.1.Determining Satisfaction of Requirements
[4*, c8]
Because achieving stakeholder satisfaction is
a principal goal of the software engineering
manager, progress towards this goal should
be assessed periodically. Progress should be
assessed on achievement of major project milestones (for example, completion of software
design architecture or completion of a software technical review), or upon completion of
an iterative development cycle that results in
a product increment. Variances from software
requirements should be identified and appropriate actions should be taken.
As in the control process activity above (see section 3.5, Control Process), software configuration

Software Engineering Management 7-9

control and software configuration management

procedures should be followed (see the Software
Configuration Management KA), decisions documented and communicated to all relevant parties,
plans revisited and revised where necessary, and
relevant data recorded (see section 6.3, Perform
the Measurement Process).
4.2.Reviewing and Evaluating Performance
[3*, c8, c10]
Periodic performance reviews for project personnel can provide insights as to the likelihood
of adherence to plans and processes as well as
possible areas of difficulty (for example, team
member conflicts). The various methods, tools,
and techniques employed should be evaluated for
their effectiveness and appropriateness, and the
process being used by the project should also be
systematically and periodically assessed for relevance, utility, and efficacy in the project context.
Where appropriate, changes should be made and
managed.
5.Closure
An entire project, a major phase of a project,
or an iterative development cycle reaches closure when all the plans and processes have been
enacted and completed. The criteria for project,
phase, or iteration success should be evaluated.
Once closure is established, archival, retrospective, and process improvement activities can be
performed.
5.1.Determining Closure

[1, s3.7, s4.6]

Closure occurs when the specified tasks for a

project, a phase, or an iteration have been completed and satisfactory achievement of the completion criteria has been confirmed. Software
requirements can be confirmed as satisfied or not,
and the degree of achieving the objectives can
be determined. Closure processes should involve
relevant stakeholders and result in documentation
of relevant stakeholders acceptance; any known
problems should be documented.

5.2.Closure Activities

[2, s3.7, s4.8]

After closure has been confirmed, archiving of

project materials should be accomplished in
accordance with stakeholder agreed-upon methods, location, and durationpossibly including
destruction of sensitive information, software,
and the medium on which copies are resident.
The organizations measurement database should
be updated with relevant project data. A project,
phase, or iteration retrospective analysis should
be undertaken so that issues, problems, risks,
and opportunities encountered can be analyzed
(see topic 4, Review and Evaluation). Lessons
learned should be drawn from the project and fed
into organizational learning and improvement
endeavors.
6.Software Engineering Measurement
The importance of measurement and its role in
better management and engineering practices is
widely acknowledged (see Measurement in the
Engineering Foundations KA). Effective measurement has become one of the cornerstones
of organizational maturity. Measurement can be
applied to organizations, projects, processes, and
work products. In this section the focus is on the
application of measurement at the levels of projects, processes, and work products.
This section follows the IEEE 15939:2008
standard [6], which describes a process to define
the activities and tasks necessary to implement a
software measurement process. The standard also
includes a measurement information model.
6.1.Establish and Sustain Measurement
Commitment
[7*, c1, c2]2
Requirements for measurement. Each measurement endeavor should be guided by
organizational objectives and driven by a set
of measurement requirements established by
2 Please note that these two chapters can be
downloaded free of charge from www.psmsc.com/
PSMBook.asp.

7-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

the organization and the project (for example, an organizational objective might be
first-to-market with new products).
Scope of measurement. The organizational
unit to which each measurement requirement
is to be applied should be established. This
may consist of a functional area, a single
project, a single site, or an entire enterprise.
The temporal scope of the measurement
effort should also be considered because
time series of some measurements may be
required; for example, to calibrate estimation models (see section 2.3, Effort, Schedule, and Cost Estimation).
Team commitment to measurement. The
commitment should be formally established,
communicated, and supported by resources
(see next item).
Resources for measurement. An organizations commitment to measurement is an
essential factor for success, as evidenced by
the assignment of resources for implementing the measurement process. Assigning
resources includes allocation of responsibility for the various tasks of the measurement
process (such as analyst and librarian). Adequate funding, training, tools, and support to
conduct the process should also be allocated.
6.2.Plan the Measurement Process

[7*, c1, c2]

Characterize the organizational unit. The

organizational unit provides the context for
measurement, so the organizational context
should be made explicit, including the constraints that the organization imposes on
the measurement process. The characterization can be stated in terms of organizational
processes, application domains, technology,
organizational interfaces, and organizational
structure.
Identify information needs. Information
needs are based on the goals, constraints,
risks, and problems of the organizational
unit. They may be derived from business,
organizational, regulatory, and/or product
objectives. They should be identified and

prioritized. Then a subset of objectives to be

addressed can be selected, documented, communicated, and reviewed by stakeholders.
Select measures. Candidate measures should
be selected, with clear links to the information needs. Measures should be selected
based on the priorities of the information
needs and other criteria such as cost of collection, degree of process disruption during
collection, ease of obtaining accurate, consistent data, and ease of analysis and reporting. Because internal quality characteristics
(see Models and Quality Characteristics in
the Software Quality KA) are often not contained in the contractually binding software
requirements, it is important to consider measuring the internal quality of the software to
provide an early indicator of potential issues
that may impact external stakeholders.
Define data collection, analysis, and reporting procedures. This encompasses collection
procedures and schedules, storage, verification, analysis, reporting, and configuration
management of data.
Select criteria for evaluating the information
products. Criteria for evaluation are influenced by the technical and business objectives of the organizational unit. Information
products include those associated with the
product being produced, as well as those
associated with the processes being used to
manage and measure the project.
Provide resources for measurement tasks. The
measurement plan should be reviewed and
approved by the appropriate stakeholders to
include all data collection procedures; storage,
analysis, and reporting procedures; evaluation
criteria; schedules; and responsibilities. Criteria for reviewing these artifacts should have
been established at the organizational-unit
level or higher and should be used as the basis
for these reviews. Such criteria should take
into consideration previous experience, availability of resources, and potential disruptions
to projects when changes from current practices are proposed. Approval demonstrates
commitment to the measurement process.
Identify resources to be made available for
implementing the planned and approved

Software Engineering Management 7-11

measurement tasks. Resource availability

may be staged in cases where changes are
to be piloted before widespread deployment.
Consideration should be paid to the resources
necessary for successful deployment of new
procedures or measures.
Acquire and deploy supporting technologies.
This includes evaluation of available supporting
technologies, selection of the most appropriate
technologies, acquisition of those technologies,
and deployment of those technologies.
6.3.Perform the Measurement Process
[7*, c1, c2]
Integrate measurement procedures with relevant software processes. The measurement
procedures, such as data collection, should
be integrated into the software processes
they are measuring. This may involve changing current software processes to accommodate data collection or generation activities.
It may also involve analysis of current software processes to minimize additional effort
and evaluation of the effect on employees to
ensure that the measurement procedures will
be accepted. Morale issues and other human
factors should be considered. In addition, the
measurement procedures should be communicated to those providing the data. Training
and support may also need to be provided.
Data analysis and reporting procedures are
typically integrated into organizational and/
or project processes in a similar manner.
Collect data. Data should be collected, verified, and stored. Collection can sometimes
be automated by using software engineering management tools (see topic 7, Software Engineering Management Tools) to
analyze data and develop reports. Data may
be aggregated, transformed, or recoded as
part of the analysis process, using a degree
of rigor appropriate to the nature of the data
and the information needs. The results of
this analysis are typically indicators such as
graphs, numbers, or other indications that
will be interpreted, resulting in conclusions
and recommendations to be presented to
stakeholders (see Statistical Analysis in the

Engineering Foundations KA). The results

and conclusions are usually reviewed, using
a process defined by the organization (which
may be formal or informal). Data providers
and measurement users should participate
in reviewing the data to ensure that they are
meaningful and accurate and that they can
result in reasonable actions.
Communicate results. Information products
should be documented and communicated to
users and stakeholders.
6.4.Evaluate Measurement

[7*, c1, c2]

Evaluate information products and the measurement process against specified evaluation criteria and determine strengths and
weaknesses of the information products or
process, respectively. Evaluation may be
performed by an internal process or an external audit; it should include feedback from
measurement users. Lessons learned should
be recorded in an appropriate database.
Identify potential improvements. Such
improvements may be changes in the format
of indicators, changes in units measured, or
reclassification of measurement categories.
The costs and benefits of potential improvements should be determined and appropriate
improvement actions should be reported.
Communicate proposed improvements to the
measurement process owner and stakeholders for review and approval. Also, lack of
potential improvements should be communicated if the analysis fails to identify any
improvements.
7.Software Engineering Management Tools
[3*, c5, c6, c7]
Software engineering management tools are often
used to provide visibility and control of software
engineering management processes. Some tools
are automated while others are manually implemented. There has been a recent trend towards
the use of integrated suites of software engineering tools that are used throughout a project to
plan, collect and record, monitor and control, and

7-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

report project and product information. Tools can

be divided into the following categories:
Project Planning and Tracking Tools. Project
planning and tracking tools can be used to estimate project effort and cost and to prepare project
schedules. Some projects use automated estimation tools that accept as input the estimated size
and other characteristics of a software product
and produce estimates of the required total effort,
schedule, and cost. Planning tools also include
automated scheduling tools that analyze the tasks
within a work breakdown structure, their estimated durations, their precedence relationships,
and the resources assigned to each task to produce a schedule in the form of a Gantt chart.
Tracking tools can be used to track project
milestones, regularly scheduled project status
meetings, scheduled iteration cycles, product
demonstrations, and/or action items.
Risk Management Tools. Risk management
tools (see section 2.5, Risk Management) can
be used to track risk identification, estimation,
and monitoring. These tools include the use of
approaches such as simulation or decision trees
to analyze the effect of costs versus payoffs

and subjective estimates of the probabilities of

risk events. Monte Carlo simulation tools can
be used to produce probability distributions of
effort, schedule, and risk by combining multiple
input probability distributions in an algorithmic
manner.
Communications Tools. Communication tools
can assist in providing timely and consistent
information to relevant stakeholders involved in a
project. These tools can include things like email
notifications and broadcasts to team members
and stakeholders. They also include communication of minutes from regularly scheduled project
meetings, daily stand-up meetings, plus charts
showing progress, backlogs, and maintenance
request resolutions.
Measurement Tools. Measurement tools support activities related to the software measurement program (see topic 6, Software Engineering Measurement). There are few completely
automated tools in this category. Measurement
tools used to gather, analyze, and report project
measurement data may be based on spreadsheets
developed by project team members or organizational employees.

Software Engineering Management 7-13

1.Initiation and Scope

Definition
1.1.Determination and
Negotiation of Requirements
1.2.Feasibility Analysis
1.3.Process for the Review and
Revision of Requirements
2.Software Project Planning
2.1.Process Planning
2.2.Determine Deliverables
2.3.Effort, Schedule, and Cost
Estimation
2.4.Resource Allocation
2.5.Risk Management
2.6.Quality Management
2.7.Plan Management
3.Software Project Enactment
3.1.Implementation of Plans
3.2.Software Acquisition and
Supplier Contract Management
3.3.Implementation of
Measurement Process
3.4.Monitor Process
3.5.Control Process
3.6.Reporting
4.Review and Evaluation
4.1.Determining Satisfaction of
Requirements
4.2.Reviewing and Evaluating
Performance

c3
c4
c3
c2, c3, c4, c5
c4, c5, c6

c1

c6
c5, c10, c11
c9
c4
c4

c5
c24

c2
c3, c4
c7
c8
c7, c8
c11

c8, c10

McGarry et al. 2001

[7*]

Boehm and Turner 2003

[5*]

Sommerville 2011
[4*]

Fairley 2009
[3*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

McGarry et al. 2001

[7*]

Boehm and Turner 2003

[5*]

Sommerville 2011
[4*]

Fairley 2009
[3*]

7-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

5.Closure
5.1.Determining Closure
5.2.Closure Activities
6.Software Engineering
Measurement
6.1.Establish and Sustain
Measurement Commitment
6.2.Plan the Measurement
Process
6.3.Perform the Measurement
Process
6.4.Evaluate Measurement
7.Software Engineering
Management Tools

c1, c2
c1, c2
c1, c2
c1, c2
c5, c6, c7

Software Engineering Management 7-15

FURTHER READINGS

REFERENCES

A Guide to the Project Management Body of

Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) [1].

[1] Project Management Institute, A Guide to the

Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK(R) Guide), 5th ed., Project
Management Institute, 2013.

The PMBOK Guide provides guidelines for

managing individual projects and defines project
management-related concepts. It also describes
the project management life cycle and its related
processes, as well as the project life cycle. It is
a globally recognized guide for the project management profession.
Software Extension to the Guide to the
Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK Guide) [2].
SWX provides adaptations and extensions to
the generic practices of project management
documented in the PMBOK Guide for managing software projects. The primary contribution
of this extension to the PMBOK Guide is a
description of processes that are applicable for
managing adaptive life cycle software projects.
IEEE Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC 15939 [6].
This international standard identifies a process
that supports defining a suitable set of measures
to address specific information needs. It identifies the activities and tasks that are necessary to
successfully identify, define, select, apply, and
improve measurement within an overall project
or organizational measurement structure.
J. McDonald, Managing the Development of
Software Intensive Systems, Wiley, 2010 [8].
This textbook provides an introduction to project
management for beginning software and hardware developers plus unique advanced material
for experienced project managers. Case studies
are included for planning and managing verification and validation for large software projects,
complex software, and hardware systems, as well
as inspection results and testing metrics to monitor project status.

[2] Project Management Institute and IEEE

Computer Society, Software Extension to
the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition, Project
Management Institute, 2013.
[3*] R.E. Fairley, Managing and Leading
Software Projects, Wiley-IEEE Computer
Society Press, 2009.
[4*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th
ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.
[5*] B. Boehm and R. Turner, Balancing Agility
and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed,
Addison-Wesley, 2003.
[6] IEEE Std. 15939-2008 Standard Adoption of
ISO/IEC 15939:2007 Systems and Software
EngineeringMeasurement Process,
IEEE, 2008.
[7*] J. McGarry et al., Practical Software
Measurement: Objective Information
for Decision Makers, Addison-Wesley
Professional, 2001.
[8] J. McDonald, Managing the Development of
Software Intensive Systems, John Wiley and
Sons, Inc., 2010.

CHAPTER 8
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PROCESS
ACRONYMS
BPMN
CASE
CM
CMMI
GQM
IDEF0
LOE
ODC
SDLC
SPLC
UML

process will be referred to as software process

in this KA. In addition, please note that software
process denotes work activitiesnot the execution process for implemented software.
Software processes are specified for a number
of reasons: to facilitate human understanding,
communication, and coordination; to aid management of software projects; to measure and
improve the quality of software products in an
efficient manner; to support process improvement; and to provide a basis for automated support of process execution.
SWEBOK KAs closely related to this Software Engineering Process KA include Software
Engineering Management, Software Engineering Models and Methods, and Software Quality;
the Measurement and Root Cause Analysis topic
found in the Engineering Foundations KA is also
closely related. Software Engineering Management is concerned with tailoring, adapting, and
implementing software processes for a specific
software project (see Process Planning in the
Software Engineering Management KA). Models and methods support a systematic approach to
software development and modification.
The Software Quality KA is concerned with
the planning, assurance, and control processes
for project and product quality. Measurement and
measurement results in the Engineering Foundations KA are essential for evaluating and controlling software processes.

Business Process Modeling

Notation
Computer-Assisted Software
Engineering
Configuration Management
Capability Maturity Model
Integration
Goal-Question-Metric
Integration Definition
Level of Effort
Orthogonal Defect Classification
Software Development Life Cycle
Software Product Life Cycle
Unified Modeling Language

INTRODUCTION
An engineering process consists of a set of interrelated activities that transform one or more inputs
into outputs while consuming resources to accomplish the transformation. Many of the processes of
traditional engineering disciplines (e.g., electrical,
mechanical, civil, chemical) are concerned with
transforming energy and physical entities from
one form into another, as in a hydroelectric dam
that transforms potential energy into electrical
energy or a petroleum refinery that uses chemical
processes to transform crude oil into gasoline.
In this knowledge area (KA), software engineering processes are concerned with work activities
accomplished by software engineers to develop,
maintain, and operate software, such as requirements, design, construction, testing, configuration management, and other software engineering
processes. For readability, software engineering

BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PROCESS
As illustrated in Figure 8.1, this KA is concerned
with software process definition, software life
cycles, software process assessment and improvement, software measurement, and software engineering process tools.
8-1

8-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 8.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Software Engineering Process KA

1.Software Process Definition

[1*, p177] [2*, p295] [3*, p2829, p36, c5]
This topic is concerned with a definition of software process, software process management, and
software process infrastructure.
As stated above, a software process is a set of
interrelated activities and tasks that transform
input work products into output work products.
At minimum, the description of a software process includes required inputs, transforming work
activities, and outputs generated. As illustrated in
Figure 8.2, a software process may also include
its entry and exit criteria and decomposition
of the work activities into tasks, which are the
smallest units of work subject to management
accountability. A process input may be a triggering event or the output of another process. Entry
criteria should be satisfied before a process can
commence. All specified conditions should be
satisfied before a process can be successfully

concluded, including the acceptance criteria for

the output work product or work products.
A software process may include subprocesses.
For example, software requirements validation is
a process used to determine whether the requirements will provide an adequate basis for software
development; it is a subprocess of the software
requirements process. Inputs for requirements validation are typically a software requirements specification and the resources needed to perform validation (personnel, validation tools, sufficient time).
The tasks of the requirements validation activity
might include requirements reviews, prototyping,
and model validation. These tasks involve work
assignments for individuals and teams. The output
of requirements validation is typically a validated
software requirements specification that provides
inputs to the software design and software testing processes. Requirements validation and other
subprocesses of the software requirements process
are often interleaved and iterated in various ways;

Software Engineering Process 8-3

Figure 8.2. Elements of a Software Process

the software requirements process and its subprocesses may be entered and exited multiple times
during software development or modification.
Complete definition of a software process may
also include the roles and competencies, IT support, software engineering techniques and tools,
and work environment needed to perform the
process, as well as the approaches and measures
(Key Performance Indicators) used to determine
the efficiency and effectiveness of performing the
process.
In addition, a software process may include
interleaved technical, collaborative, and administrative activities.
Notations for defining software processes
include textual lists of constituent activities and
tasks described in natural language; data-flow
diagrams; state charts; BPMN; IDEF0; Petri nets;
and UML activity diagrams. The transforming
tasks within a process may be defined as procedures; a procedure may be specified as an ordered
set of steps or, alternatively, as a checklist of the
work to be accomplished in performing a task.
It must be emphasized that there is no best software process or set of software processes. Software processes must be selected, adapted, and
applied as appropriate for each project and each
organizational context. No ideal process, or set of
processes, exists.
1.1.Software Process Management
[3*, s26.1] [4*, p453454]
Two objectives of software process management
are to realize the efficiency and effectiveness that

result from a systematic approach to accomplishing software processes and producing work productsbe it at the individual, project, or organizational leveland to introduce new or improved
processes.
Processes are changed with the expectation that
a new or modified process will improve the efficiency and/or effectiveness of the process and the
quality of the resulting work products. Changing
to a new process, improving an existing process,
organizational change, and infrastructure change
(technology insertion or changes in tools) are
closely related, as all are usually initiated with the
goal of improving the cost, development schedule, or quality of the software products. Process
change has impacts not only for the software
product; they often lead to organizational change.
Changing a process or introducing a new process
can have ripple effects throughout an organization. For example, changes in IT infrastructure tools and technology often require process
changes.
Existing processes may be modified when
other new processes are deployed for the first
time (for example, introducing an inspection
activity within a software development project
will likely impact the software testing process
see Reviews and Audits in the Software Quality
KA and in the Software Testing KA). These situations can also be termed process evolution.
If the modifications are extensive, then changes
in the organizational culture and business model
will likely be necessary to accommodate the process changes.

8-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

1.2.Software Process Infrastructure

[2*, p183, p186] [4*, p437438]
Establishing, implementing, and managing software processes and software life cycle models
often occurs at the level of individual software
projects. However, systematic application of
software processes and software life cycle models across an organization can provide benefits
to all software work within the organization,
although it requires commitment at the organizational level. A software process infrastructure
can provide process definitions, policies for interpreting and applying the processes, and descriptions of the procedures to be used to implement
the processes. Additionally, a software process
infrastructure may provide funding, tools, training, and staff members who have been assigned
responsibilities for establishing and maintaining
the software process infrastructure.
Software process infrastructure varies, depending on the size and complexity of the organization
and the projects undertaken within the organization. Small, simple organizations and projects
have small, simple infrastructure needs. Large,
complex organizations and projects, by necessity, have larger and more complex software
process infrastructures. In the latter case, various
organizational units may be established (such as
a software engineering process group or a steering committee) to oversee implementation and
improvement of the software processes.
A common misperception is that establishing a
software process infrastructure and implementing
repeatable software processes will add time and
cost to software development and maintenance.
There is a cost associated with introducing or
improving a software process; however, experience has shown that implementing systematic
improvement of software processes tends to result
in lower cost through improved efficiency, avoidance of rework, and more reliable and affordable
software. Process performance thus influences
software product quality.
2.Software Life Cycles

[1*, c2] [2*, p190]

This topic addresses categories of software processes, software life cycle models, software

process adaptation, and practical considerations.

A software development life cycle (SDLC)
includes the software processes used to specify
and transform software requirements into a deliverable software product. A software product life
cycle (SPLC) includes a software development
life cycle plus additional software processes that
provide for deployment, maintenance, support,
evolution, retirement, and all other inceptionto-retirement processes for a software product,
including the software configuration management
and software quality assurance processes that are
applied throughout a software product life cycle.
A software product life cycle may include multiple software development life cycles for evolving
and enhancing the software.
Individual software processes have no temporal ordering among them. The temporal relationships among software processes are provided by
a software life cycle model: either an SDLC or
SPLC. Life cycle models typically emphasize
the key software processes within the model
and their temporal and logical interdependencies and relationships. Detailed definitions of
the software processes in a life cycle model may
be provided directly or by reference to other
documents.
In addition to conveying the temporal and
logical relationships among software processes,
the software development life cycle model (or
models used within an organization) includes the
control mechanisms for applying entry and exit
criteria (e.g., project reviews, customer approvals, software testing, quality thresholds, demonstrations, team consensus). The output of one
software process often provides the input for others (e.g., software requirements provide input for
a software architectural design process and the
software construction and software testing processes). Concurrent execution of several software
process activities may produce a shared output
(e.g., the interface specifications for interfaces
among multiple software components developed
by different teams). Some software processes
may be regarded as less effective unless other
software processes are being performed at the
same time (e.g., software test planning during
software requirements analysis can improve the
software requirements).

Software Engineering Process 8-5

2.1.Categories of Software Processes

[1*, Preface] [2* , p294295] [3*, c22c24]

2.2.Software Life Cycle Models

[1*, c2] [2*, s3.2] [3*, s2.1] [5]

Many distinct software processes have been

defined for use in the various parts of the software development and software maintenance life
cycles. These processes can be categorized as
follows:

The intangible and malleable nature of software

permits a wide variety of software development
life cycle models, ranging from linear models in
which the phases of software development are
accomplished sequentially with feedback and
iteration as needed followed by integration, testing, and delivery of a single product; to iterative
models in which software is developed in increments of increasing functionality on iterative
cycles; to agile models that typically involve
frequent demonstrations of working software to
a customer or user representative who directs
development of the software in short iterative
cycles that produce small increments of working,
deliverable software. Incremental, iterative, and
agile models can deliver early subsets of working
software into the user environment, if desired.
Linear SDLC models are sometimes referred
to as predictive software development life cycle
models, while iterative and agile SDLCs are
referred to as adaptive software development
life cycle models. It should be noted that various maintenance activities during an SPLC can
be conducted using different SDLC models, as
appropriate to the maintenance activities.
A distinguishing feature of the various software development life cycle models is the way in
which software requirements are managed. Linear development models typically develop a complete set of software requirements, to the extent
possible, during project initiation and planning.
The software requirements are then rigorously
controlled. Changes to the software requirements
are based on change requests that are processed
by a change control board (see Requesting,
Evaluating and Approving Software Changes in
the Change Control Board in the Software Configuration Management KA). An incremental
model produces successive increments of working, deliverable software based on partitioning
of the software requirements to be implemented
in each of the increments. The software requirements may be rigorously controlled, as in a linear
model, or there may be some flexibility in revising
the software requirements as the software product
evolves. Agile models may define product scope
and high-level features initially; however, agile

1. Primary processes include software processes for development, operation, and

maintenance of software.
2. Supporting processes are applied intermittently or continuously throughout a software
product life cycle to support primary processes; they include software processes such
as configuration management, quality assurance, and verification and validation.
3. Organizational processes provide support for software engineering; they include
training, process measurement analysis,
infrastructure management, portfolio and
reuse management, organizational process
improvement, and management of software
life cycle models.
4. Cross-project processes, such as reuse, software product line, and domain engineering;
they involve more than a single software
project in an organization.
Software processes in addition to those listed
above include the following.
Project management processes include processes for planning and estimating, resource
management, measuring and controlling, leading,
managing risk, managing stakeholders, and coordinating the primary, supporting, organizational,
and cross-project processes of software development and maintenance projects.
Software processes are also developed for
particular needs, such as process activities that
address software quality characteristics (see
the Software Quality KA). For example, security concerns during software development may
necessitate one or more software processes to
protect the security of the development environment and reduce the risk of malicious acts. Software processes may also be developed to provide
adequate grounds for establishing confidence in
the integrity of the software.

8-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

models are designed to facilitate evolution of the

software requirements during the project.
It must be emphasized that the continuum of
SDLCs from linear to agile is not a thin, straight
line. Elements of different approaches may be
incorporated into a specific model; for example, an incremental software development life
cycle model may incorporate sequential software requirements and design phases but permit
considerable flexibility in revising the software
requirements and architecture during software
construction.
2.3.Software Process Adaptation
[1*, s2.7] [2*, p51]
Predefined SDLCs, SPLCs, and individual software processes often need to be adapted (or
tailored) to better serve local needs. Organizational context, innovations in technology, project
size, product criticality, regulatory requirements,
industry practices, and corporate culture may
determine needed adaptations. Adaptation of
individual software processes and software life
cycle models (development and product) may
consist of adding more details to software processes, activities, tasks, and procedures to address
critical concerns. It may consist of using an alternate set of activities that achieves the purpose and
outcomes of the software process. Adaptation
may also include omitting software processes
or activities from a development or product life
cycle model that are clearly inapplicable to the
scope of work to be accomplished.
2.4.Practical Considerations

[2*, p188190]

In practice, software processes and activities are

often interleaved, overlapped, and applied concurrently. Software life cycle models that specify discrete software processes, with rigorously specified
entry and exit criteria and prescribed boundaries
and interfaces, should be recognized as idealizations that must be adapted to reflect the realities of
software development and maintenance within the
organizational context and business environment.
Another practical consideration: software
processes (such as configuration management,

construction, and testing) can be adapted to facilitate operation, support, maintenance, migration,
and retirement of the software.
Additional factors to be considered when
defining and tailoring a software life cycle model
include required conformance to standards, directives, and policies; customer demands; criticality
of the software product; and organizational maturity and competencies. Other factors include the
nature of the work (e.g., modification of existing software versus new development) and the
application domain (e.g., aerospace versus hotel
management).
3.Software Process Assessment and
Improvement
[2*, p188, p194] [3*, c26] [4*, p397, c15]
This topic addresses software process assessment models, software process assessment methods, software process improvement models, and
continuous and staged process ratings. Software
process assessments are used to evaluate the form
and content of a software process, which may
be specified by a standardized set of criteria. In
some instances, the terms process appraisal
and capability evaluation are used instead of
process assessment. Capability evaluations are
typically performed by an acquirer (or potential
acquirer) or by an external agent on behalf of
an acquirer (or potential acquirer). The results
are used as an indicator of whether the software
processes used by a supplier (or potential supplier) are acceptable to the acquirer. Performance
appraisals are typically performed within an organization to identify software processes in need of
improvement or to determine whether a process
(or processes) satisfies the criteria at a given level
of process capability or maturity.
Process assessments are performed at the levels of entire organizations, organizational units
within organizations, and individual projects.
Assessment may involve issues such as assessing whether software process entry and exit criteria are being met, to review risk factors and
risk management, or to identify lessons learned.
Process assessment is carried out using both an
assessment model and an assessment method. The
model can provide a norm for a benchmarking

Software Engineering Process 8-7

comparison among projects within an organization and among organizations.

A process audit differs from a process assessment. Assessments are performed to determine
levels of capability or maturity and to identify
software processes to be improved. Audits are
typically conducted to ascertain compliance with
policies and standards. Audits provide management visibility into the actual operations being
performed in the organization so that accurate
and meaningful decisions can be made concerning issues that are impacting a development project, a maintenance activity, or a software-related
topic.
Success factors for software process assessment and improvement within software engineering organizations include management sponsorship, planning, training, experienced and capable
leaders, team commitment, expectation management, the use of change agents, plus pilot projects
and experimentation with tools. Additional factors include independence of the assessor and the
timeliness of the assessment.
3.1.Software Process Assessment Models
[2*, s4.5, s4.6] [3*, s26.5] [4*, p4448]
Software process assessment models typically
include assessment criteria for software processes
that are regarded as constituting good practices.
These practices may address software development processes only, or they may also include
topics such as software maintenance, software
project management, systems engineering, or
human resources management.
3.2.Software Process Assessment Methods
[1*, p322331] [3*, s26.3]
[4*, p4448, s16.4] [6]
A software process assessment method can be
qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative assessments rely on the judgment of experts; quantitative assessments assign numerical scores to
software processes based on analysis of objective
evidence that indicates attainment of the goals
and outcomes of a defined software process. For
example, a quantitative assessment of the software inspection process might be performed by

examining the procedural steps followed and

results obtained plus data concerning defects
found and time required to find and fix the defects
as compared to software testing.
A typical method of software process assessment includes planning, fact-finding (by collecting evidence through questionnaires, interviews,
and observation of work practices), collection
and validation of process data, and analysis and
reporting. Process assessments may rely on the
subjective, qualitative judgment of the assessor,
or on the objective presence or absence of defined
artifacts, records, and other evidence.
The activities performed during a software process assessment and the distribution of effort for
assessment activities are different depending on
the purpose of the software process assessment.
Software process assessments may be undertaken
to develop capability ratings used to make recommendations for process improvements or may be
undertaken to obtain a process maturity rating in
order to qualify for a contract or award.
The quality of assessment results depends on
the software process assessment method, the
integrity and quality of the obtained data, the
assessment teams capability and objectivity, and
the evidence examined during the assessment.
The goal of a software process assessment is to
gain insight that will establish the current status
of a process or processes and provide a basis for
process improvement; performing a software
process assessment by following a checklist for
conformance without gaining insight adds little
value.
3.3.Software Process Improvement Models
[2*, p187188] [3*, s26.5] [4*, s2.7]
Software process improvement models emphasize iterative cycles of continuous improvement.
A software process improvement cycle typically
involves the subprocesses of measuring, analyzing, and changing. The Plan-Do-Check-Act
model is a well-known iterative approach to
software process improvement. Improvement
activities include identifying and prioritizing
desired improvements (planning); introducing
an improvement, including change management
and training (doing); evaluating the improvement

8-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

as compared to previous or exemplary process

results and costs (checking); and making further
modifications (acting). The Plan-Do-Check-Act
process improvement model can be applied, for
example, to improve software processes that
enhance defect prevention.
3.4.Continuous and Staged Software Process
Ratings
[1*, p2834] [3*, s26.5] [4*, p3945]
Software process capability and software process
maturity are typically rated using five or six levels
to characterize the capability or maturity of the
software processes used within an organization.
A continuous rating system involves assigning a rating to each software process of interest;
a staged rating system is established by assigning the same maturity rating to all of the software
processes within a specified process level. A representation of continuous and staged process levels is provided in Table 8.1. Continuous models
typically use a level 0 rating; staged models typically do not.
Table 8.1. Software Process Rating Levels
Continuous
Staged
Representation
Representation
Level
of Capability
of Maturity
Levels
Levels
0
Incomplete
1
Performed
Initial
2
Managed
Managed
3
Defined
Defined
Quantitatively
4
Managed
5
Optimizing
In Table 8.1, level 0 indicates that a software
process is incompletely performed or may not be
performed. At level 1, a software process is being
performed (capability rating), or the software
processes in a maturity level 1 group are being
performed but on an ad hoc, informal basis. At
level 2, a software process (capability rating) or
the processes in maturity level 2 are being performed in a manner that provides management

visibility into intermediate work products and

can exert some control over transitions between
processes. At level 3, a single software process or
the processes in a maturity level 3 group plus the
process or processes in maturity level 2 are well
defined (perhaps in organizational policies and
procedures) and are being repeated across different projects. Level 3 of process capability or
maturity provides the basis for process improvement across an organization because the process
is (or processes are) conducted in a similar manner. This allows collection of performance data
in a uniform manner across multiple projects. At
maturity level 4, quantitative measures can be
applied and used for process assessment; statistical analysis may be used. At maturity level 5,
the mechanisms for continuous process improvements are applied.
Continuous and staged representations can be
used to determine the order in which software
processes are to be improved. In the continuous
representation, the different capability levels for
different software processes provide a guideline
for determining the order in which software processes will be improved. In the staged representation, satisfying the goals of a set of software processes within a maturity level is accomplished for
that maturity level, which provides a foundation
for improving all of the software processes at the
next higher level.
4.Software Measurement
[3*, s26.2] [4*, s18.1.1]
This topic addresses software process and product measurement, quality of measurement results,
software information models, and software process measurement techniques (see Measurement
in the Engineering Foundations KA).
Before a new process is implemented or a current process is modified, measurement results for
the current situation should be obtained to provide a baseline for comparison between the current situation and the new situation. For example, before introducing the software inspection
process, effort required to fix defects discovered
by testing should be measured. Following an initial start-up period after the inspection process
is introduced, the combined effort of inspection

Software Engineering Process 8-9

plus testing can be compared to the previous

amount of effort required for testing alone. Similar considerations apply if a process is changed.
4.1.Software Process and Product Measurement
[1*, s6.3, p273] [3*, s26.2, p638]
Software process and product measurement are
concerned with determining the efficiency and
effectiveness of a software process, activity, or
task. The efficiency of a software process, activity,
or task is the ratio of resources actually consumed
to resources expected or desired to be consumed
in accomplishing a software process, activity, or
task (see Efficiency in the Software Engineering
Economics KA). Effort (or equivalent cost) is the
primary measure of resources for most software
processes, activities, and tasks; it is measured in
units such as person-hours, person-days, staffweeks, or staff-months of effort or in equivalent
monetary unitssuch as euros or dollars.
Effectiveness is the ratio of actual output to
expected output produced by a software process,
activity, or task; for example, actual number of
defects detected and corrected during software
testing to expected number of defects to be
detected and correctedperhaps based on historical data for similar projects (see Effectiveness
in the Software Engineering Economics KA).
Note that measurement of software process effectiveness requires measurement of the relevant
product attributes; for example, measurement of
software defects discovered and corrected during
software testing.
One must take care when measuring product
attributes for the purpose of determining process
effectiveness. For example, the number of defects
detected and corrected by testing may not achieve
the expected number of defects and thus provide
a misleadingly low effectiveness measure, either
because the software being tested is of betterthan-usual quality or perhaps because introduction of a newly introduced upstream inspection
process has reduced the remaining number of
defects in the software.
Product measures that may be important in
determining the effectiveness of software processes include product complexity, total defects,
defect density, and the quality of requirements,

design documentation, and other related work

products.
Also note that efficiency and effectiveness are
independent concepts. An effective software process can be inefficient in achieving a desired software process result; for example, the amount of
effort expended to find and fix software defects
could be very high and result in low efficiency, as
compared to expectations.
An efficient process can be ineffective in accomplishing the desired transformation of input work
products into output work products; for example,
failure to find and correct a sufficient number of
software defects during the testing process.
Causes of low efficiency and/or low effectiveness in the way a software process, activity, or
task is executed might include one or more of the
following problems: deficient input work products, inexperienced personnel, lack of adequate
tools and infrastructure, learning a new process,
a complex product, or an unfamiliar product
domain. The efficiency and effectiveness of software process execution are also affected (either
positively or negatively) by factors such as turnover in software personnel, schedule changes, a
new customer representative, or a new organizational policy.
In software engineering, productivity in performing a process, activity, or task is the ratio of
output produced divided by resources consumed;
for example, the number of software defects discovered and corrected divided by person-hours of
effort (see Productivity in the Software Engineering Economics KA). Accurate measurement of
productivity must include total effort used to satisfy the exit criteria of a software process, activity, or task; for example, the effort required to
correct defects discovered during software testing must be included in software development
productivity.
Calculation of productivity must account for
the context in which the work is accomplished.
For example, the effort to correct discovered
defects will be included in the productivity calculation of a software team if team members
correct the defects they findas in unit testing
by software developers or in a cross-functional
agile team. Or the productivity calculation
may include either the effort of the software

8-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

developers or the effort of an independent testing team, depending on who fixes the defects
found by the independent testers. Note that this
example refers to the effort of teams of developers or teams of testers and not to individuals.
Software productivity calculated at the level of
individuals can be misleading because of the
many factors that can affect the individual productivity of software engineers.
Standardized definitions and counting rules
for measurement of software processes and work
products are necessary to provide standardized
measurement results across projects within an
organization, to populate a repository of historical data that can be analyzed to identify software
processes that need to be improved, and to build
predictive models based on accumulated data. In
the example above, definitions of software defects
and staff-hours of testing effort plus counting
rules for defects and effort would be necessary to
obtain satisfactory measurement results.
The extent to which the software process is
institutionalized is important; failure to institutionalize a software process may explain why
good software processes do not always produce anticipated results. Software processes may
be institutionalized by adoption within the local
organizational unit or across larger units of an
enterprise.
4.2.Quality of Measurement Results
[4*, s3.43.7]
The quality of process and product measurement
results is primarily determined by the reliability
and validity of the measured results. Measurements that do not satisfy these quality criteria
can result in incorrect interpretations and faulty
software process improvement initiatives. Other
desirable properties of software measurements
include ease of collection, analysis, and presentation plus a strong correlation between cause and
effect.
The Software Engineering Measurement topic
in the Software Engineering Management KA
describes a process for implementing a software
measurement program.

4.3.Software Information Models

[1*, p310311] [3*, p712713] [4*, s19.2]
Software information models allow modeling,
analysis, and prediction of software process and
software product attributes to provide answers to
relevant questions and achieve process and product
improvement goals. Needed data can be collected
and retained in a repository; the data can be analyzed and models can be constructed. Validation
and refinement of software information models
occur during software projects and after projects
are completed to ensure that the level of accuracy
is sufficient and that their limitations are known
and understood. Software information models may
also be developed for contexts other than software
projects; for example, a software information
model might be developed for processes that apply
across an organization, such as software configuration management or software quality assurance
processes at the organizational level.
Analysis-driven software information model
building involves the development, calibration,
and evaluation of a model. A software information model is developed by establishing a
hypothesized transformation of input variables
into desired outputs; for example, product size
and complexity might be transformed into estimated effort needed to develop a software product using a regression equation developed from
observed data from past projects. A model is
calibrated by adjusting parameters in the model
to match observed results from past projects; for
example, the exponent in a nonlinear regression
model might be changed by applying the regression equation to a different set of past projects
other than the projects used to develop the model.
A model is evaluated by comparing computed
results to actual outcomes for a different set of
similar data. There are three possible evaluation
outcomes:
1. results computed for a different data set vary
widely from actual outcomes for that data
set, in which case the derived model is not
applicable for the new data set and should
not be applied to analyze or make predictions
for future projects;

Software Engineering Process 8-11

2. results computed for a new data set are

close to actual outcomes for that data set,
in which case minor adjustments are made
to the parameters of the model to improve
agreement;
3. results computed for the new data set and
subsequent data sets are very close and no
adjustments to the model are needed.
Continuous evaluation of the model may indicate a need for adjustments over time as the context in which the model is applied changes.
The Goals/Questions/Metrics (GQM) method
was originally intended for establishing measurement activities, but it can also be used to guide
analysis and improvement of software processes.
It can be used to guide analysis-driven software
information model building; results obtained
from the software information model can be used
to guide process improvement.
The following example illustrates application
of the GQM method:
Goal: Reduce the average change request
processing time by 10% within six months.
Question 1-1: What is the baseline change
request processing time?
Metric 1-1-1: Average of change request
processing times on starting date
Metric 1-1-2: Standard deviation of change
request processing times on starting date
Question 1-2: What is the current change
request processing time?
Metric 1-2-1: Average of change request
processing times currently
Metric 1-2-2: Standard deviation of change
request processing times currently
4.4.Software Process Measurement Techniques
[1*, c8]
Software process measurement techniques are
used to collect process data and work product
data, transform the data into useful information,
and analyze the information to identify process
activities that are candidates for improvement.
In some cases, new software processes may be
needed.

Process measurement techniques also provide

the information needed to measure the effects of
process improvement initiatives. Process measurement techniques can be used to collect both
quantitative and qualitative data.
4.4.1.Quantitative Process Measurement
Techniques
[4*, s5.1, s5.7, s9.8]
The purpose of quantitative process measurement
techniques is to collect, transform, and analyze
quantitative process and work product data that
can be used to indicate where process improvements are needed and to assess the results of
process improvement initiatives. Quantitative
process measurement techniques are used to collect and analyze data in numerical form to which
mathematical and statistical techniques can be
applied.
Quantitative process data can be collected as
a byproduct of software processes. For example,
the number of defects discovered during software
testing and the staff-hours expended can be collected by direct measurement, and the productivity of defect discovery can be derived by calculating defects discovered per staff-hour.
Basic tools for quality control can be used to
analyze quantitative process measurement data
(e.g., check sheets, Pareto diagrams, histograms,
scatter diagrams, run charts, control charts, and
cause-and-effect diagrams) (see Root Cause
Analysis in the Engineering Foundations KA). In
addition, various statistical techniques can be used
that range from calculation of medians and means
to multivariate analysis methods (see Statistical
Analysis in the Engineering Foundations KA).
Data collected using quantitative process measurement techniques can also be used as inputs
to simulation models (see Modeling, Prototyping, and Simulation in the Engineering Foundations KA); these models can be used to assess the
impact of various approaches to software process
improvement.
Orthogonal Defect Classification (ODC) can
be used to analyze quantitative process measurement data. ODC can be used to group detected
defects into categories and link the defects in

8-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

each category to the software process or software processes where a group of defects originated (see Defect Characterization in the Software Quality KA). Software interface defects,
for example, may have originated during an inadequate software design process; improving the
software design process will reduce the number
of software interface defects. ODC can provide
quantitative data for applying root cause analysis.
Statistical Process Control can be used to track
process stability, or the lack of process stability,
using control charts.
4.4.2.Qualitative Process Measurement
Techniques
[1*, s6.4]
Qualitative process measurement techniques
including interviews, questionnaires, and expert
judgmentcan be used to augment quantitative
process measurement techniques. Group consensus techniques, including the Delphi technique,
can be used to obtain consensus among groups of
stakeholders.
5.Software Engineering Process Tools
[1*, s8.7]
Software process tools support many of the notations used to define, implement, and manage
individual software processes and software life
cycle models. They include editors for notations
such as data-flow diagrams, state charts, BPMN,
IDEF0 diagrams, Petri nets, and UML activity
diagrams. In some cases, software process tools
allow different types of analyses and simulations (for example, discrete event simulation). In

addition, general purpose business tools, such as

a spreadsheet, may be useful.
Computer-Assisted Software Engineering
(CASE) tools can reinforce the use of integrated
processes, support the execution of process definitions, and provide guidance to humans in performing well-defined processes. Simple tools
such as word processors and spreadsheets can
be used to prepare textual descriptions of processes, activities, and tasks; these tools also support traceability among the inputs and outputs of
multiple software processes (such as stakeholder
needs analysis, software requirements specification, software architecture, and software detailed
design) as well as the results of software processes such as documentation, software components, test cases, and problem reports.
Most of the knowledge areas in this Guide
describe specialized tools that can be used to
manage the processes within that KA. In particular, see the Software Configuration Management
KA for a discussion of software configuration
management tools that can be used to manage the
construction, integration, and release processes
for software products. Other tools, such as those
for requirements management and testing, are
described in the appropriate KAs.
Software process tools can support projects
that involve geographically dispersed (virtual)
teams. Increasingly, software process tools are
available through cloud computing facilities as
well as through dedicated infrastructures.
A project control panel or dashboard can display selected process and product attributes for
software projects and indicate measurements that
are within control limits and those needing corrective action.

Software Engineering Process 8-13

p295

1.1.Software Process Management

p183, p186

1.2.Software Process Infrastructure

2.Software Life Cycles
2.1.Categories of Software Processes
2.2.Software Life Cycle Models
2.3.Software Process Adaptation

c2

p190

preface

p294295

c2
s2.7

s3.2
p51

2.4.Practical Considerations

3.1.Software Process Assessment Models

p437438
c22, c23,
c24
s2.1

p188, p194

c26

p397, c15

s4.5,
s4.6

s26.5

p4448

s26.3

p4448,
s16.4

s26.5

s2.7

s26.5

p3945

s26.2

s18.1.1

p322331
p187188
p2834

4.Software Measurement
4.1.Software Process and Product
Measurement

s6.3,
p273

s26.2,
p638

4.2.Quality of Measurement Results

4.3.Software Information Models

p453454

p188190

3.Software Process Assessment and

Improvement

3.2.Software Process Assessment

Methods
3.3.Software Process Improvement
Models
3.4.Continuous and Staged Ratings

p2829,
p36,
c5
s26.1

Kan 2003
[4*]

p177

Sommerville 2011
[3*]

Moore 2009
[2*]

1.Software Process Definition

Fairley 2009
[1*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

p310311

4.4.Software Process Measurement

Techniques

s6.4,
c8

5.Software Engineering Process Tools

s8.7

p. 712713

s3.4,
s3.5,
s3.6,
s3.7
s19.2
s5.1,
s5.7,
s9.8

8-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

FURTHER READINGS

REFERENCES

Software Extension to the Guide to the Project

Management Body of Knowledge (SWX)
[5].

[1*] R.E. Fairley, Managing and Leading

Software Projects, Wiley-IEEE Computer
Society Press, 2009.

SWX provides adaptations and extensions to the

generic practices of project management documented in the PMBOK Guide for managing
software projects. The primary contribution of
this extension to the PMBOK Guide is description of processes that are applicable for managing
adaptive life cycle software projects.

[2*] J.W. Moore, The Road Map to Software

Engineering: A Standards-Based Guide,
Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press, 2006.

D. Gibson, D. Goldenson, and K. Kost,

Performance Results of CMMI-Based
Process Improvement [6].
This technical report summarizes publicly available empirical evidence about the performance
results that can occur as a consequence of CMMIbased process improvement. The report contains
a series of brief case descriptions that were created with collaboration from representatives
from 10 organizations that have achieved notable
quantitative performance results through their
CMMI-based improvement efforts.
CMMI for Development, Version 1.3 [7].
CMMI for Development, Version 1.3 provides an
integrated set of process guidelines for developing and improving products and services. These
guidelines include best practices for developing
and improving products and services to meet the
needs of customers and end users.
ISO/IEC 15504-1:2004 Information technologyProcess assessmentPart 1:
Concepts and vocabulary [8].
This standard, commonly known as SPICE
(Software Process Improvement and Capability
Determination), includes multiple parts. Part 1
provides concepts and vocabulary for software
development processes and related businessmanagement functions. Other parts of 15504
define the requirements and procedures for performing process assessments.

[3*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th

ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.
[4*] S.H. Kan, Metrics and Models in Software
Quality Engineering, 2nd ed., AddisonWesley, 2002.
[5] Project Management Institute and IEEE
Computer Society, Software Extension
to the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition, ed:
Project Management Institute, 2013.
[6] D. Gibson, D. Goldenson, and K. Kost,
Performance Results of CMMI-Based
Process Improvement, Software
Engineering Institute, 2006; http://
resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.
cfm?assetID=8065.
[7] CMMI Product Team, CMMI for
Development, Version 1.3, Software
Engineering Institute, 2010; http://
resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.
cfm?assetID=9661.
[8] ISO/IEC 15504-1:2004, Information
TechnologyProcess AssessmentPart 1:
Concepts and Vocabulary, ISO/IEC, 2004.

CHAPTER 9
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING MODELS
AND METHODS
ACRONYMS
3GL
BNF
FDD
IDE
PBI
RAD
UML
XP

BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING MODELS
AND METHODS

3rd Generation Language

Backus-Naur Form
Feature-Driven Development
Integrated Development
Environment
Product Backlog Item
Rapid Application Development
Unified Modeling Language
eXtreme Programming

This chapter on software engineering models and

methods is divided into four main topic areas:
Modeling: discusses the general practice
of modeling and presents topics in modeling principles; properties and expression of
models; modeling syntax, semantics, and
pragmatics; and preconditions, postconditions, and invariants.
Types of Models: briefly discusses models
and aggregation of submodels and provides
some general characteristics of model types
commonly found in the software engineering
practice.
Analysis of Models: presents some of the
common analysis techniques used in modeling to verify completeness, consistency, correctness, traceability, and interaction.
Software Engineering Methods: presents a
brief summary of commonly used software
engineering methods. The discussion guides
the reader through a summary of heuristic
methods, formal methods, prototyping, and
agile methods.

INTRODUCTION
Software engineering models and methods
impose structure on software engineering with
the goal of making that activity systematic,
repeatable, and ultimately more success-oriented.
Using models provides an approach to problem
solving, a notation, and procedures for model
construction and analysis. Methods provide an
approach to the systematic specification, design,
construction, test, and verification of the end-item
software and associated work products.
Software engineering models and methods
vary widely in scopefrom addressing a single
software life cycle phase to covering the complete software life cycle. The emphasis in this
knowledge area (KA) is on software engineering models and methods that encompass multiple
software life cycle phases, since methods specific
for single life cycle phases are covered by other
KAs.

The breakdown of topics for the Software

Engineering Models and Methods KA is shown
in Figure 9.1.
1.Modeling
Modeling of software is becoming a pervasive
technique to help software engineers understand,
9-1

9-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 9.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Software Engineering Models and Methods KA

engineer, and communicate aspects of the software to appropriate stakeholders. Stakeholders

are those persons or parties who have a stated
or implied interest in the software (for example,
user, buyer, supplier, architect, certifying authority, evaluator, developer, software engineer, and
perhaps others).
While there are many modeling languages,
notations, techniques, and tools in the literature
and in practice, there are unifying general concepts that apply in some form to them all. The
following sections provide background on these
general concepts.
1.1.Modeling Principles
[1*, c2s2, c5s1, c5s2] [2*, c2s2] [3*, c5s0]
Modeling provides the software engineer with
an organized and systematic approach for representing significant aspects of the software under
study, facilitating decision-making about the software or elements of it, and communicating those

significant decisions to others in the stakeholder

communities. There are three general principles
guiding such modeling activities:
Model the Essentials: good models do not
usually represent every aspect or feature of
the software under every possible condition.
Modeling typically involves developing only
those aspects or features of the software that
need specific answers, abstracting away any
nonessential information. This approach
keeps the models manageable and useful.
Provide Perspective: modeling provides
views of the software under study using
a defined set of rules for expression of the
model within each view. This perspectivedriven approach provides dimensionality to
the model (for example, a structural view,
behavioral view, temporal view, organizational view, and other views as relevant).
Organizing information into views focuses
the software modeling efforts on specific

Software Engineering Models and Methods 9-3

concerns relevant to that view using the

appropriate notation, vocabulary, methods,
and tools.
Enable Effective Communications: modeling
employs the application domain vocabulary
of the software, a modeling language, and
semantic expression (in other words, meaning within context). When used rigorously
and systematically, this modeling results in
a reporting approach that facilitates effective
communication of software information to
project stakeholders.
A model is an abstraction or simplification of
a software component. A consequence of using
abstraction is that no single abstraction completely describes a software component. Rather,
the model of the software is represented as an
aggregation of abstractions, whichwhen taken
togetherdescribe only selected aspects, perspectives, or viewsonly those that are needed
to make informed decisions and respond to the
reasons for creating the model in the first place.
This simplification leads to a set of assumptions
about the context within which the model is
placed that should also be captured in the model.
Then, when reusing the model, these assumptions
can be validated first to establish the relevancy of
the reused model within its new use and context.
1.2.Properties and Expression of Models
[1*, c5s2, c5s3] [3*, c4s1.1p7, c4s6p3,
c5s0p3]
Properties of models are those distinguishing features of a particular model used to characterize
its completeness, consistency, and correctness
within the chosen modeling notation and tooling
used. Properties of models include the following:
Completeness: the degree to which all
requirements have been implemented and
verified within the model.
Consistency: the degree to which the model
contains no conflicting requirements, assertions, constraints, functions, or component
descriptions.
Correctness: the degree to which the model
satisfies its requirements and design specifications and is free of defects.

Models are constructed to represent real-world

objects and their behaviors to answer specific
questions about how the software is expected
to operate. Interrogating the modelseither
through exploration, simulation, or reviewmay
expose areas of uncertainty within the model and
the software to which the model refers. These
uncertainties or unanswered questions regarding
the requirements, design, and/or implementation
can then be handled appropriately.
The primary expression element of a model is
an entity. An entity may represent concrete artifacts (for example, processors, sensors, or robots)
or abstract artifacts (for example, software modules or communication protocols). Model entities are connected to other entities using relations (in other words, lines or textual operators
on target entities). Expression of model entities
may be accomplished using textual or graphical
modeling languages; both modeling language
types connect model entities through specific language constructs. The meaning of an entity may
be represented by its shape, textual attributes, or
both. Generally, textual information adheres to
language-specific syntactic structure. The precise meanings related to the modeling of context,
structure, or behavior using these entities and
relations is dependent on the modeling language
used, the design rigor applied to the modeling
effort, the specific view being constructed, and
the entity to which the specific notation element
may be attached. Multiple views of the model
may be required to capture the needed semantics
of the software.
When using models supported with automation, models may be checked for completeness
and consistency. The usefulness of these checks
depends greatly on the level of semantic and syntactic rigor applied to the modeling effort in addition to explicit tool support. Correctness is typically checked through simulation and/or review.
1.3.Syntax, Semantics, and Pragmatics
[2* c2s2.2.2p6] [3*, c5s0]
Models can be surprisingly deceptive. The fact
that a model is an abstraction with missing information can lead one into a false sense of completely understanding the software from a single
model. A complete model (complete being

9-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

relative to the modeling effort) may be a union

of multiple submodels and any special function
models. Examination and decision-making relative to a single model within this collection of
submodels may be problematic.
Understanding the precise meanings of modeling constructs can also be difficult. Modeling
languages are defined by syntactic and semantic
rules. For textual languages, syntax is defined
using a notation grammar that defines valid language constructs (for example, Backus-Naur
Form (BNF)). For graphical languages, syntax is
defined using graphical models called metamodels. As with BNF, metamodels define the valid
syntactical constructs of a graphical modeling
language; the metamodel defines how these constructs can be composed to produce valid models.
Semantics for modeling languages specify the
meaning attached to the entities and relations
captured within the model. For example, a simple
diagram of two boxes connected by a line is open
to a variety of interpretations. Knowing that the
diagram on which the boxes are placed and connected is an object diagram or an activity diagram
can assist in the interpretation of this model.
As a practical matter, there is usually a good
understanding of the semantics of a specific
software model due to the modeling language
selected, how that modeling language is used to
express entities and relations within that model,
the experience base of the modeler(s), and the
context within which the modeling has been
undertaken and so represented. Meaning is communicated through the model even in the presence
of incomplete information through abstraction;
pragmatics explains how meaning is embodied
in the model and its context and communicated
effectively to other software engineers.
There are still instances, however, where caution is needed regarding modeling and semantics.
For example, any model parts imported from
another model or library must be examined for
semantic assumptions that conflict in the new
modeling environment; this may not be obvious.
The model should be checked for documented
assumptions. While modeling syntax may be
identical, the model may mean something quite
different in the new environment, which is a different context. Also, consider that as software
matures and changes are made, semantic discord

can be introduced, leading to errors. With many

software engineers working on a model part over
time coupled with tool updates and perhaps new
requirements, there are opportunities for portions
of the model to represent something different
from the original authors intent and initial model
context.
1.4.Preconditions, Postconditions, and
Invariants
[2*, c4s4] [4*, c10s4p2, c10s5p2p4]
When modeling functions or methods, the software engineer typically starts with a set of
assumptions about the state of the software prior
to, during, and after the function or method executes. These assumptions are essential to the correct operation of the function or method and are
grouped, for discussion, as a set of preconditions,
postconditions, and invariants.
Preconditions: a set of conditions that must
be satisfied prior to execution of the function
or method. If these preconditions do not hold
prior to execution of the function or method,
the function or method may produce erroneous results.
Postconditions: a set of conditions that is
guaranteed to be true after the function or
method has executed successfully. Typically,
the postconditions represent how the state
of the software has changed, how parameters passed to the function or method have
changed, how data values have changed, or
how the return value has been affected.
Invariants: a set of conditions within the
operational environment that persist (in
other words, do not change) before and after
execution of the function or method. These
invariants are relevant and necessary to the
software and the correct operation of the
function or method.
2.Types of Models
A typical model consists of an aggregation of
submodels. Each submodel is a partial description and is created for a specific purpose; it may
be comprised of one or more diagrams. The
collection of submodels may employ multiple

Software Engineering Models and Methods 9-5

modeling languages or a single modeling language. The Unified Modeling Language (UML)
recognizes a rich collection of modeling diagrams. Use of these diagrams, along with the
modeling language constructs, brings about three
broad model types commonly used: information
models, behavioral models, and structure models
(see section 1.1).
2.1.Information Modeling

[1*, c7s2.2] [3*, c8s1]

Information models provide a central focus on

data and information. An information model is an
abstract representation that identifies and defines
a set of concepts, properties, relations, and constraints on data entities. The semantic or conceptual information model is often used to provide
some formalism and context to the software being
modeled as viewed from the problem perspective,
without concern for how this model is actually
mapped to the implementation of the software.
The semantic or conceptual information model
is an abstraction and, as such, includes only the
concepts, properties, relations, and constraints
needed to conceptualize the real-world view of
the information. Subsequent transformations of
the semantic or conceptual information model
lead to the elaboration of logical and then physical data models as implemented in the software.
2.2.Behavioral Modeling
[1*, c7s2.1, c7s2.3, c7s2.4] [2*, c9s2]
[3*, c5s4]
Behavioral models identify and define the functions of the software being modeled. Behavioral models generally take three basic forms:
state machines, control-flow models, and dataflow models. State machines provide a model
of the software as a collection of defined states,
events, and transitions. The software transitions
from one state to the next by way of a guarded
or unguarded triggering event that occurs in the
modeled environment. Control-flow models
depict how a sequence of events causes processes
to be activated or deactivated. Data-flow behavior is typified as a sequence of steps where data
moves through processes toward data stores or
data sinks.

2.3.Structure Modeling
[1*, c7s2.5, c7s3.1, c7s3.2] [3*, c5s3] [4*, c4]
Structure models illustrate the physical or logical
composition of software from its various component parts. Structure modeling establishes the
defined boundary between the software being
implemented or modeled and the environment
in which it is to operate. Some common structural constructs used in structure modeling are
composition, decomposition, generalization, and
specialization of entities; identification of relevant relations and cardinality between entities;
and the definition of process or functional interfaces. Structure diagrams provided by the UML
for structure modeling include class, component,
object, deployment, and packaging diagrams.
3.Analysis of Models
The development of models affords the software
engineer an opportunity to study, reason about,
and understand the structure, function, operational usage, and assembly considerations associated with software. Analysis of constructed
models is needed to ensure that these models are
complete, consistent, and correct enough to serve
their intended purpose for the stakeholders.
The sections that follow briefly describe the
analysis techniques generally used with software models to ensure that the software engineer
and other relevant stakeholders gain appropriate
value from the development and use of models.
3.1.Analyzing for Completeness
[3*, c4s1.1p7, c4s6] [5*, p811]
In order to have software that fully meets the needs
of the stakeholders, completeness is criticalfrom
the requirements elicitation process to code implementation. Completeness is the degree to which
all of the specified requirements have been implemented and verified. Models may be checked for
completeness by a modeling tool that uses techniques such as structural analysis and state-space
reachability analysis (which ensure that all paths in
the state models are reached by some set of correct
inputs); models may also be checked for completeness manually by using inspections or other review
techniques (see the Software Quality KA). Errors

9-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

and warnings generated by these analysis tools and

found by inspection or review indicate probable
needed corrective actions to ensure completeness
of the models.
3.2.Analyzing for Consistency
[3*, c4s1.1p7, c4s6] [5*, p811]
Consistency is the degree to which models contain no conflicting requirements, assertions, constraints, functions, or component descriptions.
Typically, consistency checking is accomplished
with the modeling tool using an automated analysis
function; models may also be checked for consistency manually using inspections or other review
techniques (see the Software Quality KA). As
with completeness, errors and warnings generated
by these analysis tools and found by inspection or
review indicate the need for corrective action.
3.3.Analyzing for Correctness

[5*, p811]

Correctness is the degree to which a model satisfies its software requirements and software
design specifications, is free of defects, and ultimately meets the stakeholders needs. Analyzing
for correctness includes verifying syntactic correctness of the model (that is, correct use of the
modeling language grammar and constructs) and
verifying semantic correctness of the model (that
is, use of the modeling language constructs to
correctly represent the meaning of that which is
being modeled). To analyze a model for syntactic
and semantic correctness, one analyzes iteither
automatically (for example, using the modeling
tool to check for model syntactic correctness)
or manually (using inspections or other review
techniques)searching for possible defects and
then removing or repairing the confirmed defects
before the software is released for use.
3.4.Traceability

[3*, c4s7.1, c4s7.2]

Developing software typically involves the use,

creation, and modification of many work products
such as planning documents, process specifications, software requirements, diagrams, designs

and pseudo-code, handwritten and tool-generated

code, manual and automated test cases and reports,
and files and data. These work products may be
related through various dependency relationships
(for example, uses, implements, and tests). As software is being developed, managed, maintained, or
extended, there is a need to map and control these
traceability relationships to demonstrate software requirements consistency with the software
model (see Requirements Tracing in the Software
Requirements KA) and the many work products.
Use of traceability typically improves the management of software work products and software process quality; it also provides assurances to stakeholders that all requirements have been satisfied.
Traceability enables change analysis once the software is developed and released, since relationships
to software work products can easily be traversed
to assess change impact. Modeling tools typically
provide some automated or manual means to specify and manage traceability links between requirements, design, code, and/or test entities as may be
represented in the models and other software work
products. (For more information on traceability,
see the Software Configuration Management KA).
3.5.Interaction Analysis
[2*, c10, c11] [3*, c29s1.1, c29s5] [4*, c5]
Interaction analysis focuses on the communications or control flow relations between entities
used to accomplish a specific task or function
within the software model. This analysis examines the dynamic behavior of the interactions
between different portions of the software model,
including other software layers (such as the operating system, middleware, and applications). It
may also be important for some software applications to examine interactions between the computer software application and the user interface
software. Some software modeling environments
provide simulation facilities to study aspects of
the dynamic behavior of modeled software. Stepping through the simulation provides an analysis
option for the software engineer to review the
interaction design and verify that the different
parts of the software work together to provide the
intended functions.

Software Engineering Models and Methods 9-7

4.Software Engineering Methods

Software engineering methods provide an organized and systematic approach to developing software for a target computer. There are numerous
methods from which to choose, and it is important
for the software engineer to choose an appropriate
method or methods for the software development
task at hand; this choice can have a dramatic effect
on the success of the software project. Use of these
software engineering methods coupled with people
of the right skill set and tools enable the software
engineers to visualize the details of the software
and ultimately transform the representation into a
working set of code and data.
Selected software engineering methods are discussed below. The topic areas are organized into
discussions of Heuristic Methods, Formal Methods, Prototyping Methods, and Agile Methods.
4.1.Heuristic Methods
[1*, c13, c15, c16] [3*, c2s2.2, c5s4.1, c7s1,]
Heuristic methods are those experience-based
software engineering methods that have been and
are fairly widely practiced in the software industry. This topic area contains three broad discussion categories: structured analysis and design
methods, data modeling methods, and objectoriented analysis and design methods.
Structured Analysis and Design Methods:
The software model is developed primarily
from a functional or behavioral viewpoint,
starting from a high-level view of the software (including data and control elements)
and then progressively decomposing or refining the model components through increasingly detailed designs. The detailed design
eventually converges to very specific details
or specifications of the software that must be
coded (by hand, automatically generated, or
both), built, tested, and verified.
Data Modeling Methods: The data model is
constructed from the viewpoint of the data or
information used. Data tables and relationships define the data models. This data modeling method is used primarily for defining
and analyzing data requirements supporting

database designs or data repositories typically found in business software, where data
is actively managed as a business systems
resource or asset.
Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Methods: The object-oriented model is represented
as a collection of objects that encapsulate
data and relationships and interact with other
objects through methods. Objects may be
real-world items or virtual items. The software model is constructed using diagrams
to constitute selected views of the software.
Progressive refinement of the software models leads to a detailed design. The detailed
design is then either evolved through successive iteration or transformed (using some
mechanism) into the implementation view
of the model, where the code and packaging approach for eventual software product
release and deployment is expressed.
4.2.Formal Methods
[1*, c18] [3*, c27] [5*, p824]
Formal methods are software engineering methods used to specify, develop, and verify the software through application of a rigorous mathematically based notation and language. Through use
of a specification language, the software model
can be checked for consistency (in other words,
lack of ambiguity), completeness, and correctness
in a systematic and automated or semi-automated
fashion. This topic is related to the Formal Analysis section in the Software Requirements KA.
This section addresses specification languages,
program refinement and derivation, formal verification, and logical inference.
Specification Languages: Specification
languages provide the mathematical basis
for a formal method; specification languages are formal, higher level computer
languages (in other words, not a classic
3rd Generation Language (3GL) programming language) used during the software
specification, requirements analysis, and/
or design stages to describe specific input/
output behavior. Specification languages are
not directly executable languages; they are

9-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

typically comprised of a notation and syntax,

semantics for use of the notation, and a set of
allowed relations for objects.
Program Refinement and Derivation: Program refinement is the process of creating a
lower level (or more detailed) specification
using a series of transformations. It is through
successive transformations that the software
engineer derives an executable representation
of a program. Specifications may be refined,
adding details until the model can be formulated in a 3GL programming language or in
an executable portion of the chosen specification language. This specification refinement is
made possible by defining specifications with
precise semantic properties; the specifications
must set out not only the relationships between
entities but also the exact runtime meanings of
those relationships and operations.
Formal Verification: Model checking is
a formal verification method; it typically
involves performing a state-space exploration or reachability analysis to demonstrate
that the represented software design has or
preserves certain model properties of interest. An example of model checking is an
analysis that verifies correct program behavior under all possible interleaving of event or
message arrivals. The use of formal verification requires a rigorously specified model
of the software and its operational environment; this model often takes the form of a
finite state machine or other formally defined
automaton.
Logical Inference: Logical inference is a
method of designing software that involves
specifying preconditions and postconditions
around each significant block of the design,
andusing mathematical logicdeveloping
the proof that those preconditions and postconditions must hold under all inputs. This
provides a way for the software engineer to
predict software behavior without having
to execute the software. Some Integrated
Development Environments (IDEs) include
ways to represent these proofs along with the
design or code.

4.3.Prototyping Methods
[1*, c12s2] [3*, c2s3.1] [6*, c7s3p5]
Software prototyping is an activity that generally
creates incomplete or minimally functional versions of a software application, usually for trying out specific new features, soliciting feedback
on software requirements or user interfaces, further exploring software requirements, software
design, or implementation options, and/or gaining
some other useful insight into the software. The
software engineer selects a prototyping method to
understand the least understood aspects or components of the software first; this approach is in
contrast with other software engineering methods
that usually begin development with the most
understood portions first. Typically, the prototyped product does not become the final software
product without extensive development rework
or refactoring.
This section discusses prototyping styles, targets, and evaluation techniques in brief.
Prototyping Style: This addresses the various
approaches to developing prototypes. Prototypes can be developed as throwaway code
or paper products, as an evolution of a working design, or as an executable specification.
Different prototyping life cycle processes are
typically used for each style. The style chosen is based on the type of results the project
needs, the quality of the results needed, and
the urgency of the results.
Prototyping Target: The target of the prototype activity is the specific product being
served by the prototyping effort. Examples
of prototyping targets include a requirements
specification, an architectural design element
or component, an algorithm, or a humanmachine user interface.
Prototyping Evaluation Techniques: A prototype may be used or evaluated in a number of ways by the software engineer or
other project stakeholders, driven primarily
by the underlying reasons that led to prototype development in the first place. Prototypes may be evaluated or tested against
the actual implemented software or against

Software Engineering Models and Methods 9-9

a target set of requirements (for example, a

requirements prototype); the prototype may
also serve as a model for a future software
development effort (for example, as in a user
interface specification).
4.4.Agile Methods
[3*, c3] [6*, c7s3p7] [7*, c6, App. A]
Agile methods were born in the 1990s from the
need to reduce the apparent large overhead associated with heavyweight, plan-based methods used
in large-scale software-development projects.
Agile methods are considered lightweight methods in that they are characterized by short, iterative development cycles, self-organizing teams,
simpler designs, code refactoring, test-driven
development, frequent customer involvement, and
an emphasis on creating a demonstrable working
product with each development cycle.
Many agile methods are available in the literature; some of the more popular approaches,
which are discussed here in brief, include Rapid
Application Development (RAD), eXtreme Programming (XP), Scrum, and Feature-Driven
Development (FDD).
RAD: Rapid software development methods
are used primarily in data-intensive, businesssystems application development. The RAD
method is enabled with special-purpose database development tools used by software
engineers to quickly develop, test, and deploy
new or modified business applications.
XP: This approach uses stories or scenarios
for requirements, develops tests first, has
direct customer involvement on the team
(typically defining acceptance tests), uses
pair programming, and provides for continuous code refactoring and integration. Stories
are decomposed into tasks, prioritized, estimated, developed, and tested. Each increment of software is tested with automated
and manual tests; an increment may be
released frequently, such as every couple of
weeks or so.

Scrum: This agile approach is more project

management-friendly than the others. The
scrum master manages the activities within
the project increment; each increment is
called a sprint and lasts no more than 30
days. A Product Backlog Item (PBI) list is
developed from which tasks are identified,
defined, prioritized, and estimated. A working version of the software is tested and
released in each increment. Daily scrum
meetings ensure work is managed to plan.
FDD: This is a model-driven, short, iterative software development approach using
a five-phase process: (1) develop a product
model to scope the breadth of the domain, (2)
create the list of needs or features, (3) build
the feature development plan, (4) develop
designs for iteration-specific features, and
(5) code, test, and then integrate the features.
FDD is similar to an incremental software
development approach; it is also similar to
XP, except that code ownership is assigned
to individuals rather than the team. FDD
emphasizes an overall architectural approach
to the software, which promotes building the
feature correctly the first time rather than
emphasizing continual refactoring.
There are many more variations of agile methods in the literature and in practice. Note that
there will always be a place for heavyweight,
plan-based software engineering methods as well
as places where agile methods shine. There are
new methods arising from combinations of agile
and plan-based methods where practitioners are
defining new methods that balance the features
needed in both heavyweight and lightweight
methods based primarily on prevailing organizational business needs. These business needs,
as typically represented by some of the project
stakeholders, should and do drive the choice in
using one software engineering method over
another or in constructing a new method from the
best features of a combination of software engineering methods.

9-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

1.1.Modeling
Principles
1.2.Properties
and Expression of
Models
1.3.Syntax,
Semantics, and
Pragmatics
1.4.Preconditions,
Postconditions, and
Invariants
2.Types of Models
2.1.Information
Modeling
2.2.Behavioral
Modeling
2.3.Structure
Modeling

c4s1.1p7,
c4s6p3,
c5s0p3

c5s2,
c5s3
c2s2.2.2
p6

c5s0
c10s4p2,
c10s5
p2p4

c4s4

c7s2.2
c7s2.1,
c7s2.3,
c7s2.4
c7s2.5,
c7s3.1,
c7s3.2

c8s1
c9s2

c5s4

c5s3

c4

3.Analysis of Models
3.1.Analyzing for
Completeness
3.2.Analyzing for
Consistency
3.3.Analyzing for
Correctness

c4s1.1p7,
c4s6
c4s1.1p7,
c4s6

pp811
pp811

c4s7.1,
c4s7.2

3.4.Traceability
3.5.Interaction
Analysis

pp811

c10, c11

c29s1.1,
c29s5

c5

Boehm and Turner 2003

[7*]

c5s0

1.Modeling

Brookshear 2008
[6*]

Sommerville 2011
[3*]

c2s2

Wing 1990
[5*]

Mellor and Balcer 2002

[2*]

c2s2,
c5s1,
c5s2

Page-Jones 1999
[4*]

Budgen 2003
[1*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

Boehm and Turner 2003

[7*]

Brookshear 2008
[6*]

Wing 1990
[5*]

Page-Jones 1999
[4*]

Sommerville 2011
[3*]

Mellor and Balcer 2002

[2*]

Budgen 2003
[1*]

Software Engineering Models and Methods 9-11

4.Software
Engineering Methods
4.1.Heuristic
Methods
4.2.Formal Methods
4.3.Prototyping
Methods
4.4.Agile Methods

c18

c2s2.2,
c7s1,
c5s4.1
c27

c12s2

c2s3.1

c7s3p5

c3

c7s3p7

c13, c15,
c16

pp824

c6, app.
A

9-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

REFERENCES
[1*] D. Budgen, Software Design, 2nd ed.,
Addison-Wesley, 2003.
[2*] S.J. Mellor and M.J. Balcer, Executable
UML: A Foundation for Model-Driven
Architecture, 1st ed., Addison-Wesley,
2002.
[3*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th
ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.
[4*] M. Page-Jones, Fundamentals of ObjectOriented Design in UML, 1st ed., AddisonWesley, 1999.

[5*] J.M. Wing, A Specifiers Introduction to

Formal Methods, Computer, vol. 23, no. 9,
1990, pp. 8, 1023.
[6*] J.G. Brookshear, Computer Science: An
Overview, 10th ed., Addison-Wesley, 2008.
[7*] B. Boehm and R. Turner, Balancing Agility
and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed,
Addison-Wesley, 2003.

CHAPTER 10
SOFTWARE QUALITY
ACRONYMS
CMMI
CoSQ
COTS
FMEA
FTA
PDCA
PDSA
QFD
SPI
SQA
SQC
SQM
TQM
V&V

Capability Maturity Model

Integration
Cost of Software Quality
Commercial Off-the-Shelf
Software
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Fault Tree Analysis
Plan-Do-Check-Act
Plan-Do-Study-Act
Quality Function Deployment
Software Process Improvement
Software Quality Assurance
Software Quality Control
Software Quality Management
Total Quality Management
Verification and Validation

INTRODUCTION
What is software quality, and why is it so important that it is included in many knowledge areas
(KAs) of the SWEBOK Guide?
One reason is that the term software quality is
overloaded. Software quality may refer: to desirable characteristics of software products, to the
extent to which a particular software product possess those characteristics, and to processes, tools,
and techniques used to achieve those characteristics. Over the years, authors and organizations
have defined the term quality differently. To Phil
Crosby, it was conformance to requirements
[1]. Watts Humphrey refers to it as achieving
excellent levels of fitness for use [2]. Meanwhile, IBM coined the phrase market-driven

quality, where the customer is the final arbiter

[3*, p8].
More recently, software quality is defined as the
capability of software product to satisfy stated
and implied needs under specified conditions [4]
and as the degree to which a software product
meets established requirements; however, quality
depends upon the degree to which those established requirements accurately represent stakeholder needs, wants, and expectations [5]. Both
definitions embrace the premise of conformance
to requirements. Neither refers to types of requirements (e.g., functional, reliability, performance,
dependability, or any other characteristic). Significantly, however, these definitions emphasize that
quality is dependent upon requirements.
These definitions also illustrate another reason
for the prevalence of software quality throughout this Guide: a frequent ambiguity of software
quality versus software quality requirements
(the -ilities is a common shorthand). Software
quality requirements are actually attributes of (or
constraints on) functional requirements (what
the system does). Software requirements may
also specify resource usage, a communication
protocol, or many other characteristics. This KA
attempts clarity by using software quality in the
broadest sense from the definitions above and
by using software quality requirements as constraints on functional requirements. Software
quality is achieved by conformance to all requirements regardless of what characteristic is specified or how requirements are grouped or named.
Software quality is also considered in many of
the SWEBOK KAs because it is a basic parameter of a software engineering effort. For all engineered products, the primary goal is delivering
maximum stakeholder value, while balancing the
constraints of development cost and schedule;
this is sometimes characterized as fitness for

10-1

10-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 10.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Software Quality KA

use. Stakeholder value is expressed in requirements. For software products, stakeholders could
value price (what they pay for the product), lead
time (how fast they get the product), and software
quality.
This KA addresses definitions and provides an
overview of practices, tools, and techniques for
defining software quality and for appraising the
state of software quality during development,
maintenance, and deployment. Cited references
provide additional details.
BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR
SOFTWARE QUALITY
The breakdown of topics for the Software Quality
KA is presented in Figure 10.1.
1.Software Quality Fundamentals
Reaching agreement on what constitutes quality
for all stakeholders and clearly communicating
that agreement to software engineers require that

the many aspects of quality be formally defined

and discussed.
A software engineer should understand quality concepts, characteristics, values, and their
application to the software under development or
maintenance. The important concept is that the
software requirements define the required quality
attributes of the software. Software requirements
influence the measurement methods and acceptance criteria for assessing the degree to which
the software and related documentation achieve
the desired quality levels.
1.1.Software Engineering Culture and Ethics
[3*, c1s4] [6*, c2s3.5]
Software engineers are expected to share a commitment to software quality as part of their culture.
A healthy software engineering culture includes
many characteristics, including the understanding
that tradeoffs among cost, schedule, and quality
are a basic tenant of the engineering of any product. A strong software engineering ethic assumes

Software Quality 10-3

that engineers accurately report information, conditions, and outcomes related to quality.
Ethics also play a significant role in software
quality, the culture, and the attitudes of software
engineers. The IEEE Computer Society and the
ACM have developed a code of ethics and professional practice (see Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct in the Software Engineering
Professional Practice KA).

software product to the customer. External failure costs include activities to respond to software
problems discovered after delivery to the customer.
Software engineers should be able to use CoSQ
methods to ascertain levels of software quality
and should also be able to present quality alternatives and their costs so that tradeoffs between
cost, schedule, and delivery of stakeholder value
can be made.

1.2.Value and Costs of Quality

1.3.Models and Quality Characteristics

[3*, c24s1] [7*, c2s4] [8*, c17]

[7*, c17, c22]

Defining and then achieving software quality is

not simple. Quality characteristics may or may
not be required, or they may be required to a
greater or lesser degree, and tradeoffs may be
made among them. To help determine the level
of software quality, i.e., achieving stakeholder
value, this section presents cost of software quality (CoSQ): a set of measurements derived from
the economic assessment of software quality
development and maintenance processes. The
CoSQ measurements are examples of process
measurements that may be used to infer characteristics of a product.
The premise underlying the CoSQ is that the
level of quality in a software product can be
inferred from the cost of activities related to dealing with the consequences of poor quality. Poor
quality means that the software product does not
fully satisfy stated and implied needs or established requirements. There are four cost of quality categories: prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure.
Prevention costs include investments in software
process improvement efforts, quality infrastructure, quality tools, training, audits, and management reviews. These costs are usually not specific
to a project; they span the organization. Appraisal
costs arise from project activities that find defects.
These appraisal activities can be categorized into
costs of reviews (design, peer) and costs of testing (software unit testing, software integration,
system level testing, acceptance testing); appraisal
costs would be extended to subcontracted software
suppliers. Costs of internal failures are those that
are incurred to fix defects found during appraisal
activities and discovered prior to delivery of the

Terminology for software quality characteristics

differs from one taxonomy (or model of software
quality) to another, each model perhaps having
a different number of hierarchical levels and a
different total number of characteristics. Various
authors have produced models of software quality characteristics or attributes that can be useful
for discussing, planning, and rating the quality
of software products. ISO/IEC 25010: 2011 [4]
defines product quality and quality in use as two
related quality models. Appendix B in the SWEBOK Guide provides a list of applicable standards
for each KA. Standards for this KA cover various
ways of characterizing software quality.
1.3.1.Software Process Quality
Software quality management and software engineering process quality have a direct bearing on
the quality of the software product.
Models and criteria that evaluate the capabilities of software organizations are primarily project organization and management considerations
and, as such, are covered in the Software Engineering Management and Software Engineering
Process KAs.
It is not possible to completely distinguish process quality from product quality because process
outcomes include products. Determining whether
a process has the capability to consistently produce products of desired quality is not simple.
The software engineering process, discussed
in the Software Engineering Process KA, influences the quality characteristics of software products, which in turn affect quality as perceived by
stakeholders.

10-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

1.3.2.Software Product Quality

The software engineer, first of all, must determine
the real purpose of the software. In this regard,
stakeholder requirements are paramount, and they
include quality requirements in addition to functional requirements. Thus, software engineers
have a responsibility to elicit quality requirements
that may not be explicit at the outset and to understand their importance as well as the level of difficulty in attaining them. All software development
processes (e.g., eliciting requirements, designing,
constructing, building, checking, improving quality) are designed with these quality requirements
in mind and may carry additional development
costs if attributes such as safety, security, and
dependability are important. The additional development costs help ensure that quality obtained can
be traded off against the anticipated benefits.
The term work-product means any artifact that
is the outcome of a process used to create the
final software product. Examples of a work-product include a system/subsystem specification, a
software requirements specification for a software component of a system, a software design
description, source code, software test documentation, or reports. While some treatments of quality are described in terms of final software and
system performance, sound engineering practice
requires that intermediate work-products relevant
to quality be evaluated throughout the software
engineering process.
1.4.Software Quality Improvement
[3*, c1s4] [9*, c24] [10*, c11s2.4]
The quality of software products can be improved
through preventative processes or an iterative process of continual improvement, which
requires management control, coordination, and
feedback from many concurrent processes: (1)
the software life cycle processes, (2) the process
of fault/defect detection, removal, and prevention, and (3) the quality improvement process.
The theory and concepts behind quality improvementsuch as building in quality
through the prevention and early detection of
defects, continual improvement, and stakeholder
focusare pertinent to software engineering.
These concepts are based on the work of experts

in quality who have stated that the quality of a

product is directly linked to the quality of the
process used to create it. Approaches such as the
Deming improvement cycle of Plan-Do-CheckAct (PDCA), evolutionary delivery, kaizen, and
quality function deployment (QFD) offer techniques to specify quality objectives and determine
whether they are met. The Software Engineering
Institutes IDEAL is another method [7*]. Quality management is now recognized by the SWEBOK Guide as an important discipline.
Management sponsorship supports process and
product evaluations and the resulting findings.
Then an improvement program is developed
identifying detailed actions and improvement
projects to be addressed in a feasible time frame.
Management support implies that each improvement project has enough resources to achieve the
goal defined for it. Management sponsorship is
solicited frequently by implementing proactive
communication activities.
1.5.Software Safety

[9*, c11s3]

Safety-critical systems are those in which a system failure could harm human life, other living
things, physical structures, or the environment.
The software in these systems is safety-critical.
There are increasing numbers of applications
of safety-critical software in a growing number
of industries. Examples of systems with safetycritical software include mass transit systems,
chemical manufacturing plants, and medical
devices. The failure of software in these systems
could have catastrophic effects. There are industry standards, such as DO-178C [11], and emerging processes, tools, and techniques for developing safetycritical software. The intent of these
standards, tools, and techniques is to reduce the
risk of injecting faults into the software and thus
improve software reliability.
Safety-critical software can be categorized as
direct or indirect. Direct is that software embedded in a safety-critical system, such as the flight
control computer of an aircraft. Indirect includes
software applications used to develop safetycritical software. Indirect software is included in
software engineering environments and software
test environments.

Software Quality 10-5

Three complementary techniques for reducing the risk of failure are avoidance, detection
and removal, and damage limitation. These
techniques impact software functional requirements, software performance requirements, and
development processes. Increasing levels of risk
imply increasing levels of software quality assurance and control techniques such as inspections.
Higher risk levels may necessitate more thorough
inspections of requirements, design, and code
or the use of more formal analytical techniques.
Another technique for managing and controlling software risk is building assurance cases. An
assurance case is a reasoned, auditable artifact
created to support the contention that its claim
or claims are satisfied. It contains the following
and their relationships: one or more claims about
properties; arguments that logically link the evidence and any assumptions to the claims; and a
body of evidence and assumptions supporting
these arguments [12].
2.Software Quality Management Processes
Software quality management is the collection of
all processes that ensure that software products,
services, and life cycle process implementations
meet organizational software quality objectives
and achieve stakeholder satisfaction [13, 14].
SQM defines processes, process owners, requirements for the processes, measurements of the
processes and their outputs, and feedback channels throughout the whole software life cycle.
SQM comprises four subcategories: software
quality planning, software quality assurance
(SQA), software quality control (SQC), and software process improvement (SPI). Software quality planning includes determining which quality
standards are to be used, defining specific quality
goals, and estimating the effort and schedule of
software quality activities. In some cases, software quality planning also includes defining the
software quality processes to be used. SQA activities define and assess the adequacy of software
processes to provide evidence that establishes
confidence that the software processes are appropriate for and produce software products of suitable quality for their intended purposes [5]. SQC
activities examine specific project artifacts (documents and executables) to determine whether they

comply with standards established for the project

(including requirements, constraints, designs,
contracts, and plans). SQC evaluates intermediate products as well as the final products.
The fourth SQM category dealing with improvement has various names within the software industry, including SPI, software quality improvement,
and software corrective and preventive action. The
activities in this category seek to improve process
effectiveness, efficiency, and other characteristics with the ultimate goal of improving software
quality. Although SPI could be included in any of
the first three categories, an increasing number
of organizations organize SPI into a separate category that may span across many projects (see the
Software Engineering Process KA).
Software quality processes consist of tasks
and techniques to indicate how software plans
(e.g., software management, development, quality management, or configuration management
plans) are being implemented and how well the
intermediate and final products are meeting their
specified requirements. Results from these tasks
are assembled in reports for management before
corrective action is taken. The management of
an SQM process is tasked with ensuring that the
results of these reports are accurate.
Risk management can also play an important
role in delivering quality software. Incorporating
disciplined risk analysis and management techniques into the software life cycle processes can
help improve product quality (see the Software
Engineering Management KA for related material on risk management).
2.1.Software Quality Assurance
[7*, c4c6, c11, c12, c2627]
To quell a widespread misunderstanding, software quality assurance is not testing. software
quality assurance (SQA) is a set of activities that
define and assess the adequacy of software processes to provide evidence that establishes confidence that the software processes are appropriate
and produce software products of suitable quality for their intended purposes. A key attribute of
SQA is the objectivity of the SQA function with
respect to the project. The SQA function may
also be organizationally independent of the project; that is, free from technical, managerial, and

10-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

financial pressures from the project [5]. SQA has

two aspects: product assurance and process assurance, which are explained in section 2.3.
The software quality plan (in some industry
sectors it is termed the software quality assurance
plan) defines the activities and tasks employed
to ensure that software developed for a specific
product satisfies the projects established requirements and user needs within project cost and
schedule constraints and is commensurate with
project risks. The SQAP first ensures that quality
targets are clearly defined and understood.
The SQA plans quality activities and tasks are
specified with their costs, resource requirements,
objectives, and schedule in relation to related
objectives in the software engineering management, software development, and software maintenance plans. The SQA plan should be consistent with the software configuration management
plan (see the Software Configuration Management KA). The SQA plan identifies documents,
standards, practices, and conventions governing
the project and how these items are checked and
monitored to ensure adequacy and compliance.
The SQA plan also identifies measures; statistical
techniques; procedures for problem reporting and
corrective action; resources such as tools, techniques, and methodologies; security for physical
media; training; and SQA reporting and documentation. Moreover, the SQA plan addresses
the software quality assurance activities of any
other type of activity described in the software
planssuch as procurement of supplier software
for the project, commercial off-the-shelf software
(COTS) installation, and service after delivery of
the software. It can also contain acceptance criteria as well as reporting and management activities that are critical to software quality.
2.2.Verification & Validation
[9*, c2s2.3, c8, c15s1.1, c21s3.3]
As stated in [15],
The purpose of V&V is to help the development organization build quality into the
system during the life cycle. V&V processes provide an objective assessment
of products and processes throughout the

life cycle. This assessment demonstrates

whether the requirements are correct, complete, accurate, consistent, and testable.
The V&V processes determine whether
the development products of a given activity conform to the requirements of that
activity and whether the product satisfies
its intended use and user needs.
Verification is an attempt to ensure that the
product is built correctly, in the sense that the
output products of an activity meet the specifications imposed on them in previous activities.
Validation is an attempt to ensure that the right
product is builtthat is, the product fulfills its
specific intended purpose. Both the verification
process and the validation process begin early
in the development or maintenance phase. They
provide an examination of key product features
in relation to both the products immediate predecessor and the specifications to be met.
The purpose of planning V&V is to ensure that
each resource, role, and responsibility is clearly
assigned. The resulting V&V plan documents
describe the various resources and their roles and
activities, as well as the techniques and tools to be
used. An understanding of the different purposes of
each V&V activity helps in the careful planning of
the techniques and resources needed to fulfill their
purposes. The plan also addresses the management, communication, policies, and procedures of
the V&V activities and their interaction, as well as
defect reporting and documentation requirements.
2.3.Reviews and Audits

[9*, c24s3] [16*]

Reviews and audit processes are broadly defined

as staticmeaning that no software programs or
models are executedexamination of software
engineering artifacts with respect to standards that
have been established by the organization or project for those artifacts. Different types of reviews
and audits are distinguished by their purpose, levels of independence, tools and techniques, roles,
and by the subject of the activity. Product assurance and process assurance audits are typically
conducted by software quality assurance (SQA)
personnel who are independent of development

Software Quality 10-7

teams. Management reviews are conducted by

organizational or project management. The engineering staff conducts technical reviews.
Management reviews evaluate actual project
results with respect to plans.
Technical reviews (including inspections,
walkthrough, and desk checking) examine
engineering work-products.
Process assurance audits. SQA process
assurance activities make certain that the
processes used to develop, install, operate,
and maintain software conform to contracts,
comply with any imposed laws, rules, and
regulations and are adequate, efficient and
effective for their intended purpose [5].
Product assurance audits. SQA product
assurance activities make certain to provide
evidence that software products and related
documentation are identified in and comply
with contracts; and ensure that nonconformances are identified and addressed [5].
2.3.1.Management Reviews
As stated in [16*],
The purpose of a management review is to
monitor progress, determine the status of
plans and schedules, and evaluate the effectiveness of management processes, tools
and techniques. Management reviews compare actual project results against plans to
determine the status of projects or maintenance efforts. The main parameters of management reviews are project cost, schedule,
scope, and quality. Management reviews
evaluate decisions about corrective actions,
changes in the allocation of resources, or
changes to the scope of the project.
Inputs to management reviews may include
audit reports, progress reports, V&V reports, and
plans of many types, including risk management,
project management, software configuration
management, software safety, and risk assessment, among others. (Refer to the Software Engineering Management and the Software Configuration Management KAs for related material.)

2.3.2.Technical Reviews
As stated in [16*],
The purpose of a technical review is to
evaluate a software product by a team of
qualified personnel to determine its suitability for its intended use and identify
discrepancies from specifications and
standards. It provides management with
evidence to confirm the technical status of
the project.
Although any work-product can be reviewed,
technical reviews are performed on the main
software engineering work-products of software
requirements and software design.
Purpose, roles, activities, and most importantly
the level of formality distinguish different types
of technical reviews. Inspections are the most formal, walkthroughs less, and pair reviews or desk
checks are the least formal.
Examples of specific roles include a decision
maker (i.e., software lead), a review leader, a
recorder, and checkers (technical staff members
who examine the work-products). Reviews are
also distinguished by whether meetings (face to
face or electronic) are included in the process. In
some review methods checkers solitarily examine work-products and send their results back to
a coordinator. In other methods checkers work
cooperatively in meetings. A technical review
may require that mandatory inputs be in place in
order to proceed:
Statement of objectives
Specific software product
Specific project management plan
Issues list associated with this product
Technical review procedure.
The team follows the documented review procedure. The technical review is completed once
all the activities listed in the examination have
been completed.
Technical reviews of source code may include a
wide variety of concerns such as analysis of algorithms, utilization of critical computer resources,
adherence to coding standards, structure and

10-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

organization of code for testability, and safetycritical considerations.

Note that technical reviews of source code or
design models such as UML are also termed static
analysis (see topic 3, Practical Considerations).
2.3.3.Inspections
The purpose of an inspection is to detect and
identify software product anomalies [16*].
Some important differentiators of inspections as
compared to other types of technical reviews are
these:
1. Rules. Inspections are based upon examining
a work-product with respect to a defined set
of criteria specified by the organization. Sets
of rules can be defined for different types of
workproducts (e.g., rules for requirements,
architecture descriptions, source code).
2. Sampling. Rather that attempt to examine
every word and figure in a document, the
inspection process allows checkers to evaluate defined subsets (samples) of the documents under review.
3. Peer. Individuals holding management positions over members of the inspection team
do not participate in the inspection. This is
a key distinction between peer review and
management review.
4. Led. An impartial moderator who is trained
in inspection techniques leads inspection
meetings.
5. Meeting. The inspection process includes
meetings (face to face or electronic) conducted by a moderator according to a formal
procedure in which inspection team members report the anomalies they have found
and other issues.
Software inspections always involve the author
of an intermediate or final product; other reviews
might not. Inspections also include an inspection
leader, a recorder, a reader, and a few (two to five)
checkers (inspectors). The members of an inspection team may possess different expertise, such as
domain expertise, software design method expertise, or programming language expertise. Inspections are usually conducted on one relatively

small section of the product at a time (samples).

Each team member examines the software product and other review inputs prior to the review
meeting, perhaps by applying an analytical technique (see section 3.3.3) to a small section of
the product or to the entire product with a focus
on only one aspecte.g., interfaces. During the
inspection, the moderator conducts the session
and verifies that everyone has prepared for the
inspection and conducts the session. The inspection recorder documents anomalies found. A set
of rules, with criteria and questions germane to
the issues of interest, is a common tool used in
inspections. The resulting list often classifies the
anomalies (see section 3.2, Defect Characterization) and is reviewed for completeness and accuracy by the team. The inspection exit decision
corresponds to one of the following options:
1. Accept with no or, at most, minor reworking
2. Accept with rework verification
3. Reinspect.
2.3.4.Walkthroughs
As stated in [16*],
The purpose of a systematic walk-through
is to evaluate a software product. A walkthrough may be conducted for the purpose
of educating an audience regarding a software product.
Walkthroughs are distinguished from inspections. The main difference is that the author presents the work-product to the other participants in
a meeting (face to face or electronic). Unlike an
inspection, the meeting participants may not have
necessarily seen the material prior to the meeting. The meetings may be conducted less formally. The author takes the role of explaining and
showing the material to participants and solicits
feedback. Like inspections, walkthroughs may be
conducted on any type of work-product including
project plan, requirements, design, source code,
and test reports.

Software Quality 10-9

2.3.5.Process Assurance and Product Assurance Audits

As stated in [16*],
The purpose of a software audit is to provide an independent evaluation of the conformance of software products and processes to applicable regulations, standards,
guidelines, plans, and procedures.
Process assurance audits determine the adequacy
of plans, schedules, and requirements to achieve
project objectives [5]. The audit is a formally
organized activity with participants having specific rolessuch as lead auditor, another auditor, a
recorder, or an initiatorand including a representative of the audited organization. Audits identify
instances of nonconformance and produce a report
requiring the team to take corrective action.
While there may be many formal names for
reviews and audits, such as those identified in the
standard [16*], the important point is that they
can occur on almost any product at any stage of
the development or maintenance process.
3.Practical Considerations
3.1.Software Quality Requirements
[9*, c11s1] [18*, c12]
[17*, c15s3.2.2, c15s3.3.1, c16s9.10]
3.1.1.Influence Factors
Various factors influence planning, management,
and selection of SQM activities and techniques,
including
the domain of the system in which the software resides; the system functions could be
safety-critical, mission-critical, businesscritical, security-critical
the physical environment in which the software system resides
system and software functional (what the
system does) and quality (how well the system performs its functions) requirements
the commercial (external) or standard (internal) components to be used in the system

the specific software engineering standards

applicable
the methods and software tools to be used for
development and maintenance and for quality evaluation and improvement
the budget, staff, project organization, plans,
and scheduling of all processes
the intended users and use of the system
the integrity level of the system.
Information on these factors influences how
the SQM processes are organized and documented, how specific SQM activities are selected,
what resources are needed, and which of those
resources impose bounds on the efforts.
3.1.2.Dependability
In cases where system failure may have extremely
severe consequences, overall dependability (hardware, software, and human or operational) is the
main quality requirement over and above basic
functionality. This is the case for the following
reasons: system failures affect a large number of
people; users often reject systems that are unreliable, unsafe, or insecure; system failure costs
may be enormous; and undependable systems
may cause information loss. System and software dependability include such characteristics
as availability, reliability, safety, and security.
When developing dependable software, tools and
techniques can be applied to reduce the risk of
injecting faults into the intermediate deliverables
or the final software product. Verification, validation, and testing processes, techniques, methods,
and tools identify faults that impact dependability
as early as possible in the life cycle. Additionally, mechanisms may need to be in place in the
software to guard against external attacks and to
tolerate faults.
3.1.3.Integrity Levels of Software
Defining integrity levels is a method of risk
management.
Software integrity levels are a range of
values that represent software complexity,
criticality, risk, safety level, security level,

10-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

desired performance, reliability, or other

project-unique characteristics that define
the importance of the software to the user
and acquirer. The characteristics used to
determine software integrity level vary
depending on the intended application and
use of the system. The software is a part of
the system, and its integrity level is to be
determined as a part of that system.
The assigned software integrity levels may
change as the software evolves. Design, coding,
procedural, and technology features implemented
in the system or software can raise or lower the
assigned software integrity levels. The software
integrity levels established for a project result
from agreements among the acquirer, supplier,
developer, and independent assurance authorities.
A software integrity level scheme is a tool used in
determining software integrity levels. [5]
As noted in [17*], the integrity levels can be
applied during development to allocate additional
verification and validation efforts to high-integrity components.
3.2.Defect Characterization
[3*, c3s3, c8s8, c10s2]
Software quality evaluation (i.e., software quality
control) techniques find defects, faults and failures. Characterizing these techniques leads to an
understanding of the product, facilitates corrections to the process or the product, and informs
management and other stakeholders of the status of the process or product. Many taxonomies
exist and, while attempts have been made to gain
consensus, the literature indicates that there are
quite a few in use. Defect characterization is also
used in audits and reviews, with the review leader
often presenting a list of issues provided by team
members for consideration at a review meeting.
As new design methods and languages evolve,
along with advances in overall software technologies, new classes of defects appear, and a great
deal of effort is required to interpret previously
defined classes. When tracking defects, the software engineer is interested in not only the number
of defects but also the types. Information alone,
without some classification, may not be sufficient
to identify the underlying causes of the defects.

Specific types of problems need to be grouped to

identify trends over time. The point is to establish
a defect taxonomy that is meaningful to the organization and to software engineers.
Software quality control activities discover information at all stages of software development and
maintenance. In some cases, the word defect is
overloaded to refer to different types of anomalies.
However, different engineering cultures and standards may use somewhat different meanings for
these terms. The variety of terms prompts this section to provide a widely used set of definitions [19]:
Computational Error: the difference
between a computed, observed, or measured
value or condition and the true, specified, or
theoretically correct value or condition.
Error: A human action that produces an
incorrect result. A slip or mistake that a person makes. Also called human error.
Defect: An imperfection or deficiency in a
work product where that work product does
not meet its requirements or specifications
and needs to be either repaired or replaced.
A defect is caused by a person committing
an error.
Fault: A defect in source code. An incorrect
step, process, or data definition in computer
program. The encoding of a human error in
source code. Fault is the formal name of a bug.
Failure: An event in which a system or system component does not perform a required
function within specified limits. A failure is
produced when a fault is encountered by the
processor under specified conditions.
Using these definitions three widely used software quality measurements are defect density
(number of defects per unit size of documents),
fault density (number of faults per 1K lines of
code), and failure intensity (failures per use-hour
or per test-hour). Reliability models are built
from failure data collected during software testing or from software in service and thus can be
used to estimate the probability of future failures
and to assist in decisions on when to stop testing.
One probable action resulting from SQM findings is to remove the defects from the product
under examination (e.g., find and fix bugs, create
new build). Other activities attempt to eliminate

Software Quality 10-11

the causes of the defectsfor example, root cause

analysis (RCA). RCA activities include analyzing
and summarizing the findings to find root causes
and using measurement techniques to improve
the product and the process as well as to track the
defects and their removal. Process improvement
is primarily discussed in the Software Engineering Process KA, with the SQM process being a
source of information.
Data on inadequacies and defects found by
software quality control techniques may be lost
unless they are recorded. For some techniques
(e.g., technical reviews, audits, inspections),
recorders are present to set down such information, along with issues and decisions. When automated tools are used (see topic 4, Software Quality Tools), the tool output may provide the defect
information. Reports about defects are provided
to the management of the organization.
3.3.Software Quality Management Techniques
[7*, c7s3] [8*, c17] [9*, c12s5, c15s1, p417]
[16*]
Software quality control techniques can be categorized in many ways, but a straightforward
approach uses just two categories: static and
dynamic. Dynamic techniques involve executing
the software; static techniques involve analyzing
documents and source code but not executing the
software.
3.3.1.Static Techniques
Static techniques examine software documentation (including requirements, interface specifications, designs, and models) and software source
code without executing the code. There are many
tools and techniques for statically examining software work-products (see section 2.3.2). In addition, tools that analyze source code control flow
and search for dead code are considered to be
static analysis tools because they do not involve
executing the software code.
Other, more formal, types of analytical techniques are known as formal methods. They are
notably used to verify software requirements and
designs. They have mostly been used in the verification of crucial parts of critical systems, such
as specific security and safety requirements. (See

also Formal Methods in the Software Engineering Models and Methods KA.)
3.3.2.Dynamic Techniques
Dynamic techniques involve executing the software code. Different kinds of dynamic techniques
are performed throughout the development and
maintenance of software. Generally, these are
testing techniques, but techniques such as simulation and model analysis may be considered
dynamic (see the Software Engineering Models
and Methods KA). Code reading is considered a
static technique, but experienced software engineers may execute the code as they read through
it. Code reading may utilize dynamic techniques.
This discrepancy in categorizing indicates that
people with different roles and experience in the
organization may consider and apply these techniques differently.
Different groups may perform testing during
software development, including groups independent of the development team. The Software
Testing KA is devoted entirely to this subject.
3.3.3.Testing
Two types of testing may fall under V&V because
of their responsibility for the quality of the materials used in the project:
Evaluation and tests of tools to be used on
the project
Conformance tests (or review of conformance tests) of components and COTS products to be used in the product.
Sometimes an independent (third-party or
IV&V) organization may be tasked to perform
testing or to monitor the test process V&V may
be called upon to evaluate the testing itself: adequacy of plans, processes, and procedures, and
adequacy and accuracy of results.
The third party is not the developer, nor is it
associated with the development of the product.
Instead, the third party is an independent facility, usually accredited by some body of authority.
Their purpose is to test a product for conformance
to a specific set of requirements (see the Software
Testing KA).

10-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

3.4.Software Quality Measurement

[3*, c4] [8*, c17] [9*, p90]
Software quality measurements are used to
support decision-making. With the increasing
sophistication of software, questions of quality
go beyond whether or not the software works to
how well it achieves measurable quality goals.
Decisions supported by software quality measurement include determining levels of software
quality (notably because models of software
product quality include measures to determine
the degree to which the software product achieves
quality goals); managerial questions about effort,
cost, and schedule; determining when to stop testing and release a product (see Termination under
section 5.1, Practical Considerations,in the Software Testing KA); and determining the efficacy
of process improvement efforts.
The cost of SQM processes is an issue frequently raised in deciding how a project or a software development and maintenance group should
be organized. Often, generic models of cost are
used, which are based on when a defect is found
and how much effort it takes to fix the defect relative to finding the defect earlier in the development process. Software quality measurement data
collected internally may give a better picture of
cost within this project or organization.
While the software quality measurement data
may be useful in itself (e.g., the number of defective requirements or the proportion of defective
requirements), mathematical and graphical techniques can be applied to aid in the interpretation
of the measures (see the Engineering Foundations
KA). These techniques include
descriptive statistics based (e.g., Pareto
analysis, run charts, scatter plots, normal
distribution)
statistical tests (e.g., the binomial test, chisquared test)
trend analysis (e.g., control charts; see
The Quality Toolbox in the list of further
readings)
prediction (e.g., reliability models).
Descriptive statistics-based techniques and
tests often provide a snapshot of the more

troublesome areas of the software product under

examination. The resulting charts and graphs
are visualization aids, which the decision makers can use to focus resources and conduct process improvements where they appear to be most
needed. Results from trend analysis may indicate
that a schedule is being met, such as in testing, or
that certain classes of faults may become more
likely to occur unless some corrective action is
taken in development. The predictive techniques
assist in estimating testing effort and schedule
and in predicting failures. More discussion on
measurement in general appears in the Software
Engineering Process and Software Engineering
Management KAs. More specific information on
testing measurement is presented in the Software
Testing KA.
Software quality measurement includes measuring defect occurrences and applying statistical
methods to understand the types of defects that
occur most frequently. This information may be
used by software process improvement for determining methods to prevent, reduce, or eliminate
their recurrence. They also aid in understanding
trends, how well detection and containment techniques are working, and how well the development and maintenance processes are progressing.
From these measurement methods, defect
profiles can be developed for a specific application domain. Then, for the next software project
within that organization, the profiles can be used
to guide the SQM processesthat is, to expend
the effort where problems are most likely to occur.
Similarly, benchmarks, or defect counts typical of
that domain, may serve as one aid in determining
when the product is ready for delivery. Discussion on using data from SQM to improve development and maintenance processes appears in the
Software Engineering Management and Software
Engineering Process KAs.
4.Software Quality Tools
Software quality tools include static and dynamic
analysis tools. Static analysis tools input source
code, perform syntactical and semantic analysis
without executing the code, and present results to
users. There is a large variety in the depth, thoroughness, and scope of static analysis tools that

Software Quality 10-13

can be applied to artifacts including models, in

addition to source code. (See the Software Construction, Software Testing, and Software Maintenance KAs for descriptions of dynamic analysis
tools.)
Categories of static analysis tools include the
following:
Tools that facilitate and partially automate
reviews and inspections of documents and
code. These tools can route work to different participants in order to partially automate
and control a review process. They allow
users to enter defects found during inspections and reviews for later removal.
Some tools help organizations perform software safety hazard analysis. These tools
provide, e.g., automated support for failure
mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and fault
tree analysis (FTA).

Tools that support tracking of software problems provide for entry of anomalies discovered during software testing and subsequent
analysis, disposition, and resolution. Some
tools include support for workflow and for
tracking the status of problem resolution.
Tools that analyze data captured from software engineering environments and software test environments and produce visual
displays of quantified data in the form of
graphs, charts, and tables. These tools sometimes include the functionality to perform
statistical analysis on data sets (for the purpose of discerning trends and making forecasts). Some of these tools provide defect
and removal injection rates; defect densities;
yields; distribution of defect injection and
removal for each of the life cycle phases.

10-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

c24s1

c2s4

c1s4

c17

c11s3

c4c6,
c11,
c2627

2.2.Verification
and Validation

c2
s2.3,
c8, c15
s1.1,
c21
s3.3

2.3.Reviews
and Audits

c24s3

Wiegers 2003
[18*]

c11
s2.4

c17,
c22

Moore 2006
[17*]

Voland 2003
[10*]

c24

IEEE Std. 1028-2008

[16*]

Sommerville 2011
[9*]

c2s3.5

Naik and Tripathy 2008

[8*]

c1s4

Galin 2004
[7*]

Bott et al. 2000

[6*]

1.Software
Quality
Fundamentals
1.1.Software
Engineering
Culture and
Ethics
1.2.Value and
Cost of Quality
1.3.Models
and Quality
Characteristics
1.4.Software
Quality
Improvement
1.5.Software
Safety
2.Software
Quality
Management
Processes
2.1.Software
Quality
Assurance

Kan 2002
[3*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

Moore 2006
[17*]

Wiegers 2003
[18*]

IEEE Std. 1028-2008

[16*]

Voland 2003
[10*]

Sommerville 2011
[9*]

Naik and Tripathy 2008

[8*]

Galin 2004
[7*]

Bott et al. 2000

[6*]

Kan 2002
[3*]

Software Quality 10-15

c15
s3.2.2,
c15
s3.3.1,
c16
s9.10

c12

3.Software
Quality Practical
Considerations
3.1.Software
Quality
Requirements

3.2.Defect
Characterization

c11s1

c3s3,
c8s8,
c10s2

3.3.SQM
Techniques
3.4.Software
Quality
Measurement
4.Software
Quality Tools

c7s3

c4

c17

c12s5,
c15s1,
p417

c17

p90

10-16 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

FURTHER READINGS
N. Leveson, Safeware: System Safety and
Computers [20].

K.E. Wiegers, Peer Reviews in Software: A

Practical Guide [23].

This book describes the importance of software

safety practices and how these practices can be
incorporated into software development projects.

This book provides clear, succinct explanations

of different peer review methods distinguished by
level of formality and effectiveness. Pragmatic
guidance for implementing the methods and how
to select which methods are appropriate for given
circumstances is provided.

T. Gilb, Principles of Software Engineering

Management [21].
This is one of the first books on iterative and
incremental development techniques. The Evo
Method defines quantified goals, frequent timeboxed iterations, measurements of progress
toward goals, and adaptation of plans based on
actual results.
T. Gilb and D. Graham, Software Inspection
[22].
This book introduces measurement and statistical sampling for reviews and defects. It presents
techniques that produce quantified results for
reducing defects, improving productivity, tracking projects, and creating documentation.

N.R. Tague, The Quality Toolbox, 2nd ed., [24].

Provides a pragmatic how-to explanation of a
comprehensive set of methods, tools, and techniques for solving quality improvement problems. Includes the seven basic quality control
tools and many others.
IEEE Std. P730-2013 Draft Standard for
Software Quality Assurance Processes [5].
This draft standard expands the SQA processes
identified in IEEE/ISO/IEC 12207-2008. P730
establishes standards for initiating, planning,
controlling, and executing the software quality
assurance processes of a software development
or maintenance project. Approval of this draft
standard is expected in 2014.

Software Quality 10-17

REFERENCES
[1] P.B. Crosby, Quality Is Free, McGraw-Hill,
1979.
[2] W. Humphrey, Managing the Software
Process, Addison-Wesley, 1989.
[3*] S.H. Kan, Metrics and Models in Software
Quality Engineering, 2nd ed., AddisonWesley, 2002.
[4] ISO/IEC 25010:2011 Systems and Software
EngineeringSystems and Software
Quality Requirements and Evaluation
(SQuaRE)Systems and Software Quality
Models, ISO/IEC, 2011.

[13] IEEE Std. 12207-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC

12207:2008) Standard for Systems and
Software EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle
Processes, IEEE, 2008.
[14] ISO 9000:2005 Quality Management
SystemsFundamentals and Vocabulary,
ISO, 2005.
[15] IEEE Std. 1012-2012 Standard for System
and Software Verification and Validation,
IEEE, 2012.
[16*] IEEE Std. 1028-2008, Software Reviews
and Audits, IEEE, 2008.

[5] IEEE P730/D8Draft Standard for

Software Quality Assurance Processes,
IEEE, 2012.

[17*] J.W. Moore, The Road Map to Software

Engineering: A Standards-Based Guide,
Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press, 2006.

[6*] F. Bott et al., Professional Issues in

Software Engineering, 3rd ed., Taylor &
Francis, 2000.

[18*] K.E. Wiegers, Software Requirements, 2nd

ed., Microsoft Press, 2003.

[7*] D. Galin, Software Quality Assurance:

From Theory to Implementation, Pearson
Education Limited, 2004.
[8*] S. Naik and P. Tripathy, Software Testing
and Quality Assurance: Theory and
Practice, Wiley-Spektrum, 2008.
[9*] P. Clements et al., Documenting Software
Architectures: Views and Beyond, 2nd ed.,
Pearson Education, 2010.
[10*] G. Voland, Engineering by Design, 2nd
ed., Prentice Hall, 2003.
[11] RTCA DO-178C, Software Considerations
in Airborne Systems and Equipment
Certification, Radio Technical Commission
for Aeronautics, 2011.
[12] IEEE Std. 15026.1-2011 Trial-Use Standard
Adoption of ISO/IEC TR 15026-1:2010
Systems and Software Engineering
Systems and Software AssurancePart 1:
Concepts and Vocabulary, IEEE, 2011.

[19] ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and

Software EngineeringVocabulary, ISO/
IEC/IEEE, 2010.
[20] N. Leveson, Safeware: System Safety and
Computers, Addison-Wesley Professional,
1995.
[21] T. Gilb, Principles of Software Engineering
Management, Addison-Wesley Professional,
1988.
[22] T. Gilb and D. Graham, Software
Inspection, Addison-Wesley Professional,
1993.
[23] K. Wiegers, Peer Reviews in Software: A
Practical Guide, Addison-Wesley
Professional, 2001.
[24] N.R. Tague, The Quality Toolbox, 2nd ed.,
ASQ Quality Press, 2010.

CHAPTER 11
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
ACRONYMS
Association for Computing
Machinery
BCS
British Computer Society
Certified Software Development
CSDA
Associate
Certified Software Development
CSDP
Professional
International Electrotechnical
IEC
Commission
IEEE CS IEEE Computer Society
International. Federation for
IFIP
Information Processing
IP
Intellectual Property
International Organization for
ISO
Standardization
NDA
Non-Disclosure Agreement
World Intellectual Property
WIPO
Organization
WTO
World Trade Organization
ACM

INTRODUCTION
The Software Engineering Professional Practice knowledge area (KA) is concerned with the
knowledge, skills, and attitudes that software
engineers must possess to practice software engineering in a professional, responsible, and ethical manner. Because of the widespread applications of software products in social and personal
life, the quality of software products can have
profound impact on our personal well-being
and societal harmony. Software engineers must
handle unique engineering problems, producing

software with known characteristics and reliability. This requirement calls for software engineers
who possess a proper set of knowledge, skills,
training, and experience in professional practice.
The term professional practice refers to a
way of conducting services so as to achieve certain standards or criteria in both the process of
performing a service and the end product resulting from the service. These standards and criteria can include both technical and nontechnical
aspects. The concept of professional practice can
be viewed as being more applicable within those
professions that have a generally accepted body
of knowledge; codes of ethics and professional
conduct with penalties for violations; accepted
processes for accreditation, certification, and
licensing; and professional societies to provide
and administer all of these. Admission to these
professional societies is often predicated on a prescribed combination of education and experience.
A software engineer maintains a professional
practice by performing all work in accordance
with generally accepted practices, standards, and
guidelines notably set forth by the applicable professional society. For example, the Association for
Computing Machinery (ACM) and IEEE Computer Society (IEEE CS) have established a Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional
Practice. Both the British Computer Society (BCS)
and the International Federation for Information
Processing (IFIP) have established similar professional practice standards. ISO/IEC and IEEE have
further provided internationally accepted software
engineering standards (see Appendix B of this
Guide). IEEE CS has established two international
certification programs (CSDA, CSDP) and a corresponding Guide to the Software Engineering Body
of Knowledge (SWEBOK Guide). All of these are

11-1

11-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 11.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Software Engineering Professional Practice KA

elements that lay the foundation for of the professional practice of software engineering.
BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
The Software Engineering Professional Practice
KAs breakdown of topics is shown in Figure

11.1. The subareas presented in this KA are professionalism, group dynamics and psychology,
and communication skills.
1.Professionalism
A software engineer displays professionalism
notably through adherence to codes of ethics
and professional conduct and to standards and

Software Engineering Professional Practice 11-3

practices that are established by the engineers

professional community.
The professional community is often represented by one or more professional societies;
those societies publish codes of ethics and professional conduct as well as criteria for admittance
to the community. Those criteria form the basis
for accreditation and licensing activities and may
be used as a measure to determine engineering
competence or negligence.
1.1.Accreditation, Certification, and Licensing
[1*, c1s4.1, c1s5.1c1s5.4]
1.1.1.Accreditation
Accreditation is a process to certify the competency, authority, or credibility of an organization.
Accredited schools or programs are assured to
adhere to particular standards and maintain certain qualities. In many countries, the basic means
by which engineers acquire knowledge is through
completion of an accredited course of study.
Often, engineering accreditation is performed by
a government organization, such as the ministry
of education. Such countries with government
accreditations include China, France, Germany,
Israel, Italy, and Russia.
In other countries, however, the accreditation process is independent of government and
performed by private membership associations.
For example, in the United States, engineering accreditation is performed by an organization known as ABET. An organization known as
CSAB serving as a participating body of ABET
is the lead society within ABET for the accreditation of degree programs in software engineering.
While the process of accreditation may be different for each country and jurisdiction, the general
meaning is the same. For an institutions course of
study to be accredited means that the accreditation body recognizes an educational institution as
maintaining standards that qualify the graduates
for admission to higher or more specialized institutions or for professional practice [2].
1.1.2.Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of a persons particular characteristics. A common type

of certification is professional certification, where

a person is certified as being able to complete an
activity in a certain discipline at a stated level
of competency. Professional certification also
can also verify the holders ability to meet professional standards and to apply professional
judgment in solving or addressing problems.
Professional certification can also involve the
verification of prescribed knowledge, the mastering of best practice and proven methodologies,
and the amount of professional experience.
An engineer usually obtains certification by
passing an examination in conjunction with other
experience-based criteria. These examinations
are often administered by nongovernmental organizations, such as professional societies.
In software engineering, certification testifies to ones qualification as a software engineer.
For example, the IEEE CS has enacted two certification programs (CSDA and CSDP) designed
to confirm a software engineers knowledge of
standard software engineering practices and to
advance ones career. A lack of certification does
not exclude the individual from working as a
software engineer. Currently certification in software engineering is completely voluntary. In fact,
most software engineers are not certified under
any program.
1.1.3.Licensing
Licensing is the action of giving a person the
authorization to perform certain kinds of activities and take responsibility for resultant engineering products. The noun license refers to both
that authorization and the document recording
that authorization. Governmental authorities or
statutory bodies usually issue licenses.
Obtaining a license to practice requires not only
that an individual meets a certain standard, but
also that they do so with a certain ability to practice or operate. Sometimes there is an entry-level
requirement which sets the minimum skills and
capabilities to practice, but as the professional
moves through his or her career, the required
skills and capabilities change and evolve.
In general, engineers are licensed as a means of
protecting the public from unqualified individuals.
In some countries, no one can practice as a professional engineer unless licensed; or further, no

11-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

company may offer engineering services unless

at least one licensed engineer is employed there.
1.2.Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct
[1*, c1s6c1s9] [3*, c8] [4*, c1s2] [5*, c33]
[6*]
Codes of ethics and professional conduct comprise the values and behavior that an engineers
professional practice and decisions should
embody.
The professional community establishes codes
of ethics and professional conduct. They exist
in the context of, and are adjusted to agree with,
societal norms and local laws. Therefore, codes
of ethics and professional conduct present guidance in the face of conflicting imperatives.
Once established, codes of ethics and professional conduct are enforced by the profession,
as represented by professional societies or by a
statutory body.
Violations may be acts of commission, such
as concealing inadequate work, disclosing confidential information, falsifying information, or
misrepresenting ones abilities. They may also
occur through omission, including failure to disclose risks or to provide important information,
failure to give proper credit or to acknowledge
references, and failure to represent client interests. Violations of codes of ethics and professional conduct may result in penalties and possible expulsion from professional status.
A code of ethics and professional conduct for
software engineering was approved by the ACM
Council and the IEEE CS Board of Governors in
1999 [6*]. According to the short version of this
code:
Software engineers shall commit themselves to making the analysis, specification, design, development, testing and
maintenance of software a beneficial and
respected profession. In accordance with
their commitment to the health, safety and
welfare of the public, software engineers
shall adhere to the eight principles concerning the public, client and employer,
product, judgment, management, profession, colleagues, and self, respectively.

Since standards and codes of ethics and professional conduct may be introduced, modified,
or replaced at any time, individual software engineers bear the responsibility for their own continuing study to stay current in their professional
practice.
1.3.Nature and Role of Professional Societies
[1*, c1s1c1s2] [4*, c1s2] [5*, c35s1]
Professional societies are comprised of a mix
of practitioners and academics. These societies
serve to define, advance, and regulate their corresponding professions. Professional societies
help to establish professional standards as well
as codes of ethics and professional conduct. For
this reason, they also engage in related activities,
which include
establishing and promulgating a body of generally accepted knowledge;
accrediting, certifying, and licensing;
dispensing disciplinary actions;
advancing the profession through conferences, training, and publications.
Participation in professional societies assists
the individual engineer in maintaining and sharpening their professional knowledge and relevancy
and in expanding and maintaining their professional network.
1.4.Nature and Role of Software Engineering
Standards
[1*, c5s3.2, c10s2.1] [5*, c32s6] [7*, c1s2]
Software engineering standards cover a remarkable variety of topics. They provide guidelines for
the practice of software engineering and processes
to be used during development, maintenance, and
support of software. By establishing a consensual
body of knowledge and experience, software engineering standards establish a basis upon which further guidelines may be developed. Appendix B of
this Guide provides guidance on IEEE and ISO/
IEC software engineering standards that support
the knowledge areas of this Guide.
The benefits of software engineering standards
are many and include improving software quality,

Software Engineering Professional Practice 11-5

helping avoid errors, protecting both software

producers and users, increasing professional discipline, and helping technology transition.
1.5.Economic Impact of Software
[3*, c10s8] [4*, c1s1.1] [8*, c1]
Software has economic effects at the individual,
business, and societal levels. Software success
may be determined by the suitability of a product
for a recognized problem as well as by its effectiveness when applied to that problem.
At the individual level, an engineers continuing employment may depend on their ability
and willingness to interpret and execute tasks
in meeting customers or employers needs and
expectations. The customer or employers financial situation may in turn be positively or negatively affected by the purchase of software.
At the business level, software properly applied
to a problem can eliminate months of work
and translate to elevated profits or more effective organizations. Moreover, organizations that
acquire or provide successful software may be a
boon to the society in which they operate by providing both employment and improved services.
However, the development or acquisition costs of
software can also equate to those of any major
acquisition.
At the societal level, direct impacts of software
success or failure include or exclude accidents,
interruptions, and loss of service. Indirect impacts
include the success or failure of the organization
that acquired or produced the software, increased
or decreased societal productivity, harmonious
or disruptive social order, and even the saving or
loss of property and life.
1.6.Employment Contracts

[1*, c7]

Software engineering services may be provided

under a variety of client-engineer relationships.
The software engineering work may be solicited as company-to-customer supplier, engineerto-customer consultancy, direct hire, or even
volunteering. In all of these situations, the customer and supplier agree that a product or service will be provided in return for some sort of

consideration. Here, we are most concerned with

the engineer-to-customer arrangement and its
attendant agreements or contracts, whether they
are of the direct-hire or consultant variety, and
the issues they typically address.
A common concern in software engineering
contracts is confidentiality. Employers derive
commercial advantage from intellectual property,
so they strive to protect that property from disclosure. Therefore, software engineers are often
required to sign non-disclosure (NDA) or intellectual property (IP) agreements as a precondition to work. These agreements typically apply
to information the software engineer could only
gain through association with the customer. The
terms of these agreements may extend past termination of the association.
Another concern is IP ownership. Rights to
software engineering assetsproducts, innovations, inventions, discoveries, and ideasmay
reside with the employer or customer, either under
explicit contract terms or relevant laws, if those
assets are obtained during the term of the software engineers relationship with that employer
or customer. Contracts differ in the ownership of
assets created using non-employer-owned equipment or information.
Finally, contracts can also specify among
other elements the location at which work is to
be performed; standards to which that work will
be held; the system configuration to be used for
development; limitations of the software engineers and employers liability; a communication
matrix and/or escalation plan; and administrative
details such as rates, frequency of compensation,
working hours, and working conditions.
1.7.Legal Issues
[1*, c6, c11] [3*, c5s3c5s4] [9*, c1s10]
Legal issues surrounding software engineering
professional practice notably include matters
related to standards, trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, professional liability, legal
requirements, trade compliance, and cybercrime.
It is therefore beneficial to possess knowledge of
these issues and their applicability.
Legal issues are jurisdictionally based; software engineers must consult attorneys who

11-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

specialize in the type and jurisdiction of any identified legal issues.

1.7.1.Standards
Software engineering standards establish guidelines for generally accepted practices and minimum requirements for products and services provided by a software engineer. Appendix B of this
Guide provides guidance on software engineering standards that are applicable to each KA.
Standards are valuable sources of requirements
and assistance during the everyday conduct of
software engineering activities. Adherence to
standards facilitates discipline by enumerating
minimal characteristics of products and practice.
That discipline helps to mitigate subconscious
assumptions or overconfidence in a design. For
these reasons, organizations performing software
engineering activities often include conformance
to standards as part of their organizational policies. Further, adherence to standards is a major
component of defense from legal action or from
allegations of malpractice.
1.7.2.Trademarks
A trademark relates to any word, name, symbol,
or device that is used in business transactions.
It is used to indicate the source or origin of the
goods [2].
Trademark protection protects names, logos,
images, and packaging. However, if a name, image,
or other trademarked asset becomes a generic term,
then trademark protection is nullified.
The World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) is the authority that frames the rules and
regulations on trademarks. WIPO is the United
Nations agency dedicated to the use of intellectual property as a means of stimulating innovation and creativity.
1.7.3.Patents
Patents protect an inventors right to manufacture and sell an idea. A patent consists of a set
of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign government to an individual, group of individuals, or
organization for a limited period of time. Patents

are an old form of idea-ownership protection and

date back to the 15th century.
Application for a patent entails careful records
of the process that led to the invention. Patent
attorneys are helpful in writing patent disclosure
claims in a manner most likely to protect the software engineers rights.
Note that, if inventions are made during the
course of a software engineering contract, ownership may belong to the employer or customer or
be jointly held, rather than belong to the software
engineer.
There are rules concerning what is and is not
patentable. In many countries, software code is
not patentable, although software algorithms may
be. Existing and filed patent applications can be
searched at WIPO.
1.7.4.Copyrights
Most governments in the world give exclusive
rights of an original work to its creator, usually
for a limited time, enacted as a copyright. Copyrights protect the way an idea is presentednot
the idea itself. For example, they may protect the
particular wording of an account of an historical
event, whereas the event itself is not protected.
Copyrights are long-term and renewable; they
date back to the 17th century.
1.7.5.Trade Secrets
In many countries, an intellectual asset such as
a formula, algorithm, process, design, method,
pattern, instrument, or compilation of information may be considered a trade secret, provided
that these assets are not generally known and may
provide a business some economic advantage.
The designation of trade secret provides legal
protection if the asset is stolen. This protection
is not subject to a time limit. However, if another
party derives or discovers the same asset legally,
then the asset is no longer protected and the other
party will also possess all rights to use it.
1.7.6.Professional Liability
It is common for software engineers to be concerned with matters of professional liability. As

Software Engineering Professional Practice 11-7

an individual provides services to a client or

employer, it is vital to adhere to standards and
generally accepted practices, thereby protecting
against allegations or proceedings of or related to
malpractice, negligence, or incompetence.
For engineers, including software engineers,
professional liability is related to product liability. Under the laws and rules governing in their
jurisdiction, engineers may be held to account
for failing to fully and conscientiously follow
recommended practice; this is known as negligence. They may also be subject to laws governing strict liability and either implied or express
warranty, where, by selling the product, the engineer is held to warrant that the product is both
suitable and safe for use. In some countries (for
example, in the US), privity (the idea that one
could only sue the person selling the product) is
no longer a defense against liability actions.
Legal suits for liability can be brought under
tort law in the US allowing anyone who is harmed
to recover their loss even if no guarantees were
made. Because it is difficult to measure the suitability or safety of software, failure to take due
care can be used to prove negligence on the part
of software engineers. A defense against such an
allegation is to show that standards and generally
accepted practices were followed in the development of the product.
1.7.7.Legal Requirements
Software engineers must operate within the confines of local, national, and international legal
frameworks. Therefore, software engineers must
be aware of legal requirements for
registration and licensingincluding examination, education, experience, and training
requirements;
contractual agreements;
noncontractual legalities, such as those governing liability;
Basic information on the international legal
framework can be accessed from the World
Trade Organization (WTO).

1.7.8.Trade Compliance
All software professionals must be aware of
legal restrictions on import, export, or reexport
of goods, services, and technology in the jurisdictions in which they work. The considerations
include export controls and classification, transfer
of goods, acquisition of necessary governmental
licenses for foreign use of hardware and software,
services and technology by sanctioned nation,
enterprise or individual entities, and import
restrictions and duties. Trade experts should be
consulted for detailed compliance guidance.
1.7.9.Cybercrime
Cybercrime refers to any crime that involves
a computer, computer software, computer networks, or embedded software controlling a system. The computer or software may have been
used in the commission of a crime or it may have
been the target. This category of crime includes
fraud, unauthorized access, spam, obscene or
offensive content, threats, harassment, theft of
sensitive personal data or trade secrets, and use
of one computer to damage or infiltrate other
networked computers and automated system
controls.
Computer and software users commit fraud by
altering electronic data to facilitate illegal activity. Forms of unauthorized access include hacking, eavesdropping, and using computer systems
in a way that is concealed from their owners.
Many countries have separate laws to cover
cybercrimes, but it has sometimes been difficult
to prosecute cybercrimes due to a lack of precisely framed statutes. The software engineer has
a professional obligation to consider the threat of
cybercrime and to understand how the software
system will protect or endanger software and user
information from accidental or malicious access,
use, modification, destruction, or disclosure.
1.8.Documentation
[1*, c10s5.8] [3*, c1s5] [5*, c32]
Providing clear, thorough, and accurate documentation is the responsibility of each software
engineer. The adequacy of documentation is

11-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

judged by different criteria based on the needs of

the various stakeholder audiences.
Good documentation complies with accepted
standards and guidelines. In particular, software
engineers should document
relevant facts,
significant risks and tradeoffs, and
warnings of undesirable or dangerous consequences from use or misuse of the software.
Software engineers should avoid
certifying or approving unacceptable products,
disclosing confidential information, or
falsifying facts or data.
In addition, software engineers and their managers should notably provide the following documentation for use by other elements of the software development organization:
software requirements specifications, software design documents, details on the software engineering tools used, software test
specifications and results, and details on the
adopted software engineering methods;
problems encountered during the development process.
For external stakeholders (customer, users,
others) software documentation should notably
provide
information needed to determine if the software is likely to meet the customers and
users needs,
description of the safe, and unsafe, use of the
software,
description of the protection of sensitive
information created by or stored using the
software, and
clear identification of warnings and critical
procedures.
Use of software may include installation, operation, administration, and performance of other
functions by various groups of users and support
personnel. If the customer will acquire ownership

of the software source code or the right to modify

the code, the software engineer should provide
documentation of the functional specifications,
the software design, the test suite, and the necessary operating environment for the software.
The minimum length of time documents should
be kept is the duration of the software products
life cycle or the time required by relevant organizational or regulatory requirements.
1.9.Tradeoff Analysis

[3*, c1s2, c10] [9*, c9s5.10]

Within the practice of software engineering, a

software engineer often has to choose between
alternative problem solutions. The outcome of
these choices is determined by the software engineers professional evaluation of the risks, costs,
and benefits of alternatives, in cooperation with
stakeholders. The software engineers evaluation
is called tradeoff analysis. Tradeoff analysis
notably enables the identification of competing and complementary software requirements
in order to prioritize the final set of requirements defining the software to be constructed
(see Requirements Negotiation in the Software
Requirements KA and Determination and Negotiation of Requirements in the Software Engineering Management KA).
In the case of an ongoing software development project that is late or over budget, tradeoff
analysis is often conducted to decide which software requirements can be relaxed or dropped
given the effects thereof.
A first step in a tradeoff analysis is establishing design goals (see Engineering Design in the
Engineering Foundations KA) and setting the
relative importance of those goals. This permits
identification of the solution that most nearly
meets those goals; this means that the way the
goals are stated is critically important.
Design goals may include minimization of
monetary cost and maximization of reliability,
performance, or some other criteria on a wide
range of dimensions. However, it is difficult to
formulate a tradeoff analysis of cost against risk,
especially where primary production and secondary risk-based costs must be traded against each
other.

Software Engineering Professional Practice 11-9

A software engineer must conduct a tradeoff

analysis in an ethical mannernotably by being
objective and impartial when selecting criteria for
comparison of alternative problem solutions and
when assigning weights or importance to these
criteria. Any conflict of interest must be disclosed
up front.
2.Group Dynamics and Psychology
Engineering work is very often conducted in the
context of teamwork. A software engineer must
be able to interact cooperatively and constructively with others to first determine and then
meet both needs and expectations. Knowledge of
group dynamics and psychology is an asset when
interacting with customers, coworkers, suppliers,
and subordinates to solve software engineering
problems.
2.1.Dynamics of Working in Teams/Groups
[3*, c1s6] [9*, c1s3.5, c10]
Software engineers must work with others. On
one hand, they work internally in engineering
teams; on the other hand, they work with customers, members of the public, regulators, and
other stakeholders. Performing teamsthose
that demonstrate consistent quality of work and
progress toward goalsare cohesive and possess
a cooperative, honest, and focused atmosphere.
Individual and team goals are aligned so that the
members naturally commit to and feel ownership
of shared outcomes.
Team members facilitate this atmosphere by
being intellectually honest, making use of group
thinking, admitting ignorance, and acknowledging mistakes. They share responsibility, rewards,
and workload fairly. They take care to communicate clearly, directly to each other and indocuments,as well as in source code, so that information is accessible to everyone. Peer reviews about
work products are framed in a constructive and
nonpersonal way (see Reviews and Audits in the
Software Quality KA). This allows all the members to pursue a cycle of continuous improvement
and growth without personal risk. In general,
members of cohesive teams demonstrate respect
for each other and their leader.

One point to emphasize is that software engineers must be able to work in multidisciplinary
environments and in varied application domains.
Since today software is everywhere, from a phone
to a car, software is impacting peoples lives far
beyond the more traditional concept of software
made for information management in a business
environment.
2.2.Individual Cognition

[3*, c1s6.5] [5*, c33]

Engineers desire to solve problems. The ability to

solve problems effectively and efficiently is what
every engineer strives for. However, the limits
and processes of individual cognition affect problem solving. In software engineering, notably due
to the highly abstract nature of software itself,
individual cognition plays a very prominent role
in problem solving.
In general, an individuals (in particular, a software
engineers) ability to decompose a problem and creatively develop a solution can be inhibited by
need for more knowledge,
subconscious assumptions,
volume of data,
fear of failure or consequence of failure,
culture, either application domain or
organizational,
lack of ability to express the problem,
perceived working atmosphere, and
emotional status of the individual.
The impact of these inhibiting factors can be
reduced by cultivating good problem solving
habits that minimize the impact of misleading
assumptions. The ability to focus is vital, as is
intellectual humility: both allow a software engineer to suspend personal considerations and consult with others freely, which is especially important when working in teams.
There is a set of basic methods engineers use
to facilitate problem solving (see Problem Solving Techniques in the Computing Foundations
KA). Breaking down problems and solving them
one piece at a time reduces cognitive overload.
Taking advantage of professional curiosity and
pursuing continuous professional development

11-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

through training and study add skills and knowledge to the software engineers portfolio; reading,
networking, and experimenting with new tools,
techniques, and methods are all valid means of
professional development.
2.3.Dealing with Problem Complexity
[3*, c3s2] [5*, c33]
Many, if not most, software engineering problems are too complex and difficult to address as
a whole or to be tackled by individual software
engineers. When such circumstances arise, the
usual means to adopt is teamwork and problem
decomposition (see Problem Solving Techniques
in the Computing Foundations KA).
Teams work together to deal with complex and
large problems by sharing burdens and drawing upon each others knowledge and creativity.
When software engineers work in teams, different views and abilities of the individual engineers
complement each other and help build a solution
that is otherwise difficult to come by. Some specific teamwork examples to software engineering
are pair programming (see Agile Methods in the
Software Engineering Models and Methods KA)
and code review (see Reviews and Audits in the
Software Quality KA).
2.4.Interacting with Stakeholders

[9*, c2s3.1]

Success of a software engineering endeavor

depends upon positive interactions with stakeholders. They should provide support, information, and feedback at all stages of the software
life cycle process. For example, during the early
stages, it is critical to identify all stakeholders and
discover how the product will affect them, so that
sufficient definition of the stakeholder requirements can be properly and completely captured.
During development, stakeholders may provide feedback on specifications and/or early
versions of the software, change of priority, as
well as clarification of detailed or new software
requirements. Last, during software maintenance
and until the end of product life, stakeholders provide feedback on evolving or new requirements
as well problem reports so that the software may
be extended and improved.

Therefore, it is vital to maintain open and productive communication with stakeholders for the
duration of the software products lifetime.
2.5.Dealing with Uncertainty and Ambiguity
[4*, c24s4, c26s2] [9*, c9s4]
As with engineers of other fields, software engineers must often deal with and resolve uncertainty and ambiguities while providing services
and developing products. The software engineer
must attack and reduce or eliminate any lack of
clarity that is an obstacle to performing work.
Often, uncertainty is simply a reflection of lack
of knowledge. In this case, investigation through
recourse to formal sources such as textbooks and
professional journals, interviews with stakeholders, or consultation with teammates and peers can
overcome it.
When uncertainty or ambiguity cannot be overcome easily, software engineers or organizations
may choose to regard it as a project risk. In this
case, work estimates or pricing are adjusted to
mitigate the anticipated cost of addressing it (see
Risk Management in the Software Engineering
Management KA).
2.6.Dealing with Multicultural Environments
[9*, c10s7]
Multicultural environments can have an impact
on the dynamics of a group. This is especially
true when the group is geographically separated
or communication is infrequent, since such separation elevates the importance of each contact.
Intercultural communication is even more difficult if the difference in time zones make oral
communication less frequent.
Multicultural environments are quite prevalent
in software engineering, perhaps more than in
other fields of engineering, due to the strong trend
of international outsourcing and the easy shipment
of software components instantaneously across
the globe. For example, it is rather common for a
software project to be divided into pieces across
national and cultural borders, and it is also quite
common for a software project team to consist of
people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
For a software project to be a success, team
members must achieve a level of tolerance,

Software Engineering Professional Practice 11-11

acknowledging that some rules depend on societal norms and that not all societies derive the
same solutions and expectations.
This tolerance and accompanying understanding can be facilitated by the support of leadership
and management. More frequent communication,
including face-to-face meetings, can help to mitigate geographical and cultural divisions, promote
cohesiveness, and raise productivity. Also, being
able to communicate with teammates in their
native language could be very beneficial.
3.Communication Skills
It is vital that a software engineer communicate
well, both orally and in reading and writing. Successful attainment of software requirements and
deadlines depends on developing clear understanding between the software engineer and
customers, supervisors, coworkers, and suppliers. Optimal problem solving is made possible
through the ability to investigate, comprehend,
and summarize information. Customer product
acceptance and safe product usage depend on the
provision of relevant training and documentation.
It follows that the software engineers own career
success is affected by the ability to consistently
provide oral and written communication effectively and on time.
3.1.Reading, Understanding, and Summarizing
[5*, c33s3]
Software engineers are able to read and understand technical material. Technical material
includes reference books, manuals, research
papers, and program source code.
Reading is not only a primary way of improving skills, but also a way of gathering information necessary for the completion of engineering
goals. A software engineer sifts through accumulated information, filtering out the pieces that
will be most helpful. Customers may request that
a software engineer summarize the results of
such information gathering for them, simplifying
or explaining it so that they may make the final
choice between competing solutions.
Reading and comprehending source code is
also a component of information gathering and
problem solving. When modifying, extending,

or rewriting software, it is critical to understand

both its implementation directly derived from the
presented code and its design, which must often
be inferred.
3.2.Writing

[3*, c1s5]

Software engineers are able to produce written

products as required by customer requests or generally accepted practice. These written products
may include source code, software project plans,
software requirement documents, risk analyses,
software design documents, software test plans,
user manuals, technical reports and evaluations,
justifications, diagrams and charts, and so forth.
Writing clearly and concisely is very important
because often it is the primary method of communication among relevant parties. In all cases,
written software engineering products must be
written so that they are accessible, understandable and relevant for their intended audience(s).
3.3.Team and Group Communication
[3*, c1s6.8] [4*, c22s3] [5*, c27s1]
[9*, c10s4]
Effective communication among team and group
members is essential to a collaborative software
engineering effort. Stakeholders must be consulted, decisions must be made, and plans must
be generated. The greater the number of team
and group members, the greater the need to
communicate.
The number of communication paths, however, grows quadratically with the addition of
each team member. Further, team members
are unlikely to communicate with anyone perceived to be removed from them by more than
two degrees (levels). This problem can be more
serious when software engineering endeavors or
organizations are spread across national and continental borders.
Some communication can be accomplished in
writing. Software documentation is a common
substitute for direct interaction. Email is another
but, although it is useful, it is not always enough;
also, if one sends too many messages, it becomes
difficult to identify the important information.
Increasingly, organizations are using enterprise

11-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

collaboration tools to share information. In addition, the use of electronic information stores,
accessible to all team members, for organizational policies, standards, common engineering
procedures, and project-specific information, can
be most beneficial.
Some software engineering teams focus on
face-to-face interaction and promote such interaction by office space arrangement. Although
private offices improve individual productivity,
colocating team members in physical or virtual
forms and providing communal work areas is
important to collaborative efforts.
3.4.Presentation Skills
[3*, c1s5] [4*, c22] [9*, c10s7c10s8]
Software engineers rely on their presentation
skills during software life cycle processes. For
example, during the software requirements

phase, software engineers may walk customers

and teammates through software requirements
and conduct formal requirements reviews (see
Requirement Reviews in the Software Requirements KA). During and after software design,
software construction, and software maintenance,
software engineers lead reviews, product walkthroughs (see Review and Audits in the Software
Quality KA), and training. All of these require the
ability to present technical information to groups
and solicit ideas or feedback.
The software engineers ability to convey
concepts effectively in a presentation therefore
influences product acceptance, management,
and customer support; it also influences the ability of stakeholders to comprehend and assist in
the product effort. This knowledge needs to be
archived in the form of slides, knowledge writeup, technical whitepapers, and any other material
utilized for knowledge creation.

Software Engineering Professional Practice 11-13

IEEE-CS/ACM 1999
[6*]

c33

c1s2

c35s1

Fairley 2009
[9*]

McConnell 2004
[5*]

c1s2

Tockey 2004
[8*]

Sommerville 2011
[4*]

c8

Moore 2006
[7*]

Voland 2003
[3*]

Bott et al. 2000

[1*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

1.Professionalism
1.1.Accreditation,
Certification, and
Licensing
1.2.Codes of Ethics
and Professional
Conduct
1.3.Nature and
Role of Professional
Societies
1.4.Nature and
Role of Software
Engineering
Standards
1.5.Economic
Impact of Software
1.6.Employment
Contracts
1.7.Legal Issues

c1s4.1,
c1s5.1
c1s5.4
c1s6
c1s9
c1s1
c1s2
c5s3.2,
c10s2.1

c32s6

c10s8

c1s1.1

c1s2

c1

c7
c6, c11

1.8.Documentation c10s5.8
1.9.Tradeoff
Analysis
2.Group Dynamics
and Psychology
2.1.Dynamics of
Working in Teams/
Groups
2.2.Individual
Cognition
2.3.2.3 Dealing with
Problem Complexity
2.4.Interacting with
Stakeholders

c5s3
c5s4
c1s5
c1s2,
c10

c1s10
c32
c9s5.10

c1s3.5,
c10

c1s6
c1s6.5

c33

c3s2

c33
c2s3.1

2.5.Dealing with
Uncertainty and
Ambiguity
2.6.Dealing with
Multicultural
Environments
3.Communication
Skills
3.1.Reading,
Understanding, and
Summarizing
3.2.Writing
3.3.Team and Group
Communication
3.4.Presentation
Skills

c24s4,
c26s2

Fairley 2009
[9*]

Tockey 2004
[8*]

Moore 2006
[7*]

IEEE-CS/ACM 1999
[6*]

McConnell 2004
[5*]

Sommerville 2011
[4*]

Voland 2003
[3*]

Bott et al. 2000

[1*]

11-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

c9s4

c10s7

c33s3
c1s5
c1s6.8

c22s3

c1s5

c22

c27s1

c10s4
c10s7
c10s8

Software Engineering Professional Practice 11-15

FURTHER READINGS

REFERENCES

Gerald M. Weinberg, The Psychology of

Computer Programming [10].

[1*] F. Bott et al., Professional Issues in

Software Engineering, 3rd ed., Taylor &
Francis, 2000.

This was the first major book to address programming as an individual and team effort and became
a classic in the field.

[2] Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary,

11th ed., 2003.

Kinney and Lange, P.A., Intellectual Property

Law for Business Lawyers [11].

[3*] G. Voland, Engineering by Design, 2nd ed.,

Prentice Hall, 2003.

This book covers IP laws in the US. It not only

talks about what the IP law is; it also explains
why it looks the way it does.

[4*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th

ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.
[5*] S. McConnell, Code Complete, 2nd ed.,
Microsoft Press, 2004.
[6*] IEEE CS/ACM Joint Task Force on
Software Engineering Ethics and
Professional Practices, Software
Engineering Code of Ethics and
Professional Practice (Version 5.2), 1999;
www.acm.org/serving/se/code.htm.
[7*] J.W. Moore, The Road Map to Software
Engineering: A Standards-Based Guide,
Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press, 2006.
[8*] S. Tockey, Return on Software: Maximizing
the Return on Your Software Investment,
Addison-Wesley, 2004.
[9*] R.E. Fairley, Managing and Leading
Software Projects, Wiley-IEEE Computer
Society Press, 2009.
[10] G.M. Weinberg, The Psychology
of Computer Programming: Silver
Anniversary Edition, Dorset House, 1998.
[11] Kinney and Lange, P.A., Intellectual
Property Law for Business Lawyers,
Thomson West, 2013.

CHAPTER 12
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ECONOMICS
ACRONYMS
EVM
IRR
MARR
SDLC
SPLC
ROI
ROCE
TCO

Earned Value Management

Internal Rate of Return
Minimum Acceptable Rate of
Return
Software Development Life Cycle
Software Product Life Cycle
Return on Investment
Return on Capital Employed
Total Cost of Ownership

INTRODUCTION
Software engineering economics is about making decisions related to software engineering in a
business context. The success of a software product, service, and solution depends on good business management. Yet, in many companies and
organizations, software business relationships to
software development and engineering remain
vague. This knowledge area (KA) provides an
overview on software engineering economics.
Economics is the study of value, costs,
resources, and their relationship in a given context
or situation. In the discipline of software engineering, activities have costs, but the resulting
software itself has economic attributes as well.
Software engineering economics provides a way
to study the attributes of software and software
processes in a systematic way that relates them
to economic measures. These economic measures
can be weighed and analyzed when making decisions that are within the scope of a software organization and those within the integrated scope of
an entire producing or acquiring business.
Software engineering economics is concerned
with aligning software technical decisions with

the business goals of the organization. In all

types of organizationsbe it for-profit, notfor-profit, or governmentalthis translates into
sustainably staying in business. In for-profit
organizations this additionally relates to achieving a tangible return on the invested capital
both assets and capital employed. This KA has
been formulated in a way to address all types of
organizations independent of focus, product and
service portfolio, or capital ownership and taxation restrictions.
Decisions like Should we use a specific component? may look easy from a technical perspective,
but can have serious implications on the business
viability of a software project and the resulting
product. Often engineers wonder whether such
concerns apply at all, as they are only engineers. Economic analysis and decision-making
are important engineering considerations because
engineers are capable of evaluating decisions both
technically and from a business perspective. The
contents of this knowledge area are important topics for software engineers to be aware of even if
they are never actually involved in concrete business decisions; they will have a well-rounded view
of business issues and the role technical considerations play in making business decisions. Many
engineering proposals and decisions, such as make
versus buy, have deep intrinsic economic impacts
that should be considered explicitly.
This KA first covers the foundations, key terminology, basic concepts, and common practices
of software engineering economics to indicate
how decision-making in software engineering
includes, or should include a business perspective. It then provides a life cycle perspective,
highlights risk and uncertainty management, and
shows how economic analysis methods are used.
Some practical considerations finalize the knowledge area.

12-1

12-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 12.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Software Engineering Economics KA

Software Engineering Economics 12-3

BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ECONOMICS
The breakdown of topics for the Software Engineering Economics KA is shown in Figure 12.1.
1.Software Engineering Economics
Fundamentals
1.1.Finance

[1*, c2]

Finance is the branch of economics concerned

with issues such as allocation, management,
acquisition, and investment of resources. Finance
is an element of every organization, including
software engineering organizations.
The field of finance deals with the concepts of
time, money, risk, and how they are interrelated.
It also deals with how money is spent and budgeted. Corporate finance is concerned with providing the funds for an organizations activities.
Generally, this involves balancing risk and profitability, while attempting to maximize an organizations wealth and the value of its stock. This
holds primarily for for-profit organizations,
but also applies to not-for-profit organizations.
The latter needs finances to ensure sustainability,
while not targeting tangible profit. To do this, an
organization must
identify organizational goals, time horizons,
risk factors, tax considerations, and financial
constraints;
identify and implement the appropriate business strategy, such as which portfolio and
investment decisions to take, how to manage
cash flow, and where to get the funding;
measure financial performance, such as
cash flow and ROI (see section 4.3, Return
on Investment), and take corrective actions
in case of deviation from objectives and
strategy.
1.2.Accounting

[1*, c15]

Accounting is part of finance. It allows people

whose money is being used to run an organization

to know the results of their investment: did they

get the profit they were expecting? In for-profit
organizations, this relates to the tangible ROI
(see section 4.3, Return on Investment), while in
not-for-profit and governmental organizations
as well as for-profit organizations, it translates
into sustainably staying in business. The primary
role of accounting is to measure the organizations actual financial performance and to communicate financial information about a business
entity to stakeholders, such as shareholders,
financial auditors, and investors. Communication
is generally in the form of financial statements
that show in money terms the economic resources
to be controlled. It is important to select the right
information that is both relevant and reliable to
the user. Information and its timing are partially
governed by risk management and governance
policies. Accounting systems are also a rich
source of historical data for estimating.
1.3.Controlling

[1*, c15]

Controlling is an element of finance and accounting. Controlling involves measuring and correcting the performance of finance and accounting.
It ensures that an organizations objectives and
plans are accomplished. Controlling cost is a specialized branch of controlling used to detect variances of actual costs from planned costs.
1.4.Cash Flow

[1*, c3]

Cash flow is the movement of money into or out

of a business, project, or financial product over a
given period. The concepts of cash flow instances
and cash flow streams are used to describe the
business perspective of a proposal. To make a
meaningful business decision about any specific
proposal, that proposal will need to be evaluated
from a business perspective. In a proposal to
develop and launch product X, the payment for
new software licenses is an example of an outgoing cash flow instance. Money would need to be
spent to carry out that proposal. The sales income
from product X in the 11th month after market
launch is an example of an incoming cash flow

12-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 12.2. A Cash Flow Diagram

instance. Money would be coming in because of

carrying out the proposal.
The term cash flow stream refers to the set of
cash flow instances over time that are caused by
carrying out some given proposal. The cash flow
stream is, in effect, the complete financial picture
of that proposal. How much money goes out?
When does it go out? How much money comes
in? When does it come in? Simply, if the cash
flow stream for Proposal A is more desirable than
the cash flow stream for Proposal B, thenall
other things being equalthe organization is better off carrying out Proposal A than Proposal B.
Thus, the cash flow stream is an important input
for investment decision-making. A cash flow
instance is a specific amount of money flowing
into or out of the organization at a specific time
as a direct result of some activity.
A cash flow diagram is a picture of a cash flow
stream. It gives the reader a quick overview of
the financial picture of the subject organization or
project. Figure 12.2 shows an example of a cash
flow diagram for a proposal.
1.5.Decision-Making Process

[1*, c2, c4]

If we assume that candidate solutions solve a

given technical problem equally well, why should
the organization care which one is chosen? The
answer is that there is usually a large difference in the costs and incomes from the different

solutions. A commercial, off-the-shelf, objectrequest broker product might cost a few thousand
dollars, but the effort to develop a homegrown
service that gives the same functionality could
easily cost several hundred times that amount.
If the candidate solutions all adequately solve
the problem from a technical perspective, then
the selection of the most appropriate alternative
should be based on commercial factors such as
optimizing total cost of ownership (TCO) or
maximizing the short-term return on investment
(ROI). Life cycle costs such as defect correction,
field service, and support duration are also relevant considerations. These costs need to be factored in when selecting among acceptable technical approaches, as they are part of the lifetime
ROI (see section 4.3, Return on Investment).
A systematic process for making decisions will
achieve transparency and allow later justification. Governance criteria in many organizations
demand selection from at least two alternatives.
A systematic process is shown in Figure 12.3.
It starts with a business challenge at hand and
describes the steps to identify alternative solutions, define selection criteria, evaluate the solutions, implement one selected solution, and monitor the performance of that solution.
Figure 12.3 shows the process as mostly stepwise and serial. The real process is more fluid.
Sometimes the steps can be done in a different
order and often several of the steps can be done
in parallel. The important thing is to be sure that

Software Engineering Economics 12-5

Figure 12.3. The Basic Business Decision-Making Process

none of the steps are skipped or curtailed. Its also

important to understand that this same process
applies at all levels of decision making: from a
decision as big as determining whether a software
project should be done at all, to a deciding on an
algorithm or data structure to use in a software
module. The difference is how financially significant the decision is and, therefore, how much
effort should be invested in making that decision. The project-level decision is financially significant and probably warrants a relatively high
level of effort to make the decision. Selecting an
algorithm is often much less financially significant and warrants a much lower level of effort to
make the decision, even though the same basic
decision-making process is being used.
More often than not, an organization could
carry out more than one proposal if it wanted
to, and usually there are important relationships
among proposals. Maybe Proposal Y can only be
carried out if Proposal X is also carried out. Or
maybe Proposal P cannot be carried out if Proposal Q is carried out, nor could Q be carried out
if P were. Choices are much easier to make when
there are mutually exclusive pathsfor example,
either A or B or C or whatever is chosen. In preparing decisions, it is recommended to turn any
given set of proposals, along with their various
interrelationships, into a set of mutually exclusive alternatives. The choice can then be made
among these alternatives.

1.6.Valuation

[1*, c5, c8]

In an abstract sense, the decision-making processbe it financial decision making or other

is about maximizing value. The alternative that
maximizes total value should always be chosen.
A financial basis for value-based comparison is
comparing two or more cash flows. Several bases
of comparison are available, including
present worth
future worth
annual equivalent
internal rate of return
(discounted) payback period.
Based on the time-value of money, two or more
cash flows are equivalent only when they equal
the same amount of money at a common point
in time. Comparing cash flows only makes sense
when they are expressed in the same time frame.
Note that value cant always be expressed in
terms of money. For example, whether an item
is a brand name or not can significantly affect
its perceived value. Relevant values that cant
be expressed in terms of money still need to be
expressed in similar terms so that they can be
evaluated objectively.

12-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

1.7.Inflation

[1*, c13]

Inflation describes long-term trends in prices.

Inflation means that the same things cost more
than they did before. If the planning horizon of
a business decision is longer than a few years, or
if the inflation rate is over a couple of percentage
points annually, it can cause noticeable changes
in the value of a proposal. The present time value
therefore needs to be adjusted for inflation rates
and also for exchange rate fluctuations.
1.8.Depreciation

[1*, c14]

Depreciation involves spreading the cost of a

tangible asset across a number of time periods;
it is used to determine how investments in capitalized assets are charged against income over
several years. Depreciation is an important part
of determining after-tax cash flow, which is critical for accurately addressing profit and taxes. If
a software product is to be sold after the development costs are incurred, those costs should be
capitalized and depreciated over subsequent time
periods. The depreciation expense for each time
period is the capitalized cost of developing the
software divided across the number of periods
in which the software will be sold. A software
project proposal may be compared to other software and nonsoftware proposals or to alternative
investment options, so it is important to determine how those other proposals would be depreciated and how profits would be estimated.
1.9.Taxation

[1*, c16, c17]

Governments charge taxes in order to finance

expenses that society needs but that no single organization would invest in. Companies have to pay
income taxes, which can take a substantial portion
of a corporations gross profit. A decision analysis
that does not account for taxation can lead to the
wrong choice. A proposal with a high pretax profit
wont look nearly as profitable in posttax terms.
Not accounting for taxation can also lead to unrealistically high expectations about how profitable a
proposed product might be.

1.10.Time-Value of Money

[1*, c5, c11]

One of the most fundamental concepts in

financeand therefore, in business decisions
is that money has time-value: its value changes
over time. A specific amount of money right now
almost always has a different value than the same
amount of money at some other time. This concept has been around since the earliest recorded
human history and is commonly known as timevalue. In order to compare proposals or portfolio elements, they should be normalized in cost,
value, and risk to the net present value. Currency
exchange variations over time need to be taken
into account based on historical data. This is particularly important in cross-border developments
of all kinds.
1.11.Efficiency

[2*, c1]

Economic efficiency of a process, activity, or

task is the ratio of resources actually consumed to
resources expected to be consumed or desired to
be consumed in accomplishing the process, activity, or task. Efficiency means doing things right.
An efficient behavior, like an effective behavior,
delivers resultsbut keeps the necessary effort to
a minimum. Factors that may affect efficiency in
software engineering include product complexity, quality requirements, time pressure, process
capability, team distribution, interrupts, feature
churn, tools, and programming language.
1.12.Effectiveness

[2*, c1]

Effectiveness is about having impact. It is the

relationship between achieved objectives to
defined objectives. Effectiveness means doing
the right things. Effectiveness looks only at
whether defined objectives are reachednot at
how they are reached.
1.13.Productivity

[2*, c23]

Productivity is the ratio of output over input from

an economic perspective. Output is the value

Software Engineering Economics 12-7

delivered. Input covers all resources (e.g., effort)

spent to generate the output. Productivity combines efficiency and effectiveness from a valueoriented perspective: maximizing productivity
is about generating highest value with lowest
resource consumption.

from managing them individually.2 Programs

are often used to identify and manage different
deliveries to a single customer or market over a
time horizon of several years.

2.Life Cycle Economics

Portfolios are projects, programs, subportfolios,

and operations managed as a group to achieve
strategic objectives.3 Portfolios are used to group
and then manage simultaneously all assets within
a business line or organization. Looking to an
entire portfolio makes sure that impacts of decisions are considered, such as resource allocation
to a specific projectwhich means that the same
resources are not available for other projects.

2.1.Product

[2*, c22] [3*, c6]

A product is an economic good (or output) that is

created in a process that transforms product factors (or inputs) to an output. When sold, a product is a deliverable that creates both a value and
an experience for its users. A product can be a
combination of systems, solutions, materials,
and services delivered internally (e.g., in-house
IT solution) or externally (e.g., software application), either as-is or as a component for another
product (e.g., embedded software).
2.2.Project

[2*, c22] [3*, c1]

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken

to create a unique product, service, or result.1
In software engineering, different project types
are distinguished (e.g., product development,
outsourced services, software maintenance, service creation, and so on). During its life cycle, a
software product may require many projects. For
example, during the product conception phase,
a project might be conducted to determine the
customer need and market requirements; during
maintenance, a project might be conducted to
produce a next version of a product.
2.3.Program
A program is a group of related projects, subprograms, and program activities managed in a
coordinated way to obtain benefits not available

1 Project Management Institute, Inc., PMI Lexicon

of Project Management Terms, 2012, www.pmi.org/
PMBOK-Guide-and-Standards/~/media/Registered/
PMI_Lexicon_Final.ashx.

2.4.Portfolio

2.5.Product Life Cycle

[2*, c2] [3*, c2]

A software product life cycle (SPLC) includes

all activities needed to define, build, operate,
maintain, and retire a software product or service
and its variants. The SPLC activities of operate, maintain, and retire typically occur in
a much longer time frame than initial software
development (the software development life
cycleSDLCsee Software Life Cycle Models in the Software Engineering Process KA).
Also the operate-maintain-retire activities of an
SPLC typically consume more total effort and
other resources than the SDLC activities (see
Majority of Maintenance Costs in the Software
Maintenance KA). The value contributed by a
software product or associated services can be
objectively determined during the operate and
maintain time frame. Software engineering economics should be concerned with all SPLC activities, including the activities after initial product
release.
2.6.Project Life Cycle

[2*, c2] [3*, c2]

Project life cycle activities typically involve five

process groupsInitiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing [4]
2
3

Ibid.
Ibid.

12-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

(see the Software Engineering Management KA).

The activities within a software project life cycle
are often interleaved, overlapped, and iterated
in various ways [3*, c2] [5] (see the Software
Engineering Process KA). For instance, agile
product development within an SPLC involves
multiple iterations that produce increments of
deliverable software. An SPLC should include
risk management and synchronization with different suppliers (if any), while providing auditable decision-making information (e.g., complying with product liability needs or governance
regulations). The software project life cycle and
the software product life cycle are interrelated; an
SPLC may include several SDLCs.
2.7.Proposals

[1*, c3]

Making a business decision begins with the

notion of a proposal. Proposals relate to reaching
a business objectiveat the project, product, or
portfolio level. A proposal is a single, separate
option that is being considered, like carrying out
a particular software development project or not.
Another proposal could be to enhance an existing software component, and still another might
be to redevelop that same software from scratch.
Each proposal represents a unit of choiceeither
you can choose to carry out that proposal or you
can choose not to. The whole purpose of business
decision-making is to figure out, given the current
business circumstances, which proposals should
be carried out and which shouldnt.
2.8.Investment Decisions

[1*, c4]

Investors make investment decisions to spend

money and resources on achieving a target objective. Investors are either inside (e.g., finance,
board) or outside (e.g., banks) the organization.
The target relates to some economic criteria, such
as achieving a high return on the investment,
strengthening the capabilities of the organization,
or improving the value of the company. Intangible aspects such as goodwill, culture, and competences should be considered.

2.9.Planning Horizon

[1*, c11]

When an organization chooses to invest in a particular proposal, money gets tied up in that proposalso-called frozen assets. The economic
impact of frozen assets tends to start high and
decreases over time. On the other hand, operating and maintenance costs of elements associated
with the proposal tend to start low but increase
over time. The total cost of the proposalthat
is, owning and operating a productis the sum
of those two costs. Early on, frozen asset costs
dominate; later, the operating and maintenance
costs dominate. There is a point in time where the
sum of the costs is minimized; this is called the
minimum cost lifetime.
To properly compare a proposal with a fouryear life span to a proposal with a six-year life
span, the economic effects of either cutting the
six-year proposal by two years or investing the
profits from the four-year proposal for another
two years need to be addressed. The planning
horizon, sometimes known as the study period,
is the consistent time frame over which proposals are considered. Effects such as software lifetime will need to be factored into establishing a
planning horizon. Once the planning horizon is
established, several techniques are available for
putting proposals with different life spans into
that planning horizon.
2.10.Price and Pricing

[1*, c13]

A price is what is paid in exchange for a good or

service. Price is a fundamental aspect of financial
modeling and is one of the four Ps of the marketing
mix. The other three Ps are product, promotion,
and place. Price is the only revenue-generating element amongst the four Ps; the rest are costs.
Pricing is an element of finance and marketing.
It is the process of determining what a company
will receive in exchange for its products. Pricing
factors include manufacturing cost, market placement, competition, market condition, and quality
of product. Pricing applies prices to products and
services based on factors such as fixed amount,
quantity break, promotion or sales campaign,

Software Engineering Economics 12-9

specific vendor quote, shipment or invoice date,

combination of multiple orders, service offerings,
and many others. The needs of the consumer can
be converted into demand only if the consumer
has the willingness and capacity to buy the product. Thus, pricing is very important in marketing.
Pricing is initially done during the project initiation phase and is a part of go decision making.
2.11.Cost and Costing

[1*, c15]

A cost is the value of money that has been used up

to produce something and, hence, is not available
for use anymore. In economics, a cost is an alternative that is given up as a result of a decision.
A sunk cost is the expenses before a certain
time, typically used to abstract decisions from
expenses in the past, which can cause emotional
hurdles in looking forward. From a traditional
economics point of view, sunk costs should not
be considered in decision making. Opportunity
cost is the cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue another alternative.
Costing is part of finance and product management. It is the process to determine the cost based
on expenses (e.g., production, software engineering, distribution, rework) and on the target cost
to be competitive and successful in a market.
The target cost can be below the actual estimated
cost. The planning and controlling of these costs
(called cost management) is important and should
always be included in costing.
An important concept in costing is the total cost
of ownership (TCO). This holds especially for
software, because there are many not-so-obvious
costs related to SPLC activities after initial product development. TCO for a software product is
defined as the total cost for acquiring, activating,
and keeping that product running. These costs
can be grouped as direct and indirect costs. TCO
is an accounting method that is crucial in making
sound economic decisions.
2.12.Performance Measurement

[3*, c7, c8]

Performance measurement is the process whereby

an organization establishes and measures the

parameters used to determine whether programs,

investments, and acquisitions are achieving the
desired results. It is used to evaluate whether
performance objectives are actually achieved; to
control budgets, resources, progress, and decisions; and to improve performance.
2.13.Earned Value Management

[3*, c8]

Earned value management (EVM) is a project

management technique for measuring progress
based on created value. At a given moment, the
results achieved to date in a project are compared with the projected budget and the planned
schedule progress for that date. Progress relates
already-consumed resources and achieved
results at a given point in time with the respective planned values for the same date. It helps
to identify possible performance problems at an
early stage. A key principle in EVM is tracking
cost and schedule variances via comparison of
planned versus actual schedule and budget versus
actual cost. EVM tracking gives much earlier visibility to deviations and thus permits corrections
earlier than classic cost and schedule tracking that
only looks at delivered documents and products.
2.14.Termination Decisions

[1*, c11, c12] [2*, c9]

Termination means to end a project or product.

Termination can be preplanned for the end of a
long product lifetime (e.g., when foreseeing that a
product will reach its lifetime) or can come rather
spontaneously during product development
(e.g., when project performance targets are not
achieved). In both cases, the decision should be
carefully prepared, considering always the alternatives of continuing versus terminating. Costs of
different alternatives must be estimatedcovering topics such as replacement, information collection, suppliers, alternatives, assets, and utilizing resources for other opportunities. Sunk costs
should not be considered in such decision making
because they have been spent and will not reappear as a value.

12-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 12.4. Goals, Estimates, and Plans

2.15.Replacement and Retirement Decisions

[1*, c12] [2*, c9]
A replacement decision is made when an organization already has a particular asset and they are
considering replacing it with something else; for
example, deciding between maintaining and supporting a legacy software product or redeveloping
it from the ground up. Replacement decisions use
the same business decision process as described
above, but there are additional challenges: sunk
cost and salvage value. Retirement decisions are
also about getting out of an activity altogether,
such as when a software company considers not
selling a software product anymore or a hardware
manufacturer considers not building and selling a
particular model of computer any longer. Retirement decision can be influenced by lock-in factors such as technology dependency and high exit
costs.
3.Risk and Uncertainty
3.1.Goals, Estimates, and Plans

[3*, c6]

Goals in software engineering economics are

mostly business goals (or business objectives).

A business goal relates business needs (such as

increasing profitability) to investing resources
(such as starting a project or launching a product with a given budget, content, and timing).
Goals apply to operational planning (for instance,
to reach a certain milestone at a given date or to
extend software testing by some time to achieve a
desired quality levelsee Key Issues in the Software Testing KA) and to the strategic level (such
as reaching a certain profitability or market share
in a stated time period).
An estimate is a well-founded evaluation of
resources and time that will be needed to achieve
stated goals (see Effort, Schedule, and Cost Estimation in the Software Engineering Management
KA and Maintenance Cost Estimation in the Software Maintenance KA). A software estimate is
used to determine whether the project goals can
be achieved within the constraints on schedule,
budget, features, and quality attributes. Estimates
are typically internally generated and are not
necessarily visible externally. Estimates should
not be driven exclusively by the project goals
because this could make an estimate overly optimistic. Estimation is a periodic activity; estimates
should be continually revised during a project.
A plan describes the activities and milestones
that are necessary in order to reach the goals of

Software Engineering Economics 12-11

a project (see Software Project Planning in the

Software Engineering Management KA). The
plan should be in line with the goal and the estimate, which is not necessarily easy and obvioussuch as when a software project with given
requirements would take longer than the target
date foreseen by the client. In such cases, plans
demand a review of initial goals as well as estimates and the underlying uncertainties and inaccuracies. Creative solutions with the underlying
rationale of achieving a win-win position are
applied to resolve conflicts.
To be of value, planning should involve consideration of the project constraints and commitments to stakeholders. Figure 12.4 shows how
goals are initially defined. Estimates are done
based on the initial goals. The plan tries to match
the goals and the estimates. This is an iterative
process, because an initial estimate typically does
not meet the initial goals.
3.2.Estimation Techniques

[3*, c6]

Estimations are used to analyze and forecast the

resources or time necessary to implement requirements (see Effort, Schedule, and Cost Estimation
in the Software Engineering Management KA
and Maintenance Cost Estimation in the Software
Maintenance KA). Five families of estimation
techniques exist:
Expert judgment
Analogy
Estimation by parts
Parametric methods
Statistical methods.
No single estimation technique is perfect, so
using multiple estimation technique is useful.
Convergence among the estimates produced by
different techniques indicates that the estimates
are probably accurate. Spread among the estimates indicates that certain factors might have
been overlooked. Finding the factors that caused
the spread and then reestimating again to produce results that converge could lead to a better
estimate.

3.3.Addressing Uncertainty

[3*, c6]

Because of the many unknown factors during

project initiation and planning, estimates are
inherently uncertain; that uncertainty should be
addressed in business decisions. Techniques for
addressing uncertainty include
consider ranges of estimates
analyze sensitivity to changes of assumptions
delay final decisions.
3.4.Prioritization

[3*, c6]

Prioritization involves ranking alternatives based

on common criteria to deliver the best possible
value. In software engineering projects, software
requirements are often prioritized in order to
deliver the most value to the client within constraints of schedule, budget, resources, and technology, or to provide for building product increments, where the first increments provide the
highest value to the customer (see Requirements
Classification and Requirements Negotiation in
the Software Requirements KA and Software
Life Cycle Models in the Software Engineering
Process KA).
3.5.Decisions under Risk

[1*, c24] [3*, c9]

Decisions under risk techniques are used when

the decision maker can assign probabilities to the
different possible outcomes (see Risk Management in the Software Engineering Management
KA). The specific techniques include
expected value decision making
expectation variance and decision making
Monte Carlo analysis
decision trees
expected value of perfect information.

12-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 12.5. The for-profit decision-making process

3.6.Decisions under Uncertainty

[1*, c25] [3*, c9]
Decisions under uncertainty techniques are used
when the decision maker cannot assign probabilities to the different possible outcomes because
needed information is not available (see Risk
Management in the Software Engineering Management KA). Specific techniques include
Laplace Rule
Maximin Rule
Maximax Rule
Hurwicz Rule
Minimax Regret Rule.

4.Economic Analysis Methods

4.1.For-Profit Decision Analysis

[1*, c10]

Figure 12.5 describes a process for identifying

the best alternative from a set of mutually exclusive alternatives. Decision criteria depend on the
business objectives and typically include ROI
(see section 4.3, Return on Investment) or Return
on Capital Employed (ROCE) (see section 4.4,
Return on Capital Employed).
For-profit decision techniques dont apply for
government and nonprofit organizations. In these
cases, organizations have different goalswhich
means that a different set of decision techniques
are needed, such as cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness analysis.

Software Engineering Economics 12-13

4.2.Minimum Acceptable Rate of Return

[1*, c10]

The minimum acceptable rate of return (MARR)

is the lowest internal rate of return the organization would consider to be a good investment.
Generally speaking, it wouldnt be smart to invest
in an activity with a return of 10% when theres
another activity thats known to return 20%.
The MARR is a statement that an organization
is confident it can achieve at least that rate of
return. The MARR represents the organizations
opportunity cost for investments. By choosing
to invest in some activity, the organization is
explicitly deciding to not invest that same money
somewhere else. If the organization is already
confident it can get some known rate of return,
other alternatives should be chosen only if their
rate of return is at least that high. A simple way
to account for that opportunity cost is to use the
MARR as the interest rate in business decisions.
An alternatives present worth evaluated at the
MARR shows how much more or less (in present-day cash terms) that alternative is worth than
investing at the MARR.
4.3.Return on Investment

[1*, c10]

Return on investment (ROI) is a measure of the

profitability of a company or business unit. It
is defined as the ratio of money gained or lost
(whether realized or unrealized) on an investment
relative to the amount of money invested. The
purpose of ROI varies and includes, for instance,
providing a rationale for future investments and
acquisition decisions.
4.4.Return on Capital Employed
The return on capital employed (ROCE) is a measure of the profitability of a company or business
unit. It is defined as the ratio of a gross profit
before taxes and interest (EBIT) to the total assets
minus current liabilities. It describes the return on
the used capital.

4.5.Cost-Benefit Analysis

[1*, c18]

Cost-benefit analysis is one of the most widely

used methods for evaluating individual proposals. Any proposal with a benefit-cost ratio of less
than 1.0 can usually be rejected without further
analysis because it would cost more than the benefit. Proposals with a higher ratio need to consider the associated risk of an investment and
compare the benefits with the option of investing
the money at a guaranteed interest rate (see section 4.2, Minimum Acceptable Rate of Return).
4.6.Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

[1*, c18]

Cost-effectiveness analysis is similar to costbenefit analysis. There are two versions of costeffectiveness analysis: the fixed-cost version
maximizes the benefit given some upper bound
on cost; the fixed-effectiveness version minimizes
the cost needed to achieve a fixed goal.
4.7.Break-Even Analysis

[1*, c19]

Break-even analysis identifies the point where

the costs of developing a product and the revenue
to be generated are equal. Such an analysis can
be used to choose between different proposals at
different estimated costs and revenue. Given estimated costs and revenue of two or more proposals, break-even analysis helps in choosing among
them.
4.8.Business Case

[1*, c3]

The business case is the consolidated information

summarizing and explaining a business proposal
from different perspectives for a decision maker
(cost, benefit, risk, and so on). It is often used
to assess the potential value of a product, which
can be used as a basis in the investment decisionmaking process. As opposed to a mere profitloss calculation, the business case is a case of
plans and analyses that is owned by the product

12-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

manager and used in support of achieving the

business objectives.
4.9.Multiple Attribute Evaluation

[1*, c26]

The topics discussed so far are used to make decisions based on a single decision criterion: money.
The alternative with the best present worth, the
best ROI, and so forth is the one selected. Aside
from technical feasibility, money is almost
always the most important decision criterion, but
its not always the only one. Quite often there are
other criteria, other attributes, that need to be
considered, and those attributes cant be cast in
terms of money. Multiple attribute decision techniques allow other, nonfinancial criteria to be factored into the decision.
There are two families of multiple attribute
decision techniques that differ in how they use
the attributes in the decision. One family is the
compensatory, or single-dimensioned, techniques. This family collapses all of the attributes
onto a single figure of merit. The family is called
compensatory because, for any given alternative,
a lower score in one attribute can be compensated
byor traded off againsta higher score in other
attributes. The compensatory techniques include
nondimensional scaling
additive weighting
analytic hierarchy process.
In contrast, the other family is the noncompensatory, or fully dimensioned, techniques.
This family does not allow tradeoffs among the
attributes. Each attribute is treated as a separate
entity in the decision process. The noncompensatory techniques include
dominance
satisficing
lexicography.
4.10.Optimization Analysis

[1*, c20]

The typical use of optimization analysis is to

study a cost function over a range of values to

find the point where overall performance is best.

Softwares classic space-time tradeoff is an
example of optimization; an algorithm that runs
faster will often use more memory. Optimization
balances the value of the faster runtime against
the cost of the additional memory.
Real options analysis can be used to quantify
the value of project choices, including the value
of delaying a decision. Such options are difficult
to compute with precision. However, awareness
that choices have a monetary value provides
insight in the timing of decisions such as increasing project staff or lengthening time to market to
improve quality.
5.Practical Considerations
5.1.The Good Enough Principle

[1*, c21]

Often software engineering projects and products

are not precise about the targets that should be
achieved. Software requirements are stated, but
the marginal value of adding a bit more functionality cannot be measured. The result could be late
delivery or too-high cost. The good enough
principle relates marginal value to marginal cost
and provides guidance to determine criteria when
a deliverable is good enough to be delivered.
These criteria depend on business objectives and
on prioritization of different alternatives, such as
ranking software requirements, measurable quality attributes, or relating schedule to product content and cost.
The RACE principle (reduce accidents and
control essence) is a popular rule towards good
enough software. Accidents imply unnecessary
overheads such as gold-plating and rework due
to late defect removal or too many requirements
changes. Essence is what customers pay for. Software engineering economics provides the mechanisms to define criteria that determine when a
deliverable is good enough to be delivered.
It also highlights that both words are relevant:
good and enough. Insufficient quality or
insufficient quantity is not good enough.
Agile methods are examples of good enough
that try to optimize value by reducing the overhead of delayed rework and the gold plating that

Software Engineering Economics 12-15

results from adding features that have low marginal value for the users (see Agile Methods in
the Software Engineering Models and Methods
KA and Software Life Cycle Models in the Software Engineering Process KA). In agile methods, detailed planning and lengthy development
phases are replaced by incremental planning and
frequent delivery of small increments of a deliverable product that is tested and evaluated by user
representatives.
5.2.Friction-Free Economy
Economic friction is everything that keeps markets from having perfect competition. It involves
distance, cost of delivery, restrictive regulations,
and/or imperfect information. In high-friction
markets, customers dont have many suppliers
from which to choose. Having been in a business
for a while or owning a store in a good location
determines the economic position. Its hard for
new competitors to start business and compete.
The marketplace moves slowly and predictably.
Friction-free markets are just the reverse. New
competitors emerge and customers are quick to
respond. The marketplace is anything but predictable. Theoretically, software and IT are frictionfree. New companies can easily create products
and often do so at a much lower cost than established companies, since they need not consider
any legacies. Marketing and sales can be done
via the Internet and social networks, and basically free distribution mechanisms can enable a
ramp up to a global business. Software engineering economics aims to provide foundations to
judge how a software business performs and how
friction-free a market actually is. For instance,
competition among software app developers is
inhibited when apps must be sold through an app
store and comply with that stores rules.
5.3.Ecosystems
An ecosystem is an environment consisting of all
the mutually dependent stakeholders, business
units, and companies working in a particular area.

In a typical ecosystem, there are producers and

consumers, where the consumers add value to
the consumed resources. Note that a consumer is
not the end user but an organization that uses the
product to enhance it. A software ecosystem is,
for instance, a supplier of an application working
with companies doing the installation and support in different regions. Neither one could exist
without the other. Ecosystems can be permanent
or temporary. Software engineering economics
provides the mechanisms to evaluate alternatives
in establishing or extending an ecosystemfor
instance, assessing whether to work with a specific distributor or have the distribution done by a
company doing service in an area.
5.4.Offshoring and Outsourcing
Offshoring means executing a business activity
beyond sales and marketing outside the home
country of an enterprise. Enterprises typically
either have their offshoring branches in lowcost countries or they ask specialized companies
abroad to execute the respective activity. Offshoring should therefore not be confused with outsourcing. Offshoring within a company is called
captive offshoring. Outsourcing is the result-oriented relationship with a supplier who executes
business activities for an enterprise when, traditionally, those activities were executed inside
the enterprise. Outsourcing is site-independent.
The supplier can reside in the neighborhood of
the enterprise or offshore (outsourced offshoring). Software engineering economics provides
the basic criteria and business tools to evaluate
different sourcing mechanisms and control their
performance. For instance, using an outsourcing
supplier for software development and maintenance might reduce the cost per hour of software
development, but increase the number of hours
and capital expenses due to an increased need for
monitoring and communication. (For more information on offshoring and outsourcing, see Outsourcing in Management Issues in the Software
Maintenance KA.)

12-16 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

1.Software Engineering Economics

Fundamentals
1.1.Finance
1.2.Accounting
1.3.Controlling
1.4.Cash Flow
1.5.Decision-Making Process
1.6.Valuation
1.7.Inflation
1.8.Depreciation
1.9.Taxation
1.10.Time-Value of Money
1.11.Efficiency
1.12.Effectiveness
1.13.Productivity
2.Life Cycle Economics
2.1.Product
2.2.Project
2.3.Program
2.4.Portfolio
2.5.Product Life Cycle
2.6.Project Life Cycle
2.7.Proposals
2.8.Investment Decisions
2.9.Planning Horizon
2.10.Price and Pricing
2.11.Cost and Costing
2.12.Performance Measurement
2.13.Earned Value Management
2.14.Termination Decisions
2.15.Replacement and Retirement Decisions

Fairley 2009
[3*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

Tockey 2005
[1*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

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c15
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c2, c4
c5, c8
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c6
c1

c2
c2

c2
c2

c3
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c11, c12
c12

c9
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Fairley 2009
[3*]

Sommerville 2011
[2*]

Tockey 2005
[1*]

Software Engineering Economics 12-17

3.Risk and Uncertainty

3.1.Goals, Estimates, and Plans
3.2.Estimation Techniques
3.3.Addressing Uncertainty
3.4.Prioritization
3.5.Decisions under Risk
3.6.Decisions under Uncertainty
4.Economic Analysis Methods
4.1.For-Profit Decision Analysis
4.2.Minimum Acceptable Rate of Return
4.3.Return on Investment
4.4.Return on Capital Employed
4.5.Cost-Benefit Analysis
4.6.Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
4.7.Break-Even Analysis
4.8.Business Case
4.9.Multiple Attribute Evaluation
4.10.Optimization Analysis
5.Practical Considerations
5.1.The Good Enough Principle
5.2.Friction-Free Economy
5.3.Ecosystems
5.4.Offshoring and Outsourcing

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12-18 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

FURTHER READINGS

REFERENCES

A Guide to the Project Management Body of

Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) [4].

[1*] S. Tockey, Return on Software: Maximizing

the Return on Your Software Investment,
Addison-Wesley, 2004.

The PMBOK Guide provides guidelines for

managing individual projects and defines project
management related concepts. It also describes
the project management life cycle and its related
processes, as well as the project life cycle. It is
a globally recognized guide for the project management profession.
Software Extension to the Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge (SWX) [5].
SWX provides adaptations and extensions to the
generic practices of project management documented in the PMBOK Guide for managing
software projects. The primary contribution of
this extension to the PMBOK Guide is description of processes that are applicable for managing
adaptive life cycle software projects.

[2*] J.H. Allen et al., Software Security

Engineering: A Guide for Project
Managers, Addison-Wesley, 2008.
[3*] R.E. Fairley, Managing and Leading
Software Projects, Wiley-IEEE Computer
Society Press, 2009.
[4] Project Management Institute, A Guide
to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK(R) Guide), 5th ed.,
Project Management Institute, 2013.
[5] Project Management Institute and IEEE
Computer Society, Software Extension
to the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition, ed:
Project Management Institute, 2013.

B.W. Boehm, Software Engineering Economics

[6].

[6] B.W. Boehm, Software Engineering

Economics, Prentice-Hall, 1981.

This book is the classic reading on software

engineering economics. It provides an overview
of business thinking in software engineering.
Although the examples and figures are dated, it
still is worth reading.

[7] C. Ebert and R. Dumke, Software

Measurement, Springer, 2007.

C. Ebert and R. Dumke, Software Measurement

[7].
This book provides an overview on quantitative methods in software engineering, starting
with measurement theory and proceeding to
performance management and business decision
making.
D.J. Reifer, Making the Software Business Case:
Improvement by the Numbers [8].
This book is a classic reading on making a business case in the software and IT businesses. Many
useful examples illustrate how the business case
is formulated and quantified.

[8] D.J. Reifer, Making the Software Business

Case: Improvement by the Numbers,
Addison Wesley, 2002.

CHAPTER 13
COMPUTING FOUNDATIONS
ACRONYMS
AOP
ALU
API
ATM
B/S
CERT
COTS
CRUD
C/S
CS
DBMS
FPU
I/O
ISA
ISO
ISP
LAN
MUX
NIC
OOP
OS
OSI
PC
PDA
PPP
RFID
RAM
ROM

Aspect-Oriented Programming
Arithmetic and Logic Unit
Application Programming
Interface
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Browser-Server
Computer Emergency Response
Team
Commercial Off-The-Shelf
Create, Read, Update, Delete
Client-Server
Computer Science
Database Management System
Float Point Unit
Input and Output
Instruction Set Architecture
International Organization for
Standardization
Internet Service Provider
Local Area Network
Multiplexer
Network Interface Card
Object-Oriented Programming
Operating System
Open Systems Interconnection
Personal Computer
Personal Digital Assistant
Point-to-Point Protocol
Radio Frequency Identification
Random Access Memory
Read Only Memory

SCSI
SQL
TCP
UDP
VPN
WAN

Small Computer System Interface

Structured Query Language
Transport Control Protocol
User Datagram Protocol
Virtual Private Network
Wide Area Network

INTRODUCTION
The scope of the Computing Foundations knowledge area (KA) encompasses the development
and operational environment in which software
evolves and executes. Because no software can
exist in a vacuum or run without a computer, the
core of such an environment is the computer and
its various components. Knowledge about the
computer and its underlying principles of hardware and software serves as a framework on
which software engineering is anchored. Thus, all
software engineers must have good understanding of the Computing Foundations KA.
It is generally accepted that software engineering builds on top of computer science. For
example, Software Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree
Programs in Software Engineering [1] clearly
states, One particularly important aspect is that
software engineering builds on computer science
and mathematics (italics added).
Steve Tockey wrote in his book Return on
Software:
Both computer science and software engineering deal with computers, computing,
and software. The science of computing, as
a body of knowledge, is at the core of both.
13-1

13-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 13.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Computing Foundations KA

Software engineering is concerned with

the application of computers, computing,
and software to practical purposes, specifically the design, construction, and operation of efficient and economical software
systems.
Thus, at the core of software engineering is an
understanding of computer science.
While few people will deny the role computer
science plays in the development of software
engineering both as a discipline and as a body of
knowledge, the importance of computer science
to software engineering cannot be overemphasized; thus, this Computing Foundations KA is
being written.
The majority of topics discussed in the Computing Foundations KA are also topics of discussion in basic courses given in computer science
undergraduate and graduate programs. Such
courses include programming, data structure,
algorithms, computer organization, operating
systems, compilers, databases, networking, distributed systems, and so forth. Thus, when breaking down topics, it can be tempting to decompose
the Computing Foundations KA according to
these often-found divisions in relevant courses.
However, a purely course-based division of
topics suffers serious drawbacks. For one, not
all courses in computer science are related or
equally important to software engineering. Thus,
some topics that would otherwise be covered in a
computer science course are not covered in this

KA. For example, computer graphicswhile an

important course in a computer science degree
programis not included in this KA.
Second, some topics discussed in this guideline do not exist as standalone courses in undergraduate or graduate computer science programs.
Consequently, such topics may not be adequately
covered in a purely course-based breakdown. For
example, abstraction is a topic incorporated into
several different computer science courses; it is
unclear which course abstraction should belong
to in a course-based breakdown of topics.
The Computing Foundations KA is divided into
seventeen different topics. A topics direct usefulness to software engineers is the criterion used for
selecting topics for inclusion in this KA (see Figure
13.1). The advantage of this topic-based breakdown
is its foundation on the belief that Computing Foundationsif it is to be grasped firmlymust be considered as a collection of logically connected topics
undergirding software engineering in general and
software construction in particular.
The Computing Foundations KA is related
closely to the Software Design, Software Construction, Software Testing, Software Maintenance, Software Quality, and Mathematical
Foundations KAs.
BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR
COMPUTING FOUNDATIONS
The breakdown of topics for the Computing
Foundations KA is shown in Figure 13.1.

Computing Foundations 13-3

1.Problem Solving Techniques

[2*, s3.2, c4] [3*, c5]
The concepts, notions, and terminology introduced
here form an underlying basis for understanding
the role and scope of problem solving techniques.
1.1.Definition of Problem Solving
Problem solving refers to the thinking and activities conducted to answer or derive a solution to
a problem. There are many ways to approach a
problem, and each way employs different tools
and uses different processes. These different
ways of approaching problems gradually expand
and define themselves and finally give rise to different disciplines. For example, software engineering focuses on solving problems using computers and software.
While different problems warrant different
solutions and may require different tools and
processes, the methodology and techniques used
in solving problems do follow some guidelines
and can often be generalized as problem solving
techniques. For example, a general guideline for
solving a generic engineering problem is to use
the three-step process given below [2*].
Formulate the real problem.
Analyze the problem.
Design a solution search strategy.
1.2.Formulating the Real Problem
Gerard Voland writes, It is important to recognize that a specific problem should be formulated
if one is to develop a specific solution [2*].
This formulation is called the problem statement,
which explicitly specifies what both the problem
and the desired outcome are.
Although there is no universal way of stating a problem, in general a problem should be
expressed in such a way as to facilitate the development of solutions. Some general techniques
to help one formulate the real problem include
statement-restatement, determining the source
and the cause, revising the statement, analyzing
present and desired state, and using the fresh eye
approach.

1.3.Analyze the Problem

Once the problem statement is available, the next
step is to analyze the problem statement or situation to help structure our search for a solution.
Four types of analysis include situation analysis,
in which the most urgent or critical aspects of a
situation are identified first; problem analysis, in
which the cause of the problem must be determined; decision analysis, in which the action(s)
needed to correct the problem or eliminate its
cause must be determined; and potential problem
analysis, in which the action(s) needed to prevent
any reoccurrences of the problem or the development of new problems must be determined.
1.4.Design a Solution Search Strategy
Once the problem analysis is complete, we can
focus on structuring a search strategy to find the
solution. In order to find the best solution (here,
best could mean different things to different
people, such as faster, cheaper, more usable, different capabilities, etc.), we need to eliminate
paths that do not lead to viable solutions, design
tasks in a way that provides the most guidance in
searching for a solution, and use various attributes
of the final solution state to guide our choices in
the problem solving process.
1.5.Problem Solving Using Programs
The uniqueness of computer software gives problem solving a flavor that is distinct from general
engineering problem solving. To solve a problem
using computers, we must answer the following
questions.
How do we figure out what to tell the computer to do?
How do we convert the problem statement
into an algorithm?
How do we convert the algorithm into
machine instructions?
The first task in solving a problem using a computer is to determine what to tell the computer to
do. There may be many ways to tell the story, but
all should take the perspective of a computer such

13-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

that the computer can eventually solve the problem. In general, a problem should be expressed
in such a way as to facilitate the development of
algorithms and data structures for solving it.
The result of the first task is a problem statement. The next step is to convert the problem statement into algorithms that solve the problem. Once
an algorithm is found, the final step converts the
algorithm into machine instructions that form the
final solution: software that solves the problem.
Abstractly speaking, problem solving using a
computer can be considered as a process of problem transformationin other words, the step-bystep transformation of a problem statement into
a problem solution. To the discipline of software
engineering, the ultimate objective of problem
solving is to transform a problem expressed in
natural language into electrons running around
a circuit. In general, this transformation can be
broken into three phases:
a) Development of algorithms from the problem statement.
b) Application of algorithms to the problem.
c) Transformation of algorithms to program
code.
The conversion of a problem statement into
algorithms and algorithms into program codes
usually follows a stepwise refinement (a.k.a.
systematic decomposition) in which we start
with a problem statement, rewrite it as a task,
and recursively decompose the task into a few
simpler subtasks until the task is so simple that
solutions to it are straightforward. There are three
basic ways of decomposing: sequential, conditional, and iterative.
2.Abstraction

[3*, s5.25.4]

Abstraction is an indispensible technique associated with problem solving. It refers to both the
process and result of generalization by reducing
the information of a concept, a problem, or an
observable phenomenon so that one can focus
on the big picture. One of the most important
skills in any engineering undertaking is framing
the levels of abstraction appropriately.

Through abstraction, according to Voland,

we view the problem and its possible solution
paths from a higher level of conceptual understanding. As a result, we may become better prepared to recognize possible relationships between
different aspects of the problem and thereby generate more creative design solutions [2*]. This
is particularly true in computer science in general
(such as hardware vs. software) and in software
engineering in particular (data structure vs. data
flow, and so forth).
2.1.Levels of Abstraction
When abstracting, we concentrate on one level
of the big picture at a time with confidence that
we can then connect effectively with levels above
and below. Although we focus on one level,
abstraction does not mean knowing nothing about
the neighboring levels. Abstraction levels do not
necessarily correspond to discrete components
in reality or in the problem domain, but to welldefined standard interfaces such as programming
APIs. The advantages that standard interfaces
provide include portability, easier software/hardware integration and wider usage.
2.2.Encapsulation
Encapsulation is a mechanism used to implement abstraction. When we are dealing with one
level of abstraction, the information concerning
the levels below and above that level is encapsulated. This information can be the concept, problem, or observable phenomenon; or it may be the
permissible operations on these relevant entities.
Encapsulation usually comes with some degree
of information hiding in which some or all of
the underlying details are hidden from the level
above the interface provided by the abstraction.
To an object, information hiding means we dont
need to know the details of how the object is represented or how the operations on those objects
are implemented.
2.3.Hierarchy
When we use abstraction in our problem formulation and solution, we may use different abstractions

Computing Foundations 13-5

at different timesin other words, we work on different levels of abstraction as the situation calls.
Most of the time, these different levels of abstraction are organized in a hierarchy. There are many
ways to structure a particular hierarchy and the
criteria used in determining the specific content of
each layer in the hierarchy varies depending on the
individuals performing the work.
Sometimes, a hierarchy of abstraction is sequential, which means that each layer has one and only
one predecessor (lower) layer and one and only
one successor (upper) layerexcept the upmost
layer (which has no successor) and the bottommost
layer (which has no predecessor). Sometimes,
however, the hierarchy is organized in a tree-like
structure, which means each layer can have more
than one predecessor layer but only one successor
layer. Occasionally, a hierarchy can have a manyto-many structure, in which each layer can have
multiple predecessors and successors. At no time,
shall there be any loop in a hierarchy.
A hierarchy often forms naturally in task decomposition. Often, a task analysis can be decomposed
in a hierarchical fashion, starting with the larger
tasks and goals of the organization and breaking
each of them down into smaller subtasks that can
again be further subdivided This continuous division of tasks into smaller ones would produce a
hierarchical structure of tasks-subtasks.
2.4.Alternate Abstractions
Sometimes it is useful to have multiple alternate
abstractions for the same problem so that one can
keep different perspectives in mind. For example, we can have a class diagram, a state chart,
and a sequence diagram for the same software
at the same level of abstraction. These alternate
abstractions do not form a hierarchy but rather
complement each other in helping understanding
the problem and its solution. Though beneficial, it
is as times difficult to keep alternate abstractions
in sync.
3.Programming Fundamentals

[3*, c619]

Programming is composed of the methodologies

or activities for creating computer programs that

perform a desired function. It is an indispensible

part in software construction. In general, programming can be considered as the process of
designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code. This source code is written in a programming language.
The process of writing source code often
requires expertise in many different subject
areasincluding knowledge of the application
domain, appropriate data structures, specialized algorithms, various language constructs,
good programming techniques, and software
engineering.
3.1.The Programming Process
Programming involves design, writing, testing,
debugging, and maintenance. Design is the conception or invention of a scheme for turning a
customer requirement for computer software into
operational software. It is the activity that links
application requirements to coding and debugging. Writing is the actual coding of the design
in an appropriate programming language. Testing
is the activity to verify that the code one writes
actually does what it is supposed to do. Debugging is the activity to find and fix bugs (faults) in
the source code (or design). Maintenance is the
activity to update, correct, and enhance existing
programs. Each of these activities is a huge topic
and often warrants the explanation of an entire
KA in the SWEBOK Guide and many books.
3.2.Programming Paradigms
Programming is highly creative and thus somewhat personal. Different people often write different programs for the same requirements. This
diversity of programming causes much difficulty
in the construction and maintenance of large
complex software. Various programming paradigms have been developed over the years to put
some standardization into this highly creative and
personal activity. When one programs, he or she
can use one of several programming paradigms to
write the code. The major types of programming
paradigms are discussed below.
Unstructured Programming: In unstructured
programming, a programmer follows his/her

13-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

hunch to write the code in whatever way he/she

likes as long as the function is operational. Often,
the practice is to write code to fulfill a specific
utility without regard to anything else. Programs
written this way exhibit no particular structure
thus the name unstructured programming.
Unstructured programming is also sometimes
called ad hoc programming.
Structured/Procedural/ Imperative Programming: A hallmark of structured programming is
the use of well-defined control structures, including procedures (and/or functions) with each procedure (or function) performing a specific task.
Interfaces exist between procedures to facilitate
correct and smooth calling operations of the programs. Under structured programming, programmers often follow established protocols and rules
of thumb when writing code. These protocols
and rules can be numerous and cover almost the
entire scope of programmingranging from the
simplest issue (such as how to name variables,
functions, procedures, and so forth) to more complex issues (such as how to structure an interface,
how to handle exceptions, and so forth).
Object-Oriented Programming: While procedural programming organizes programs around
procedures, object-oriented programming (OOP)
organize a program around objects, which are
abstract data structures that combine both data
and methods used to access or manipulate the
data. The primary features of OOP are that objects
representing various abstract and concrete entities
are created and these objects interact with each
other to collectively fulfill the desired functions.
Aspect-Oriented Programming: Aspect-oriented programming (AOP) is a programming
paradigm that is built on top of OOP. AOP aims
to isolate secondary or supporting functions from
the main programs business logic by focusing
on the cross sections (concerns) of the objects.
The primary motivation for AOP is to resolve
the object tangling and scattering associated with
OOP, in which the interactions among objects
become very complex. The essence of AOP is
the greatly emphasized separation of concerns,
which separates noncore functional concerns or
logic into various aspects.
Functional Programming: Though less popular, functional programming is as viable as
the other paradigms in solving programming

problems. In functional programming, all computations are treated as the evaluation of mathematical functions. In contrast to the imperative
programming that emphasizes changes in state,
functional programming emphasizes the application of functions, avoids state and mutable data,
and provides referential transparency.
4.Programming Language Basics

[4*, c6]

Using computers to solve problems involves

programmingwhich is writing and organizing instructions telling the computer what to do
at each step. Programs must be written in some
programming language with which and through
which we describe necessary computations. In
other words, we use the facilities provided by a
programming language to describe problems,
develop algorithms, and reason about problem
solutions. To write any program, one must understand at least one programming language.
4.1.Programming Language Overview
A programming language is designed to express
computations that can be performed by a computer. In a practical sense, a programming language is a notation for writing programs and thus
should be able to express most data structures and
algorithms. Some, but not all, people restrict the
term programming language to those languages
that can express all possible algorithms.
Not all languages have the same importance
and popularity. The most popular ones are often
defined by a specification document established
by a well-known and respected organization. For
example, the C programming language is specified by an ISO standard named ISO/IEC 9899.
Other languages, such as Perl and Python, do not
enjoy such treatment and often have a dominant
implementation that is used as a reference.
4.2.Syntax and Semantics of Programming
Languages
Just like natural languages, many programming
languages have some form of written specification of their syntax (form) and semantics (meaning). Such specifications include, for example,

Computing Foundations 13-7

specific requirements for the definition of variables and constants (in other words, declaration and types) and format requirements for the
instructions themselves.
In general, a programming language supports
such constructs as variables, data types, constants, literals, assignment statements, control
statements, procedures, functions, and comments.
The syntax and semantics of each construct must
be clearly specified.
4.3.Low-Level Programming Languages
Programming language can be classified into two
classes: low-level languages and high-level languages. Low-level languages can be understood
by a computer with no or minimal assistance and
typically include machine languages and assembly languages. A machine language uses ones
and zeros to represent instructions and variables,
and is directly understandable by a computer. An
assembly language contains the same instructions
as a machine language but the instructions and
variables have symbolic names that are easier for
humans to remember.
Assembly languages cannot be directly understood by a computer and must be translated into a
machine language by a utility program called an
assembler. There often exists a correspondence
between the instructions of an assembly language
and a machine language, and the translation from
assembly code to machine code is straightforward. For example, add r1, r2, r3 is an assembly instruction for adding the content of register
r2 and r3 and storing the sum into register r1. This
instruction can be easily translated into machine
code 0001 0001 0010 0011. (Assume the operation code for addition is 0001, see Figure 13.2).
add
0001

r1,
0001

r2,
0010

r3
0011

Figure 13.2. Assembly-to-Binary Translations

One common trait shared by these two types

of language is their close association with the
specifics of a type of computer or instruction set
architecture (ISA).

4.4.High-Level Programming Languages

A high-level programming language has a strong
abstraction from the details of the computers
ISA. In comparison to low-level programming
languages, it often uses natural-language elements and is thus much easier for humans to
understand. Such languages allow symbolic naming of variables, provide expressiveness, and
enable abstraction of the underlying hardware.
For example, while each microprocessor has its
own ISA, code written in a high-level programming language is usually portable between many
different hardware platforms. For these reasons,
most programmers use and most software are
written in high-level programming languages.
Examples of high-level programming languages
include C, C++, C#, and Java.
4.5.Declarative vs. Imperative Programming
Languages
Most programming languages (high-level or lowlevel) allow programmers to specify the individual instructions that a computer is to execute.
Such programming languages are called imperative programming languages because one has to
specify every step clearly to the computer. But
some programming languages allow programmers to only describe the function to be performed without specifying the exact instruction
sequences to be executed. Such programming
languages are called declarative programming
languages. Declarative languages are high-level
languages. The actual implementation of the
computation written in such a language is hidden
from the programmers and thus is not a concern
for them.
The key point to note is that declarative programming only describes what the program
should accomplish without describing how to
accomplish it. For this reason, many people
believe declarative programming facilitates
easier software development. Declarative programming languages include Lisp (also a functional programming language) and Prolog, while
imperative programming languages include C,
C++, and JAVA.

13-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

5.Debugging Tools and Techniques

[3*, c23]

Once a program is coded and compiled (compilation will be discussed in section 10), the next step
is debugging, which is a methodical process of
finding and reducing the number of bugs or faults
in a program. The purpose of debugging is to find
out why a program doesnt work or produces a
wrong result or output. Except for very simple
programs, debugging is always necessary.
5.1.Types of Errors
When a program does not work, it is often because
the program contains bugs or errors that can be
either syntactic errors, logical errors, or data errors.
Logical errors and data errors are also known as
two categories of faults in software engineering
terminology (see topic 1.1, Testing-Related Terminology, in the Software Testing KA).
Syntax errors are simply any error that prevents the translator (compiler/interpreter) from
successfully parsing the statement. Every statement in a program must be parse-able before its
meaning can be understood and interpreted (and,
therefore, executed). In high-level programming
languages, syntax errors are caught during the
compilation or translation from the high-level
language into machine code. For example, in the
C/C++ programming language, the statement
123=constant; contains a syntax error that will
be caught by the compiler during compilation.
Logic errors are semantic errors that result in
incorrect computations or program behaviors.
Your program is legal, but wrong! So the results
do not match the problem statement or user expectations. For example, in the C/C++ programming
language, the inline function int f(int x) {return
f(x-1);} for computing factorial x! is legal but
logically incorrect. This type of error cannot be
caught by a compiler during compilation and is
often discovered through tracing the execution of
the program (Modern static checkers do identify
some of these errors. However, the point remains
that these are not machine checkable in general).
Data errors are input errors that result either in
input data that is different from what the program
expects or in the processing of wrong data.

5.2.Debugging Techniques
Debugging involves many activities and can be
static, dynamic, or postmortem. Static debugging usually takes the form of code review, while
dynamic debugging usually takes the form of
tracing and is closely associated with testing.
Postmortem debugging is the act of debugging
the core dump (memory dump) of a process. Core
dumps are often generated after a process has terminated due to an unhandled exception. All three
techniques are used at various stages of program
development.
The main activity of dynamic debugging is
tracing, which is executing the program one piece
at a time, examining the contents of registers and
memory, in order to examine the results at each
step. There are three ways to trace a program.
Single-stepping: execute one instruction at
a time to make sure each instruction is executed correctly. This method is tedious but
useful in verifying each step of a program.
Breakpoints: tell the program to stop executing when it reaches a specific instruction.
This technique lets one quickly execute
selected code sequences to get a high-level
overview of the execution behavior.
Watch points: tell the program to stop when a
register or memory location changes or when
it equals to a specific value. This technique
is useful when one doesnt know where or
when a value is changed and when this value
change likely causes the error.
5.3.Debugging Tools
Debugging can be complex, difficult, and tedious.
Like programming, debugging is also highly creative (sometimes more creative than programming). Thus some help from tools is in order. For
dynamic debugging, debuggers are widely used
and enable the programmer to monitor the execution of a program, stop the execution, restart the
execution, set breakpoints, change values in memory, and even, in some cases, go back in time.
For static debugging, there are many static
code analysis tools, which look for a specific
set of known problems within the source code.

Computing Foundations 13-9

Both commercial and free tools exist in various

languages. These tools can be extremely useful
when checking very large source trees, where it is
impractical to do code walkthroughs. The UNIX
lint program is an early example.
6.Data Structure and Representation
[5*, s2.12.6]
Programs work on data. But data must be
expressed and organized within computers before
being processed by programs. This organization
and expression of data for programs use is the
subject of data structure and representation. Simply put, a data structure tries to store and organize
data in a computer in such a way that the data can
be used efficiently. There are many types of data
structures and each type of structure is suitable
for some kinds of applications. For example, B/
B+ trees are well suited for implementing massive file systems and databases.
6.1.Data Structure Overview
Data structures are computer representations of
data. Data structures are used in almost every program. In a sense, no meaningful program can be
constructed without the use of some sort of data
structure. Some design methods and programming languages even organize an entire software
system around data structures. Fundamentally,
data structures are abstractions defined on a collection of data and its associated operations.
Often, data structures are designed for improving program or algorithm efficiency. Examples of
such data structures include stacks, queues, and
heaps. At other times, data structures are used for
conceptual unity (abstract data type), such as the
name and address of a person. Often, a data structure can determine whether a program runs in a
few seconds or in a few hours or even a few days.
From the perspective of physical and logical ordering, a data structure is either linear or
nonlinear. Other perspectives give rise to different classifications that include homogeneous
vs. heterogeneous, static vs. dynamic, persistent
vs. transient, external vs. internal, primitive vs.
aggregate, recursive vs. nonrecursive; passive vs.
active; and stateful vs. stateless structures.

6.2.Types of Data Structure

As mentioned above, different perspectives can
be used to classify data structures. However, the
predominant perspective used in classification
centers on physical and logical ordering between
data items. This classification divides data structures into linear and nonlinear structures. Linear
structures organize data items in a single dimension in which each data entry has one (physical
or logical) predecessor and one successor with
the exception of the first and last entry. The first
entry has no predecessor and the last entry has
no successor. Nonlinear structures organize data
items in two or more dimensions, in which case
one entry can have multiple predecessors and
successors. Examples of linear structures include
lists, stacks, and queues. Examples of nonlinear
structures include heaps, hash tables, and trees
(such as binary trees, balance trees, B-trees, and
so forth).
Another type of data structure that is often
encountered in programming is the compound
structure. A compound data structure builds on
top of other (more primitive) data structures and,
in some way, can be viewed as the same structure
as the underlying structure. Examples of compound structures include sets, graphs, and partitions. For example, a partition can be viewed as
a set of sets.
6.3.Operations on Data Structures
All data structures support some operations that
produce a specific structure and ordering, or
retrieve relevant datafrom the structure, store data
into the structure, or delete data from the structure.
Basic operations supported by all data structures
include create, read, update, and delete (CRUD).
Create: Insert a new data entry into the
structure.
Read: Retrieve a data entry from the structure.
Update: Modify an existing data entry.
Delete: Remove a data entry from the
structure.
Some data structures also support additional
operations:

13-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Find a particular element in the structure.

Sort all elements according to some ordering.
Traverse all elements in some specific order.
Reorganize or rebalance the structure.
Different structures support different operations with different efficiencies. The difference
between operation efficiency can be significant.
For example, it is easy to retrieve the last item
inserted into a stack, but finding a particular element within a stack is rather slow and tedious.
7.Algorithms and Complexity
[5*, s1.11.3, s3.33.6, s4.14.8, s5.15.7,
s6.16.3, s7.17.6, s11.1, s12.1]
Programs are not random pieces of code: they are
meticulously written to perform user-expected
actions. The guide one uses to compose programs
are algorithms, which organize various functions
into a series of steps and take into consideration
the application domain, the solution strategy, and
the data structures being used. An algorithm can
be very simple or very complex.
7.1.Overview of Algorithms
Abstractly speaking, algorithms guide the operations of computers and consist of a sequence of
actions composed to solve a problem. Alternative
definitions include but are not limited to:
An algorithm is any well-defined computational procedure that takes some value or set
of values as input and produces some value
or set of values as output.
An algorithm is a sequence of computational
steps that transform the input into the output.
An algorithm is a tool for solving a wellspecified computation problem.
Of course, different definitions are favored
by different people. Though there is no universally accepted definition, some agreement exists
that an algorithm needs to be correct, finite (in
other words, terminate eventually or one must be
able to write it in a finite number of steps), and
unambiguous.

7.2.Attributes of Algorithms
The attributes of algorithms are many and often
include modularity, correctness, maintainability, functionality, robustness, user-friendliness
(i.e. easy to be understood by people), programmer time, simplicity, and extensibility. A commonly emphasized attribute is performance
or efficiency by which we mean both time
and resource-usage efficiency while generally
emphasizing the time axis. To some degree, efficiency determines if an algorithm is feasible or
impractical. For example, an algorithm that takes
one hundred years to terminate is virtually useless and is even considered incorrect.
7.3.Algorithmic Analysis
Analysis of algorithms is the theoretical study
of computer-program performance and resource
usage; to some extent it determines the goodness
of an algorithm. Such analysis usually abstracts
away the particular details of a specific computer
and focuses on the asymptotic, machine-independent analysis.
There are three basic types of analysis. In
worst-case analysis, one determines the maximum time or resources required by the algorithm
on any input of size n. In average-case analysis,
one determines the expected time or resources
required by the algorithm over all inputs of size
n; in performing average-case analysis, one often
needs to make assumptions on the statistical distribution of inputs. The third type of analysis is
the best-case analysis, in which one determines
the minimum time or resources required by the
algorithm on any input of size n. Among the
three types of analysis, average-case analysis is
the most relevant but also the most difficult to
perform.
Besides the basic analysis methods, there are
also the amortized analysis, in which one determines the maximum time required by an algorithm over a sequence of operations; and the
competitive analysis, in which one determines
the relative performance merit of an algorithm
against the optimal algorithm (which may not
be known) in the same category (for the same
operations).

Computing Foundations 13-11

7.4.Algorithmic Design Strategies

The design of algorithms generally follows one
of the following strategies: brute force, divide
and conquer, dynamic programming, and greedy
selection. The brute force strategy is actually a
no-strategy. It exhaustively tries every possible
way to tackle a problem. If a problem has a solution, this strategy is guaranteed to find it; however,
the time expense may be too high. The divide and
conquer strategy improves on the brute force
strategy by dividing a big problem into smaller,
homogeneous problems. It solves the big problem by recursively solving the smaller problems
and combing the solutions to the smaller problems to form the solution to the big problem. The
underlying assumption for divide and conquer is
that smaller problems are easier to solve.
The dynamic programming strategy improves
on the divide and conquer strategy by recognizing that some of the sub-problems produced by
division may be the same and thus avoids solving
the same problems again and again. This elimination of redundant subproblems can dramatically
improve efficiency.
The greedy selection strategy further improves
on dynamic programming by recognizing that
not all of the sub-problems contribute to the solution of the big problem. By eliminating all but
one sub-problem, the greedy selection strategy
achieves the highest efficiency among all algorithm design strategies. Sometimes the use of
randomization can improve on the greedy selection strategy by eliminating the complexity in
determining the greedy choice through coin flipping or randomization.
7.5.Algorithmic Analysis Strategies
The analysis strategies of algorithms include
basic counting analysis, in which one actually
counts the number of steps an algorithm takes to
complete its task; asymptotic analysis, in which
one only considers the order of magnitude of
the number of steps an algorithm takes to complete its task; probabilistic analysis, in which
one makes use of probabilities in analyzing the
average performance of an algorithm; amortized analysis, in which one uses the methods of

aggregation, potential, and accounting to analyze the worst performance of an algorithm on a

sequence of operations; and competitive analysis,
in which one uses methods such as potential and
accounting to analyze the relative performance of
an algorithm to the optimal algorithm.
For complex problems and algorithms, one
may need to use a combination of the aforementioned analysis strategies.
8.Basic Concept of a System

[6*, c10]

Ian Sommerville writes, a system is a purposeful

collection of interrelated components that work
together to achieve some objective [6*]. A system can be very simple and include only a few
components, like an ink pen, or rather complex,
like an aircraft. Depending on whether humans
are part of the system, systems can be divided
into technical computer-based systems and sociotechnical systems. A technical computer-based
system functions without human involvement,
such as televisions, mobile phones, thermostat,
and some software; a sociotechnical system
will not function without human involvement.
Examples of such system include manned space
vehicles, chips embedded inside a human, and so
forth.
8.1.Emergent System Properties
A system is more than simply the sum of its parts.
Thus, the properties of a system are not simply the
sum of the properties of its components. Instead,
a system often exhibits properties that are properties of the system as a whole. These properties are
called emergent properties because they develop
only after the integration of constituent parts in
the system. Emergent system properties can be
either functional or nonfunctional. Functional
properties describe the things that a system does.
For example, an aircrafts functional properties
include flotation on air, carrying people or cargo,
and use as a weapon of mass destruction. Nonfunctional properties describe how the system
behaves in its operational environment. These
can include such qualities as consistency, capacity, weight, security, etc.

13-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 13.3. Basic Components of a Computer System Based on the von Neumann Model

8.2.Systems Engineering
Systems engineering is the interdisciplinary
approach governing the total technical and managerial effort required to transform a set of customer needs, expectations, and constraints into
a solution and to support that solution throughout its life. [7]. The life cycle stages of systems
engineering vary depending on the system being
built but, in general, include system requirements
definition, system design, sub-system development, system integration, system testing, system installation, system evolution, and system
decommissioning.
Many practical guidelines have been produced
in the past to aid people in performing the activities of each phase. For example, system design
can be broken into smaller tasks of identification
of subsystems, assignment of system requirements to subsystems, specification of subsystem
functionality, definition of sub-system interfaces,
and so forth.
8.3.Overview of a Computer System
Among all the systems, one that is obviously relevant to the software engineering community is
the computer system. A computer is a machine
that executes programs or software. It consists of
a purposeful collection of mechanical, electrical,

and electronic components with each component

performing a preset function. Jointly, these components are able to execute the instructions that
are given by the program.
Abstractly speaking, a computer receives some
input, stores and manipulates some data, and
provides some output. The most distinct feature
of a computer is its ability to store and execute
sequences of instructions called programs. An
interesting phenomenon concerning the computer
is the universal equivalence in functionality.
According to Turing, all computers with a certain
minimum capability are equivalent in their ability to perform computation tasks. In other words,
given enough time and memory, all computers
ranging from a netbook to a supercomputerare
capable of computing exactly the same things,
irrespective of speed, size, cost, or anything else.
Most computer systems have a structure that
is known as the von Neumann model, which
consists of five components: a memory for storing
instructions and data, a central processing unit
for performing arithmetic and logical operations,
a control unit for sequencing and interpreting
instructions, input for getting external information into the memory, and output for producing
results for the user. The basic components of a
computer system based on the von Neumann
model are depicted in Figure 13.3.

Computing Foundations 13-13

9.Computer Organization

[8*, c1c4]

From the perspective of a computer, a wide

semantic gap exists between its intended behavior and the workings of the underlying electronic
devices that actually do the work within the computer. This gap is bridged through computer organization, which meshes various electrical, electronic, and mechanical devices into one device
that forms a computer. The objects that computer
organization deals with are the devices, connections, and controls. The abstraction built in computer organization is the computer.
9.1.Computer Organization Overview
A computer generally consists of a CPU, memory, input devices, and output devices. Abstractly
speaking, the organization of a computer can be
divided into four levels (Figure 13.4). The macro
architecture level is the formal specification of all
the functions a particular machine can carry out
and is known as the instruction set architecture
(ISA). The micro architecture level is the implementation of the ISA in a specific CPUin other
words, the way in which the ISAs specifications
are actually carried out. The logic circuits level
is the level where each functional component
of the micro architecture is built up of circuits
that make decisions based on simple rules. The
devices level is the level where, finally, each logic
circuit is actually built of electronic devices such
as complementary metal-oxide semiconductors
(CMOS), n-channel metal oxide semiconductors
(NMOS), or gallium arsenide (GaAs) transistors,
and so forth.
Macro Architecture Level (ISA)
Micro Architecture Level
Logic Circuits Level
Devices Level
Figure 13.4. Machine Architecture Levels

Each level provides an abstraction to the level

above and is dependent on the level below. To a
programmer, the most important abstraction is

the ISA, which specifies such things as the native

data types, instructions, registers, addressing
modes, the memory architecture, interrupt and
exception handling, and the I/Os. Overall, the
ISA specifies the ability of a computer and what
can be done on the computer with programming.
9.2.Digital Systems
At the lowest level, computations are carried out
by the electrical and electronic devices within a
computer. The computer uses circuits and memory to hold charges that represents the presence
or absence of voltage.The presence of voltage
is equal to a 1 while the absence of voltage is a
zero.On disk the polarity of the voltage is represented by 0s and 1s that in turnrepresents the data
stored.Everythingincluding instruction and
datais expressed or encoded using digital zeros
and ones. In this sense, a computer becomes a
digital system. For example, decimal value 6 can
be encoded as 110, the addition instruction may
be encoded as 0001, and so forth. The component
of the computer such as the control unit, ALU,
memory and I/O use the information to compute
the instructions.
9.3.Digital Logic
Obviously, logics are needed to manipulate data
and to control the operation of computers. This
logic, which is behind a computers proper function, is called digital logic because it deals with
the operations of digital zeros and ones. Digital
logic specifies the rules both for building various
digital devices from the simplest elements (such
as transistors) and for governing the operation of
digital devices. For example, digital logic spells
out what the value will be if a zero and one is
ANDed, ORed, or exclusively ORed together. It
also specifies how to build decoders, multiplexers (MUX), memory, and adders that are used to
assemble the computer.
9.4.Computer Expression of Data
As mentioned before, a computer expresses data
with electrical signals or digital zeros and ones.
Since there are only two different digits used in

13-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

data expression, such a system is called a binary

expression system. Due to the inherent nature of
a binary system, the maximum numerical value
expressible by an n-bits binary code is 2n 1.
Specifically, binary number anan1a1a0 corresponds to an 2n + an1 2n1 + + a1 21 +
a0 20. Thus, the numerical value of the binary
expression of 1011 is 1 8 + 0 4 + 1 2 + 1
1 = 11. To express a nonnumerical value, we
need to decide the number of zeros and ones to
use and the order in which those zeros and ones
are arranged.
Of course, there are different ways to do the
encoding, and this gives rise to different data
expression schemes and subschemes. For example,
integers can be expressed in the form of unsigned,
ones complement, or twos complement. For
characters, there are ASCII, Unicode, and IBMs
EBCDIC standards. For floating point numbers,
there are IEEE-754 FP 1, 2, and 3 standards.
9.5.The Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The central processing unit is the place where
instructions (or programs) are actually executed.
The execution usually takes several steps, including fetching the program instruction, decoding
the instruction, fetching operands, performing
arithmetic and logical operations on the operands, and storing the result. The main components of a CPU consist of registers where instructions and data are often read from and written to,
the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) that performs
the actual arithmetic (such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) and logic (such
as AND, OR, shift, and so forth) operations, the
control unit that is responsible for producing
proper signals to control the operations, and various (data, address, and control) buses that link the
components together and transport data to and
from these components.
9.6.Memory System Organization
Memory is the storage unit of a computer. It concerns the assembling of a large-scale memory
system from smaller and single-digit storage
units. The main topics covered by memory system architecture include the following:

Memory cells and chips

Memory boards and modules
Memory hierarchy and cache
Memory as a subsystem of the computer.
Memory cells and chips deal with single-digital
storage and the assembling of single-digit units
into one-dimensional memory arrays as well
as the assembling of one-dimensional storage
arrays into multi-dimensional storage memory
chips. Memory boards and modules concern the
assembling of memory chips into memory systems, with the focus being on the organization,
operation, and management of the individual
chips in the system. Memory hierarchy and cache
are used to support efficient memory operations.
Memory as a sub-system deals with the interface
between the memory system and other parts of
the computer.
9.7.Input and Output (I/O)
A computer is useless without I/O. Common
input devices include the keyboard and mouse;
common output devices include the disk, the
screen, the printer, and speakers. Different I/O
devices operate at different data rates and reliabilities. How computers connect and manage
various input and output devices to facilitate the
interaction between computers and humans (or
other computers) is the focus of topics in I/O.
The main issues that must be resolved in input
and output are the ways I/O can and should be
performed.
In general, I/O is performed at both hardware and software levels. Hardware I/O can be
performed in any of three ways. Dedicated I/O
dedicates the CPU to the actual input and output
operations during I/O; memory-mapped I/O treats
I/O operations as memory operations; and hybrid
I/O combines dedicated I/O and memory-mapped
I/O into a single holistic I/O operation mode.
Coincidentally, software I/O can also be performed in one of three ways. Programmed I/O
lets the CPU wait while the I/O device is doing
I/O; interrupt-driven I/O lets the CPUs handling
of I/O be driven by the I/O device; and direct
memory access (DMA) lets I/O be handled by a
secondary CPU embedded in a DMA device (or

Computing Foundations 13-15

channel). (Except during the initial setup, the

main CPU is not disturbed during a DMA I/O
operation.)
Regardless of the types of I/O scheme being
used, the main issues involved in I/O include I/O
addressing (which deals with the issue of how to
identify the I/O device for a specific I/O operation), synchronization (which deals with the issue
of how to make the CPU and I/O device work
in harmony during I/O), and error detection and
correction (which deals with the occurrence of
transmission errors).
10.Compiler Basics

[4*, s6.4] [8*, s8.4]

10.1.Compiler/Interpreter Overview
Programmers usually write programs in high
level language code, which the CPU cannot execute; so this source code has to be converted into
machine code to be understood by a computer.
Due to the differences between different ISAs,
the translation must be done for each ISA or specific machine language under consideration.
The translation is usually performed by a piece
of software called a compiler or an interpreter.
This process of translation from a high-level language to a machine language is called compilation, or, sometimes, interpretation.
10.2.Interpretation and Compilation
There are two ways to translate a program written in a higher-level language into machine code:
interpretation and compilation. Interpretation
translates the source code one statement at a time
into machine language, executes it on the spot,
and then goes back for another statement. Both
the high-level-language source code and the interpreter are required every time the program is run.
Compilation translates the high-level-language
source code into an entire machine-language program (an executable image) by a program called a
compiler. After compilation, only the executable
image is needed to run the program. Most application software is sold in this form.
While both compilation and interpretation convert high level language code into machine code,

there are some important differences between the

two methods. First, a compiler makes the conversion just once, while an interpreter typically converts it every time a program is executed. Second,
interpreting code is slower than running the compiled code, because the interpreter must analyze
each statement in the program when it is executed
and then perform the desired action, whereas the
compiled code just performs the action within
a fixed context determined by the compilation.
Third, access to variables is also slower in an
interpreter because the mapping of identifiers to
storage locations must be done repeatedly at runtime rather than at compile time.
The primary tasks of a compiler may include
preprocessing, lexical analysis, parsing, semantic
analysis, code generation, and code optimization. Program faults caused by incorrect compiler
behavior can be very difficult to track down. For
this reason, compiler implementers invest a lot of
time ensuring the correctness of their software.
10.3.The Compilation Process
Compilation is a complex task. Most compilers
divide the compilation process into many phases.
A typical breakdown is as follows:
Lexical Analysis
Syntax Analysis or Parsing
Semantic Analysis
Code Generation
Lexical analysis partitions the input text (the
source code), which is a sequence of characters,
into separate comments, which are to be ignored
in subsequent actions, and basic symbols, which
have lexical meanings. These basic symbols
must correspond to some terminal symbols of
the grammar of the particular programming language. Here terminal symbols refer to the elementary symbols (or tokens)in the grammar that
cannot be changed.
Syntax analysis is based on the results of the
lexical analysis and discovers the structure in the
program and determines whether or not a text
conforms to an expected format. Is this a textually correct C++ program? or Is this entry textually correct? are typical questions that can be

13-16 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

answered by syntax analysis. Syntax analysis

determines if the source code of a program is correct and converts it into a more structured representation (parse tree) for semantic analysis or
transformation.
Semantic analysis adds semantic information
to the parse tree built during the syntax analysis
and builds the symbol table. It performs various semantic checks that include type checking,
object binding (associating variable and function
references with their definitions), and definite
assignment (requiring all local variables to be
initialized before use). If mistakes are found, the
semantically incorrect program statements are
rejected and flagged as errors.
Once semantic analysis is complete, the phase
of code generation begins and transforms the
intermediate code produced in the previous
phases into the native machine language of the
computer under consideration. This involves
resource and storage decisionssuch as deciding
which variables to fit into registers and memory
and the selection and scheduling of appropriate
machine instructions, along with their associated
addressing modes.
It is often possible to combine multiple phases
into one pass over the code in a compiler implementation. Some compilers also have a preprocessing phase at the beginning or after the lexical
analysis that does necessary housekeeping work,
such as processing the program instructions for
the compiler (directives). Some compilers provide an optional optimization phase at the end of
the entire compilation to optimize the code (such
as the rearrangement of instruction sequence)
for efficiency and other desirable objectives
requested by the users.
11.Operating Systems Basics

[4*, c3]

Every system of meaningful complexity needs

to be managed. A computer, as a rather complex
electrical-mechanical system, needs its own manager for managing the resources and activities
occurring on it. That manager is called an operating system (OS).

11.1.Operating Systems Overview

Operating systems is a collection of software and
firmware, that controls the execution of computer
programs and provides such services as computer
resource allocation, job control, input/output control, and file management in a computer system.
Conceptually, an operating system is a computer
program that manages the hardware resources
and makes it easier to use by applications by presenting nice abstractions. This nice abstraction
is often called the virtual machine and includes
such things as processes, virtual memory, and
file systems. An OS hides the complexity of the
underlying hardware and is found on all modern
computers.
The principal roles played by OSs are management and illusion. Management refers to the OSs
management (allocation and recovery) of physical resources among multiple competing users/
applications/tasks. Illusion refers to the nice
abstractions the OS provides.
11.2.Tasks of an Operating System
The tasks of an operating system differ significantly depending on the machine and time of its
invention. However, modern operating systems
have come to agreement as to the tasks that must
be performed by an OS. These tasks include CPU
management, memory management, disk management (file system), I/O device management,
and security and protection. Each OS task manages one type of physical resource.
Specifically, CPU management deals with the
allocation and releases of the CPU among competing programs (called processes/threads in OS
jargon), including the operating system itself. The
main abstraction provided by CPU management is
the process/thread model. Memory management
deals with the allocation and release of memory
space among competing processes, and the main
abstraction provided by memory management
is virtual memory. Disk management deals with
the sharing of magnetic or optical or solid state
disks among multiple programs/users and its main
abstraction is the file system. I/O device management deals with the allocation and releases of
various I/O devices among competing processes.

Computing Foundations 13-17

Security and protection deal with the protection of

computer resources from illegal use.
11.3.Operating System Abstractions
The arsenal of OSs is abstraction. Corresponding
to the five physical tasks, OSs use five abstractions: process/thread, virtual memory, file systems, input/output, and protection domains. The
overall OS abstraction is the virtual machine.
For each task area of OS, there is both a physical reality and a conceptual abstraction. The physical reality refers to the hardware resource under
management; the conceptual abstraction refers
to the interface the OS presents to the users/programs above. For example, in the thread model
of the OS, the physical reality is the CPU and the
abstraction is multiple CPUs. Thus, a user doesnt
have to worry about sharing the CPU with others
when working on the abstraction provided by an
OS. In the virtual memory abstraction of an OS,
the physical reality is the physical RAM or ROM
(whatever), the abstraction is multiple unlimited memory space. Thus, a user doesnt have to
worry about sharing physical memory with others
or about limited physical memory size.
Abstractions may be virtual or transparent;
in this context virtual applies to something that
appears to be there, but isnt (like usable memory
beyond physical), whereastransparent applies
to something that is there, but appears not to be
there(like fetching memory contents from disk or
physical memory).
11.4.Operating Systems Classification
Different operating systems can have different
functionality implementation. In the early days
of the computer era, operating systems were relatively simple. As time goes on, the complexity
and sophistication of operating systems increases
significantly. From a historical perspective, an
operating system can be classified as one of the
following.
Batching OS: organizes and processes work
in batches. Examples of such OSs include
IBMs FMS, IBSYS, and University of
Michigans UMES.

Multiprogrammed batching OS: adds multitask capability into earlier simple batching
OSs. An example of such an OS is IBMs
OS/360.
Time-sharing OS: adds multi-task and interactive capabilities into the OS. Examples of
such OSs include UNIX, Linux, and NT.
Real-time OS: adds timing predictability into the OS by scheduling individual
tasks according to each tasks completion
deadlines. Examples of such OS include
VxWorks (WindRiver) and DART (EMC).
Distributed OS: adds the capability of managing a network of computers into the OS.
Embedded OS: has limited functionality and
is used for embedded systems such as cars
and PDAs. Examples of such OSs include
Palm OS, Windows CE, and TOPPER.
Alternatively, an OS can be classified by its
applicable target machine/environment into the
following.
Mainframe OS: runs on the mainframe computers and include OS/360, OS/390, AS/400,
MVS, and VM.
Server OS: runs on workstations or servers
and includes such systems as UNIX, Windows, Linux, and VMS.
Multicomputer OS: runs on multiple computers and include such examples as Novell
Netware.
Personal computers OS: runs on personal
computers and include such examples as
DOS, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
Mobile device OS: runs on personal devices
such as cell phones, IPAD and include such
examples of iOS, Android, Symbian, etc.
12.Database Basics and Data Management
[4*, c9]
A database consists of an organized collection of
data for one or more uses. In a sense, a database is
a generalization and expansion of data structures.
But the difference is that a database is usually
external to individual programs and permanent in
existence compared to data structures. Databases
are used when the data volume is large or logical

13-18 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

relations between data items are important. The

factors considered in database design include performance, concurrency, integrity, and recovery
from hardware failures.
12.1.Entity and Schema
The things a database tries to model and store are
called entities. Entities can be real-world objects
such as persons, cars, houses, and so forth, or they
may be abstract concepts such as persons, salary,
names, and so forth. An entity can be primitive
such as a name or composite such as an employee
that consists of a name, identification number,
salary, address, and so forth.
The single most important concept in a database
is the schema, which is a description of the entire
database structure from which all other database
activities are built. A schema defines the relationships between the various entities that compose a
database. For example, a schema for a company
payroll system would consist of such things as
employee ID, name, salary rate, address, and so
forth. Database software maintains the database
according to the schema.
Another important concept in database is the
database model that describes the type of relationship among various entities. The commonly
used models include relational, network, and
object models.
12.2.Database Management Systems (DBMS)
Database Management System (DBMS) components include database applications for the storage of structured and unstructured data and the
required database management functions needed
to view, collect, store, and retrieve data from the
databases. A DBMS controls the creation, maintenance, and use of the database and is usually
categorized according to the database model it
supportssuch as the relational, network, or
object model. For example, a relational database
management system (RDBMS) implements features of the relational model. An object database
management system (ODBMS) implements features of the object model.

12.3.Database Query Language

Users/applications interact with a database
through a database query language, which is a specialized programming language tailored to database use. The database model tends to determine
the query languages that are available to access
the database. One commonly used query language for the relational database is the structured
query language, more commonly abbreviated as
SQL. A common query language for object databases is the object query language (abbreviated as
OQL). There are three components of SQL: Data
Definition Language (DDL), Data Manipulation
Language (DML), and Data Control Language
(DCL). An example of an DML query may look
like the following:
SELECT Component_No, Quantity
FROM COMPONENT
WHERE Item_No = 100
The above query selects all the Component_No
and its corresponding quantity from a database
table called COMPONENT, where the Item_No
equals to 100.
12.4.Tasks of DBMS Packages
A DBMS system provides the following
capabilities:
Database development is used to define and
organize the content, relationships, and structure of the data needed to build a database.
Database interrogation is used for accessing
the data in a database for information retrieval
and report generation. End users can selectively retrieve and display information and
produce printed reports. This is the operation
that most users know about databases.
Database Maintenance is used to add, delete,
update, and correct the data in a database.
Application Development is used to develop
prototypes of data entry screens, queries,
forms, reports, tables, and labels for a prototyped application. It also refers to the use of
4th Generation Language or application generators to develop or generate program code.

Computing Foundations 13-19

12.5.Data Management
A database must manage the data stored in it.
This management includes both organization and
storage.
The organization of the actual data in a database
depends on the database model. In a relational
model, data are organized as tables with different
tables representing different entities or relations
among a set of entities. The storage of data deals
with the storage of these database tables on disks.
The common ways for achieving this is to use files.
Sequential, indexed, and hash files are all used in
this purpose with different file structures providing
different access performance and convenience.
12.6.Data Mining
One often has to know what to look for before
querying a database. This type of pinpointing
access does not make full use of the vast amount
of information stored in the database, and in fact
reduces the database into a collection of discrete
records. To take full advantage of a database, one
can perform statistical analysis and pattern discovery on the content of a database using a technique called data mining. Such operations can be
used to support a number of business activities
that include, but are not limited to, marketing,
fraud detection, and trend analysis.
Numerous ways for performing data mining
have been invented in the past decade and include
such common techniques as class description,
class discrimination, cluster analysis, association
analysis, and outlier analysis.
13.Network Communication Basics

[8*, c12]

A computer network connects a collection of

computers and allows users of different computers to share resources with other users. A network
facilitates the communications between all the
connected computers and may give the illusion
of a single, omnipresent computer. Every computer or device connected to a network is called
a network node.
A number of computing paradigms have emerged
to benefit from the functions and capabilities

provided by computer networks. These paradigms

include distributed computing, grid computing,
Internet computing, and cloud computing.
13.1.Types of Network
Computer networks are not all the same and
may be classified according to a wide variety of
characteristics, including the networks connection method, wired technologies, wireless technologies, scale, network topology, functions, and
speed. But the classification that is familiar to
most is based on the scale of networking.
Personal Area Network/Home Network is a
computer network used for communication
among computer(s) and different information technological devices close to one person. The devices connected to such a network may include PCs, faxes, PDAs, and
TVs. This is the base on which the Internet
of Things is built.
Local Area Network (LAN) connects computers and devices in a limited geographical
area, such as a school campus, computer laboratory, office building, or closely positioned
group of buildings.
Campus Network is a computer network made
up of an interconnection of local area networks
(LANs) within a limited geographical area.
Wide area network (WAN) is a computer
network that covers a large geographic area,
such as a city or country or even across intercontinental distances. A WAN limited to a
city is sometimes called a Metropolitan Area
Network.
Internet is the global network that connects
computers located in many (perhaps all)
countries.
Other classifications may divide networks into
control networks, storage networks, virtual private networks (VPN), wireless networks, pointto-point networks, and Internet of Things.
13.2.Basic Network Components
All networks are made up of the same basic hardware components, including computers, network

13-20 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

interface cards (NICs), bridges, hubs, switches,

and routers. All these components are called nodes
in the jargon of networking. Each component performs a distinctive function that is essential for
the packaging, connection, transmission, amplification, controlling, unpacking, and interpretation
of the data. For example, a repeater amplifies the
signals, a switch performs many-to-many connections, a hub performs one-to-many connections,
an interface card is attached to the computer and
performs data packing and transmission, a bridge
connects one network with another, and a router is
a computer itself and performs data analysis and
flow control to regulate the data from the network.
The functions performed by various network
components correspond to the functions specified
by one or more levels of the seven-layer Open
Systems Interconnect (OSI) networking model,
which is discussed below.
13.3.Networking Protocols and Standards
Computers communicate with each other using
protocols, which specify the format and regulations used to pack and un-pack data. To facilitate
easier communication and better structure, network protocols are divided into different layers
with each layer dealing with one aspect of the
communication. For example, the physical layers deal with the physical connection between
the parties that are to communicate, the data link
layer deals with the raw data transmission and
flow control, and the network layer deals with the
packing and un-packing of data into a particular
format that is understandable by the relevant parties. The most commonly used OSI networking
model organizes network protocols into seven
layers, as depicted in Figure 13.5.
One thing to note is that not all network protocols implement all layers of the OSI model. For
example, the TCP/IP protocol implements neither
the presentation layer nor the session layer.
There can be more than one protocol for each
layer. For example, UDP and TCP both work on
the transport layer above IPs network layer, providing best-effort, unreliable transport (UDP) vs.
reliable transport function (TCP). Physical layer
protocols include token ring, Ethernet, fast Ethernet, gigabit Ethernet, and wireless Ethernet. Data

link layer protocols include frame-relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and Point-toPoint Protocol (PPP). Application layer protocols
include Fibre channel, Small Computer System
Interface (SCSI), and Bluetooth. For each layer
or even each individual protocol, there may be
standards established by national or international
organizations to guide the design and development of the corresponding protocols.
Application Layer
Presentation Layer
Session Layer
Transport Layer
Network Layer
Data link Layer
Physical Layer
Figure 13.5. The Seven-Layer OSI Networking Model

13.4.The Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected
governmental, academic, corporate, public, and
private computer networks. In the public domain
access to the internet is through organizations
known as internet service providers (ISP). The
ISP maintains one or more switching centers
called a point of presence, which actually connects the users to the Internet.
13.5.Internet of Things
The Internet of Things refers to the networking
of everyday objectssuch as cars, cell phones,
PDAs, TVs, refrigerators, and even buildings
using wired or wireless networking technologies.
The function and purpose of Internet of Things
is to interconnect all things to facilitate autonomous and better living. Technologies used in the
Internet of Things include RFID, wireless and
wired networking, sensor technology, and much
software of course. As the paradigm of Internet
of Things is still taking shape, much work is
needed for Internet of Things to gain wide spread
acceptance.

Computing Foundations 13-21

13.6.Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A virtual private network is a preplanned virtual
connection between nodes in a LAN/WAN or on
the internet. It allows the network administrator
to separate network traffic into user groups that
have a common affinity for each other such as
all users in the same organization, or workgroup.
This circuit type may improve performance
and security between nodes and allows for easiermaintenance of circuits when troubleshooting.
14.Parallel and Distributed Computing
[8*, c9]
Parallel computing is a computing paradigm that
emerges with the development of multi-functional units within a computer. The main objective of parallel computing is to execute several
tasks simultaneously on different functional units
and thus improve throughput or response or both.
Distributed computing, on the other hand, is a
computing paradigm that emerges with the development of computer networks. Its main objective
is to either make use of multiple computers in the
network to accomplish things otherwise not possible within a single computer or improve computation efficiency by harnessing the power of
multiple computers.
14.1.Parallel and Distributed Computing
Overview
Traditionally, parallel computing investigates
ways to maximize concurrency (the simultaneous
execution of multiple tasks) within the boundary of a computer. Distributed computing studies
distributed systems, which consists of multiple
autonomous computers that communicate through
a computer network. Alternatively, distributed
computing can also refer to the use of distributed
systems to solve computational or transactional
problems. In the former definition, distributed
computing investigates the protocols, mechanisms, and strategies that provide the foundation
for distributed computation; in the latter definition,
distributed computing studies the ways of dividing
a problem into many tasks and assigning such tasks
to various computers involved in the computation.

Fundamentally, distributed computing is

another form of parallel computing, albeit on a
grander scale. In distributed computing, the functional units are not ALU, FPU, or separate cores,
but individual computers. For this reason, some
people regard distributed computing as being the
same as parallel computing. Because both distributed and parallel computing involve some form
of concurrency, they are both also called concurrent computing.
14.2.Difference between Parallel and Distributed Computing
Though parallel and distributed computing resemble each other on the surface, there is a subtle but
real distinction between them: parallel computing does not necessarily refer to the execution of
programs on different computers instead, they
can be run on different processors within a single
computer. In fact, consensus among computing
professionals limits the scope of parallel computing to the case where a shared memory is used by
all processors involved in the computing, while
distributed computing refers to computations
where private memory exists for each processor
involved in the computations.
Another subtle difference between parallel and
distributed computing is that parallel computing
necessitates concurrent execution of several tasks
while distributed computing does not have this
necessity.
Based on the above discussion, it is possible
to classify concurrent systems as being parallel
or distributed based on the existence or nonexistence of shared memory among all the processor: parallel computing deals with computations
within a single computer; distributed computing
deals with computations within a set of computers. According to this view, multicore computing
is a form of parallel computing.
14.3.Parallel and Distributed Computing
Models
Since multiple computers/processors/cores are
involved in distributed/parallel computing, some
coordination among the involved parties is necessary to ensure correct behavior of the system.

13-22 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Different ways of coordination give rise to different computing models. The most common models in this regard are the shared memory (parallel) model and the message-passing (distributed)
model.
In a shared memory (parallel) model, all computers have access to a shared central memory
where local caches are used to speed up the
processing power. These caches use a protocol
to insure the localized data is fresh and up to
date, typically the MESI protocol. The algorithm
designer chooses the program for execution by
each computer. Access to the central memory can
be synchronous or asynchronous, and must be
coordinated such that coherency is maintained.
Different access models have been invented for
such a purpose.
In a message-passing (distributed) model, all
computers run some programs that collectively
achieve some purpose. The system must work
correctly regardless of the structure of the network. This model can be further classified into
client-server (C/S), browser-server (B/S), and
n-tier models. In the C/S model, the server provides services and the client requests services
from the server. In the B/S model, the server provides services and the client is the browser. In the
n-tier model, each tier (i.e. layer) provides services to the tier immediately above it and requests
services from the tier immediately below it. In
fact, the n-tier model can be seen as a chain of
client-server models. Often, the tiers between the
bottommost tier and the topmost tier are called
middleware, which is a distinct subject of study
in its own right.
14.4.Main Issues in Distributed Computing
Coordination among all the components in a distributed computing environment is often complex
and time-consuming. As the number of cores/
CPUs/computers increases, the complexity of
distributed computing also increases. Among
the many issues faced, memory coherency and
consensus among all computers are the most difficult ones. Many computation paradigms have
been invented to solve these problems and are
the main discussion issues in distributed/parallel
computing.

15.Basic User Human Factors

[3*, c8] [9*, c5]

Software is developed to meet human desires or

needs. Thus, all software design and development must take into consideration human-user
factors such as how people use software, how
people view software, and what humans expect
from software. There are numerous factors in the
human-machine interaction, and ISO 9241 document series define all the detailed standards of
such interactions.[10] But the basic human-user
factors considered here include input/output, the
handling of error messages, and the robustness of
the software in general.
15.1.Input and Output
Input and output are the interfaces between users
and software. Software is useless without input
and output. Humans design software to process
some input and produce desirable output. All
software engineers must consider input and output as an integral part of the software product
they engineer or develop. Issues considered for
input include (but are not limited to):
What input is required?
How is the input passed from users to
computers?
What is the most convenient way for users to
enter input?
What format does the computer require of
the input data?
The designer should request the minimum
data from human input, only when the data is not
already stored in the system. The designer should
format and edit the data at the time of entry to
reduce errors arising from incorrect or malicious
data entry.
For output, we need to consider what the users
wish to see:
In what format would users like to see
output?
What is the most pleasing way to display
output?

Computing Foundations 13-23

If the party interacting with the software isnt

human but another software or computer or control system, then we need to consider the input/
output type and format that the software should
produce to ensure proper data exchange between
systems.
There are many rules of thumb for developers
to follow to produce good input/output for a software. These rules of thumb include simple and
natural dialogue, speaking users language, minimizing user memory load, consistency, minimal
surprise, conformance to standards (whether
agreed to or not: e.g., automobiles have a standard interface for accelerator, brake, steering).
15.2.Error Messages
It is understandable that most software contains faults and fails from time to time. But
users should be notified if there is anything that
impedes the smooth execution of the program.
Nothing is more frustrating than an unexpected
termination or behavioral deviation of software
without any warning or explanation. To be user
friendly, the software should report all error conditions to the users or upper-level applications
so that some measure can be taken to rectify the
situation or to exit gracefully. There are several
guidelines that define what constitutes a good
error message: error messages should be clear, to
the point, and timely.
First, error messages should clearly explain
what is happening so that users know what is
going on in the software. Second, error messages should pinpoint the cause of the error, if at
all possible, so that proper actions can be taken.
Third, error messages should be displayed right
when the error condition occurs. According to
Jakob Nielsen, Good error messages should be
expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely
indicate the problem, and constructively suggest
a solution [9*]. Fourth, error messages should
not overload the users with too much information and cause them to ignore the messages all
together.
However, messages relating to security access
errors should not provide extra information that
would help unauthorized persons break in.

15.3.Software Robustness
Software robustness refers to the ability of software to tolerate erroneous inputs. Software is said
to be robust if it continues to function even when
erroneous inputs are given. Thus, it is unacceptable for software to simply crash when encountering an input problem as this may cause unexpected consequences, such as the loss of valuable
data. Software that exhibits such behavior is considered to lack robustness.
Nielsen gives a simpler description of software
robustness: The software should have a low
error rate, so that users make few errors during
the use of the system and so that if they do make
errors they can easily recover from them. Further,
catastrophic errors must not occur [9*].
There are many ways to evaluate the robustness of software and just as many ways to make
software more robust. For example, to improve
robustness, one should always check the validity
of the inputs and return values before progressing further; one should always throw an exception when something unexpected occurs, and
one should never quit a program without first
giving users/applications a chance to correct the
condition.
16.Basic Developer Human Factors
[3*, c3132]
Developer human factors refer to the considerations of human factors taken when developing
software. Software is developed by humans, read
by humans, and maintained by humans. If anything is wrong, humans are responsible for correcting those wrongs. Thus, it is essential to write
software in a way that is easily understandable
by humans or, at the very least, by other software
developers. A program that is easy to read and
understand exhibits readability.
The means to ensure that software meet this
objective are numerous and range from proper
architecture at the macro level to the particular
coding style and variable usage at the micro level.
But the two prominent factors are structure (or
program layouts) and comments (documentation).

13-24 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

16.1.Structure
Well-structured programs are easier to understand
and modify. If a program is poorly structured, then
no amount of explanation or comments is sufficient
to make it understandable. The ways to organize a
program are numerous and range from the proper
use of white space, indentation, and parentheses to
nice arrangements of groupings, blank lines, and
braces. Whatever style one chooses, it should be
consistent across the entire program.
16.2.Comments
To most people, programming is coding. These
people do not realize that programming also
includes writing comments and that comments are
an integral part of programming. True, comments
are not used by the computer and certainly do not
constitute final instructions for the computer, but
they improve the readability of the programs by
explaining the meaning and logic of the statements
or sections of code. It should be remembered that
programs are not only meant for computers, they
are also read, written, and modified by humans.
The types of comments include repeat of the
code, explanation of the code, marker of the
code, summary of the code, description of the
codes intent, and information that cannot possibly be expressed by the code itself. Some comments are good, some are not. The good ones
are those that explain the intent of the code and
justify why this code looks the way it does.The
bad ones are repeat of the code and stating irrelevant information. The best comments are selfdocumenting code. If the code is written in such a
clear and precise manner that its meaning is selfproclaimed, then no comment is needed. But this
is easier said than done. Most programs are not
self-explanatory and are often hard to read and
understand if no comments are given.
Here are some general guidelines for writing
good comments:
Comments should be consistent across the
entire program.
Each function should be associated with
comments that explain the purpose of the
function and its role in the overall program.

Within a function, comments should be

given for each logical section of coding to
explain the meaning and purpose (intention)
of the section.
Comments should stipulate what freedom
does (or does not) the maintaining programmers have with respect to making changes to
that code.
Comments are seldom required for individual statements. If a statement needs comments, one should reconsider the statement.
17.Secure Software Development and
Maintenance
[11*, c29]
Due to increasing malicious activities targeted
at computer systems, security has become a significant issue in the development of software. In
addition to the usual correctness and reliability,
software developers must also pay attention to
the security of the software they develop. Secure
software development builds security in software
by following a set of established and/or recommended rules and practices in software development. Secure software maintenance complements
secure software development by ensuring the no
security problems are introduced during software
maintenance.
A generally accepted view concerning software
security is that it is much better to design security
into software than to patch it in after software is
developed. To design security into software, one
must take into consideration every stage of the software development lifecycle. In particular, secure
software development involves software requirements security, software design security, software
construction security, and software testing security. In addition, security must also be taken into
consideration when performing software maintenance as security faults and loopholes can be and
often are introduced during maintenance.
17.1.Software Requirements Security
Software requirements security deals with the
clarification and specification of security policy
and objectives into software requirements, which

Computing Foundations 13-25

lays the foundation for security considerations in

the software development. Factors to consider
in this phase include software requirements and
threats/risks. The former refers to the specific
functions that are required for the sake of security; the latter refers to the possible ways that the
security of software is threatened.
17.2.Software Design Security
Software Design security deals with the design
of software modules that fit together to meet
the security objectives specified in the security
requirements. This step clarifies the details of
security considerations and develops the specific
steps for implementation. Factors considered
may include frameworks and access modes that
set up the overall security monitoring/enforcement strategies, as well as the individual policy
enforcement mechanisms.
17.3.Software Construction Security
Software construction security concerns the question of how to write actual programming code for
specific situations such that security considerations
are taken care of. The term Software Construction
Security could mean different things for different
people. It can mean the way a specific function is
coded, such that the coding itself is secure, or it can
mean the coding of security into software.
Most people entangle the two together without
distinction. One reason for such entanglement is
that it is not clear how one can make sure that a
specific coding is secure. For example, in C programming language, the expression of i<<1 (shift
the binary representation of is value to the left by
one bit) and 2*i (multiply the value of variable i
by constant 2) mean the same thing semantically,
but do they have the same security ramification?
The answer could be different for different combinations of ISAs and compilers. Due to this lack
of understanding, software construction securityin its current state of existencemostly
refers to the second aspect mentioned above: the
coding of security into software.
Coding of security into software can be
achieved by following recommended rules. A few
such rules follow:

Structure the process so that all sections

requiring extra privileges are modules. The
modules should be as small as possible and
should perform only those tasks that require
those privileges.
Ensure that any assumptions in the program
are validated. If this is not possible, document them for the installers and maintainers
so they know the assumptions that attackers
will try to invalidate.
Ensure that the program does not share
objects in memory with any other program.
The error status of every function must be
checked. Do not try to recover unless neither
the cause of the error nor its effects affect
any security considerations. The program
should restore the state of the software to
the state it had before the process began, and
then terminate.
17.4.Software Testing Security
Software testing security determines that software protects data and maintains security specification as given. For more information, please
refer to the Software Testing KA.
17.5.Build Security into Software Engineering
Process
Software is only as secure as its development
process goes. To ensure the security of software,
security must be built into the software engineering process. One trend that emerges in this regard
is the Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) concept, which is a classical spiral model that takes
a holistic view of security from the perspective
of software lifecycle and ensures that security is
inherent in software design and development, not
an afterthought later in production. The SDL process is claimed to reduce software maintenance
costs and increase reliability of software concerning software security related faults.
17.6.Software Security Guidelines
Although there are no bulletproof ways for secure
software development, some general guidelines
do exist that can be used to aid such effort. These

13-26 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

guidelines span every phase of the software

development lifecycle. Some reputable guidelines are published by the Computer Emergency
Response Team (CERT) and below are its top
10 software security practices (the details can be
found in [12]:

1. Validate input.
2. Heed compiler warnings.
3. Architect and design for security policies.
4. Keep it simple.
5. Default deny.
6. Adhere to the principle of least privilege.
7. Sanitize data sent to other software.
8. Practice defense in depth.
9. Use effective quality assurance techniques.
10. Adopt a software construction security
standard.

Computing Foundations 13-27

1.Problem Solving
Techniques
1.1.Definition of
Problem Solving
1.2.Formulating the
Real Problem
1.3.Analyze the
Problem
1.4.Design a
Solution Search
Strategy
1.5.Problem Solving
Using Programs
2.Abstraction
2.1.Levels of
Abstraction
2.2.Encapsulation
2.3.Hierarchy
3.Programming
Fundamentals
3.1.The
Programming
Process
3.2.Programming
Paradigms
3.3.Defensive
Programming
4.Programming
Language Basics
4.1.Programming
Language Overview
4.2.Syntax and
Semantics of
Programming
Language

s3.2,
s4.2
s3.2
s3.2
s3.2
s4.2
c5
s5.2
5.4
s5.2
5.3
s5.3
s5.2
c619
c6c19
c6c19
c8
c6
s6.1

s6.2

Bishop 2002
[11*]

Nielsen 1993
[9*]

Null and Lobur 2006

[8*]

Sommerville 2011
[6*]

Horowitz et al. 2007

[5*]

Brookshear 2008
[4*]

McConnell 2004
[3*]

Voland 2003
[2*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

4.3.Low Level
Programming
Language
4.4.High Level
Programing
Language
4.5.Declarative
vs. Imperative
Programming
Language
5.Debugging Tools
and Techniques
5.1.Types of Errors
5.2.Debugging
Techniques:
5.3.Debugging
Tools
6.Data Structure and
Representation
6.1.Data Structure
Overview
6.2.Types of Data
Structure
6.3.Operations on
Data Structures

7.Algorithms and
Complexity

s6.5
6.7
s6.5
6.7
s6.5
6.7
c23
s23.1
s23.2
s23.5
s2.1
2.6
s2.1
2.6
s2.1
2.6
s2.1
2.6
s1.1
1.3,
s3.3
3.6,
s4.1
4.8,
s5.1
5.7,
s6.1
6.3,
s7.1
7.6,
s11.1,
s12.1

Bishop 2002
[11*]

Nielsen 1993
[9*]

Null and Lobur 2006

[8*]

Sommerville 2011
[6*]

Horowitz et al. 2007

[5*]

Brookshear 2008
[4*]

McConnell 2004
[3*]

Voland 2003
[2*]

13-28 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

7.1.Overview of
Algorithms
7.2.Attributes of
Algorithms
7.3.Algorithmic
Analysis

7.4.Algorithmic
Design Strategies

7.5.Algorithmic
Analysis Strategies

8.Basic Concept of a
System
8.1.Emergent
System Properties
8.2.System
Engineering
8.3.Overview of a
Computer System

s1.11.2
s1.3
s1.3
s3.3
3.6,
s4.1
4.8,
s5.1
5.7,
s6.1
6.3,
s7.1
7.6,
s11.1,
s12.1
s3.3
3.6,
s4.1
4.8,
s5.1
5.7,
s6.1
6.3,
s7.1
7.6,
s11.1,
s12.1
c10
s10.1
s10.2

Bishop 2002
[11*]

Nielsen 1993
[9*]

Null and Lobur 2006

[8*]

Sommerville 2011
[6*]

Horowitz et al. 2007

[5*]

Brookshear 2008
[4*]

McConnell 2004
[3*]

Voland 2003
[2*]

Computing Foundations 13-29

9.Computer
Organization
9.1.Computer
Organization
Overview
9.2.Digital Systems
9.3.Digital Logic
9.4.Computer
Expression of Data
9.5.The Central
Processing Unit
(CPU)
9.6.Memory System
Organization
9.7.Input and Output
(I/O)
10.Compiler Basics
10.1.Compiler
Overview
10.2.Interpretation
and Compilation
10.3.The
Compilation Process
11.Operating
Systems Basics
11.1.Operating
Systems Overview
11.2.Tasks of
Operating System
11.3.Operating
System Abstractions
11.4.Operating
Systems
Classification

c14
s1.11.2
c3
c3
c2
s4.1
4.2
s4.6
s4.5
s6.4

s8.4
s8.4
s8.4

s6.4
c3
s3.2
s3.3
s3.2
s3.1

s8.4

Bishop 2002
[11*]

Nielsen 1993
[9*]

Null and Lobur 2006

[8*]

Sommerville 2011
[6*]

Horowitz et al. 2007

[5*]

Brookshear 2008
[4*]

McConnell 2004
[3*]

Voland 2003
[2*]

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12.Database
Basics and Data
Management
12.1.Entity and
Schema
12.2.Database
Management
Systems (DBMS)
12.3.Database
Query Language
12.4.Tasks of
DBMS Packages
12.5.Data
Management
12.6.Data Mining
13.Network
Communication
Basics
13.1.Types of
Network
13.2.Basic Network
Components
13.3.Networking
Protocols and
Standards
13.4.The Internet
13.5.Internet of
Things
13.6.Virtual Private
Network
14.Parallel and
Distributed
Computing
14.1.Parallel
and Distributed
Computing
Overview

c9
s9.1
s9.1
s9.2
s9.2
s9.5
s9.6
c12
s12.2
12.3
s12.6
s12.4
12.5

s12.8

c9

s9.4.1
9.4.3

Bishop 2002
[11*]

Nielsen 1993
[9*]

Null and Lobur 2006

[8*]

Sommerville 2011
[6*]

Horowitz et al. 2007

[5*]

Brookshear 2008
[4*]

McConnell 2004
[3*]

Voland 2003
[2*]

Computing Foundations 13-31

14.2.Differences
between Parallel
and Distributed
Computing
14.3.Parallel
and Distributed
Computing Models
14.4.Main Issues
in Distributed
Computing
15.Basic User
Human Factors
15.1.Input and
Output

Bishop 2002
[11*]

Nielsen 1993
[9*]

Null and Lobur 2006

[8*]

Sommerville 2011
[6*]

Horowitz et al. 2007

[5*]

s9.4.4
9.4.5
s9.4.4
9.4.5

c8

c5
s5.1,
s5.3
s5.2,
s5.8
s5.5
5.6

15.2.Error Messages
15.3.Software
Robustness
16.Basic Developer
Human Factors
16.1.Structure
16.2.Comments
17.Secure Software
Development and
Maintenance
17.1.Two Aspects of
Secure Coding
17.2.Coding
Security into
Software
17.3.Requirement
Security
17.4.Design
Security
17.5.Implementation
Security

Brookshear 2008
[4*]

McConnell 2004
[3*]

Voland 2003
[2*]

13-32 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

c3132
c31
c32
c29
s29.1
s29.4
s29.2
s29.3
s29.5

Computing Foundations 13-33

REFERENCES
[1] Joint Task Force on Computing Curricula,
IEEE Computer Society and Association
for Computing Machinery, Software
Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines
for Undergraduate Degree Programs in
Software Engineering, 2004; http://sites.
computer.org/ccse/SE2004Volume.pdf.
[2*] G. Voland, Engineering by Design, 2nd ed.,
Prentice Hall, 2003.
[3*] S. McConnell, Code Complete, 2nd ed.,
Microsoft Press, 2004.
[4*] J.G. Brookshear, Computer Science: An
Overview, 10th ed., Addison-Wesley, 2008.
[5*] E. Horowitz et al., Computer Algorithms,
2nd ed., Silicon Press, 2007.
[6*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th
ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.

[7] ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and

Software EngineeringVocabulary, ISO/
IEC/IEEE, 2010.
[8*] L. Null and J. Lobur, The Essentials of
Computer Organization and Architecture,
2nd ed., Jones and Bartlett Publishers,
2006.
[9*] J. Nielsen, Usability Engineering, Morgan
Kaufmann, 1993.
[10] ISO 9241-420:2011 Ergonomics of HumanSystem Interaction, ISO, 2011.
[11*] M. Bishop, Computer Security: Art and
Science, Addison-Wesley, 2002.
[12] R.C. Seacord, The CERT C Secure Coding
Standard, Addison-Wesley Professional,
2008.

CHAPTER 14
MATHEMATICAL FOUNDATIONS
INTRODUCTION
Software professionals live with programs. In a
very simple language, one can program only for
something that follows a well-understood, nonambiguous logic. The Mathematical Foundations
knowledge area (KA) helps software engineers
comprehend this logic, which in turn is translated
into programming language code. The mathematics that is the primary focus in this KA is quite
different from typical arithmetic, where numbers
are dealt with and discussed. Logic and reasoning are the essence of mathematics that a software
engineer must address.
Mathematics, in a sense, is the study of formal
systems. The word formal is associated with
preciseness, so there cannot be any ambiguous or
erroneous interpretation of the fact. Mathematics is therefore the study of any and all certain
truths about any concept. This concept can be
about numbers as well as about symbols, images,
sounds, videoalmost anything. In short, not
only numbers and numeric equations are subject to preciseness. On the contrary, a software
engineer needs to have a precise abstraction on a
diverse application domain.
The SWEBOK Guides Mathematical Foundations KA covers basic techniques to identify a set
of rules for reasoning in the context of the system
under study. Anything that one can deduce following these rules is an absolute certainty within
the context of that system. In this KA, techniques
that can represent and take forward the reasoning
and judgment of a software engineer in a precise
(and therefore mathematical) manner are defined
and discussed. The language and methods of logic
that are discussed here allow us to describe mathematical proofs to infer conclusively the absolute
truth of certain concepts beyond the numbers. In

short, you can write a program for a problem only

if it follows some logic. The objective of this KA
is to help you develop the skill to identify and
describe such logic. The emphasis is on helping
you understand the basic concepts rather than on
challenging your arithmetic abilities.
BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR
MATHEMATICAL FOUNDATIONS
The breakdown of topics for the Mathematical
Foundations KA is shown in Figure 14.1.
1.Set, Relations, Functions

[1*, c2]

Set. A set is a collection of objects, called elements

of the set. A set can be represented by listing its
elements between braces, e.g., S = {1, 2, 3}.
The symbol is used to express that an element belongs to a set, orin other wordsis a
member of the set. Its negation is represented by
, e.g., 1 S, but 4 S.
In a more compact representation of set using
set builder notation, {x | P(x)} is the set of all x
such that P(x) for any proposition P(x) over any
universe of discourse. Examples for some important sets include the following:
N = {0, 1, 2, 3, } = the set of nonnegative
integers.
Z = {, 3, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, 3, } = the set of
integers.
Finite and Infinite Set. A set with a finite number of elements is called a finite set. Conversely,
any set that does not have a finite number of elements in it is an infinite set. The set of all natural
numbers, for example, is an infinite set.

14-1

14-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 14.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Mathematical Foundations KA

Cardinality. The cardinality of a finite set S is

the number of elements in S. This is represented
|S|, e.g., if S = {1, 2, 3}, then |S| = 3.
Universal Set. In general S = {x U | p(x)},
where U is the universe of discourse in which
the predicate P(x) must be interpreted. The universe of discourse for a given predicate is often
referred to as the universal set. Alternately, one
may define universal set as the set of all elements.
Set Equality. Two sets are equal if and only if
they have the same elements, i.e.:
X = Y p (p X p Y).
Subset. X is a subset of set Y, or X is contained
in Y, if all elements of X are included in Y. This is
denoted by X Y. In other words, X Y if and
only if p (p X p Y).
For example, if X = {1, 2, 3} and Y = {1, 2, 3,
4, 5}, then X Y.
If X is not a subset of Y, it is denoted as X Y.
Proper Subset. X is a proper subset of Y (denoted
by X Y) if X is a subset of Y but not equal to Y,
i.e., there is some element in Y that is not in X.
In other words, X Y if (X Y) (X Y).
For example, if X = {1, 2, 3}, Y = {1, 2, 3,
4}, and Z = {1, 2, 3}, then X Y, but X is not a
proper subset of Z. Sets X and Z are equal sets.
If X is not a proper subset of Y, it is denoted
as X Y.
Superset. If X is a subset of Y, then Y is called
a superset of X. This is denoted by Y X, i.e., Y
X if and only if X Y.
For example, if X = {1, 2, 3} and Y = {1, 2, 3,
4, 5}, then Y X.

Empty Set. A set with no elements is called an

empty set. An empty set, denoted by , is also
referred to as a null or void set.
Power Set. The set of all subsets of a set X is
called the power set of X. It is represented as
(X).
For example, if X = {a, b, c}, then (X) = {,
{a}, {b}, {c}, {a, b}, {a, c}, {b, c}, {a, b, c}}. If
|X| = n, then |(X)| = 2n.
Venn Diagrams. Venn diagrams are graphic representations of sets as enclosed areas in the plane.
For example, in Figure 14.2, the rectangle represents the universal set and the shaded region
represents a set X.

Figure 14.2. Venn Diagram for Set X

1.1.Set Operations
Intersection. The intersection of two sets X and
Y, denoted by X Y, is the set of common elements in both X and Y.
In other words, X Y = {p | (p X) (p Y)}.
As, for example, {1, 2, 3} {3, 4, 6} = {3}
If X Y = f, then the two sets X and Y are said
to be a disjoint pair of sets.

Mathematical Foundations 14-3

A Venn diagram for set intersection is shown in

Figure 14.3. The common portion of the two sets
represents the set intersection.

The shaded portion of the Venn diagram in Figure 14.5 represents the complement set of X.
Set Difference or Relative Complement. The set
of elements that belong to set X but not to set Y
builds the set difference of Y from X. This is represented by X Y.
In other words, X Y = {p | (p X) (p Y)}.
As, for example, {1, 2, 3} {3, 4, 6} = {1, 2}.
It may be proved that X Y = X Y.
Set difference X Y is illustrated by the shaded
region in Figure 14.6 using a Venn diagram.

Figure 14.3. Intersection of Sets X and Y

Union. The union of two sets X and Y, denoted

by X Y, is the set of all elements either in X, or
in Y, or in both.
In other words, X Y = {p | (p X) (p Y)}.
As, for example, {1, 2, 3} {3, 4, 6} = {1, 2,
3, 4, 6}.

Figure 14.6. Venn Diagram for X Y

Figure 14.4. Union of Sets X and Y

It may be noted that |X Y| = |X| + |Y| |X

Y|.
A Venn diagram illustrating the union of two
sets is represented by the shaded region in Figure
14.4.
Complement. The set of elements in the universal set that do not belong to a given set X is called
its complement set X'.
In other words, X' ={p | (p U) (p X)}.

Cartesian Product. An ordinary pair {p, q} is

a set with two elements. In a set, the order of the
elements is irrelevant, so {p, q} = {q, p}.
In an ordered pair (p, q), the order of occurrences of the elements is relevant. Thus, (p, q)
(q, p) unless p = q. In general (p, q) = (s, t) if and
only if p = s and q = t.
Given two sets X and Y, their Cartesian product
X Y is the set of all ordered pairs (p, q) such that
p X and q Y.
In other words, X Y = {(p, q) | (p X) (q
Y)}.
As for example, {a, b} {1, 2} = {(a, 1), (a, 2),
(b, 1), (b, 2)}
1.2.Properties of Set
Some of the important properties and laws of sets
are mentioned below.

Figure 14.5. Venn Diagram for Complement Set of X

1. Associative Laws:
X (Y Z) = (X Y) Z
X (Y Z) = (X Y) Z

14-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

2. Commutative Laws:
X Y = Y X

XY=YX

3. Distributive Laws:
X (Y Z) = (X Y) (X Z)
X (Y Z) = (X Y) (X Z)
4. Identity Laws:
X = X X U = X
5. Complement Laws:
X X' = U X X' =
6. Idempotent Laws:
X X = X
XX=X
7. Bound Laws:
X U = U
X=
8. Absorption Laws:
X (X Y) = X

X (X Y) = X

9. De Morgans Laws:
(X Y)' = X' Y'

(X Y)' = X' Y'

1.3.Relation and Function

A relation is an association between two sets of
information. For example, lets consider a set
of residents of a city and their phone numbers.
The pairing of names with corresponding phone
numbers is a relation. This pairing is ordered for
the entire relation. In the example being considered, for each pair, either the name comes first
followed by the phone number or the reverse.
The set from which the first element is drawn is
called the domain set and the other set is called
the range set. The domain is what you start with
and the range is what you end up with.
A function is a well-behaved relation. A relation R(X, Y) is well behaved if the function maps
every element of the domain set X to a single element of the range set Y. Lets consider domain set
X as a set of persons and let range set Y store their
phone numbers. Assuming that a person may have
more than one phone number, the relation being
considered is not a function. However, if we draw
a relation between names of residents and their
date of births with the name set as domain, then

this becomes a well-behaved relation and hence a

function. This means that, while all functions are
relations, not all relations are functions. In case
of a function given an x, one gets one and exactly
one y for each ordered pair (x, y).
For example, lets consider the following two
relations.
A: {(3, 9), (5, 8), (7, 6), (3, 9), (6, 3)}.
B: {(5, 8), (7, 8), (3, 8), (6, 8)}.
Are these functions as well?
In case of relation A, the domain is all the
x-values, i.e., {3, 5, 6, 7}, and the range is all the
y-values, i.e., {9, 6, 3, 8, 9}.
Relation A is not a function, as there are two
different range values, 9 and 9, for the same
x-value of 3.
In case of relation B, the domain is same as that
for A, i.e., {3, 5, 6, 7}. However, the range is a
single element {8}. This qualifies as an example
of a function even if all the x-values are mapped
to the same y-value. Here, each x-value is distinct
and hence the function is well behaved. Relation
B may be represented by the equation y = 8.
The characteristic of a function may be verified
using a vertical line test, which is stated below:
Given the graph of a relation, if one can draw
a vertical line that crosses the graph in more than
one place, then the relation is not a function.

Figure 14.7. Vertical Line Test for Function

In this example, both lines L1 and L2 cut the

graph for the relation thrice. This signifies that
for the same x-value, there are three different
y-values for each of case. Thus, the relation is not
a function.

Mathematical Foundations 14-5

2.Basic Logic

[1*, c1]

2.1.Propositional Logic
A proposition is a statement that is either true
or false, but not both. Lets consider declarative
sentences for which it is meaningful to assign
either of the two status values: true or false. Some
examples of propositions are given below.
1. The sun is a star
2. Elephants are mammals.
3. 2 + 3 = 5.
However, a + 3 = b is not a proposition, as it is
neither true nor false. It depends on the values of
the variables a and b.
The Law of Excluded Middle: For every proposition p, either p is true or p is false.
The Law of Contradiction: For every proposition p, it is not the case that p is both true and false.
Propositional logic is the area of logic that
deals with propositions. A truth table displays
the relationships between the truth values of
propositions.
A Boolean variable is one whose value is either
true or false. Computer bit operations correspond
to logical operations of Boolean variables.
The basic logical operators including negation
( p), conjunction (p q), disjunction (p q),
exclusive or (p q), and implication (p q) are
to be studied. Compound propositions may be
formed using various logical operators.
A compound proposition that is always true is a
tautology. A compound proposition that is always
false is a contradiction. A compound proposition
that is neither a tautology nor a contradiction is a
contingency.
Compound propositions that always have the
same truth value are called logically equivalent
(denoted by ). Some of the common equivalences are:
Identity laws:
p T p

pFp

Domination laws:
p T T
pFF

Idempotent laws:
p p p
ppp
Double negation law:
( p) p
Commutative laws:
p q q p p q q p
Associative laws:
(p q) r p (q r)
(p q) r p (q r)
Distributive laws:
p (q r) (p q) (p r)
p (q r) (p q) (p r)
De Morgans laws:
(p q) p q

(p q) p q

2.2.Predicate Logic
A predicate is a verb phrase template that
describes a property of objects or a relationship
among objects represented by the variables. For
example, in the sentence, The flower is red, the
template is red is a predicate. It describes the
property of a flower. The same predicate may be
used in other sentences too.
Predicates are often given a name, e.g., Red
or simply R can be used to represent the predicate is red. Assuming R as the name for the predicate is red, sentences that assert an object is of the
color red can be represented as R(x), where x represents an arbitrary object. R(x) reads as x is red.
Quantifiers allow statements about entire collections of objects rather than having to enumerate the objects by name.
The Universal quantifier x asserts that a sentence is true for all values of variable x.
For example, x Tiger(x) Mammal(x)
means all tigers are mammals.
The Existential quantifier x asserts that a sentence is true for at least one value of variable x.
For example, x Tiger(x) Man-eater(x) means
there exists at least one tiger that is a man-eater.
Thus, while universal quantification uses
implication, the existential quantification naturally uses conjunction.

14-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

A variable x that is introduced into a logical

expression by a quantifier is bound to the closest
enclosing quantifier.
A variable is said to be a free variable if it is not
bound to a quantifier.
Similarly, in a block-structured programming
language, a variable in a logical expression refers
to the closest quantifier within whose scope it
appears.
For example, in x (Cat(x) x (Black(x))), x
in Black(x) is universally quantified. The expression implies that cats exist and everything is
black.
Propositional logic falls short in representing
many assertions that are used in computer science and mathematics. It also fails to compare
equivalence and some other types of relationship
between propositions.
For example, the assertion a is greater than
1 is not a proposition because one cannot infer
whether it is true or false without knowing the
value of a. Thus, propositional logic cannot deal
with such sentences. However, such assertions
appear quite often in mathematics and we want
to infer on those assertions. Also, the pattern
involved in the following two logical equivalences cannot be captured by propositional
logic: Not all men are smokers and Some men
dont smoke. Each of these two propositions
is treated independently in propositional logic.
There is no mechanism in propositional logic to
find out whether or not the two are equivalent to
one another. Hence, in propositional logic, each
equivalent proposition is treated individually
rather than dealing with a general formula that
covers all equivalences collectively.
Predicate logic is supposed to be a more powerful logic that addresses these issues. In a sense,
predicate logic (also known as first-order logic
or predicate calculus) is an extension of propositional logic to formulas involving terms and
predicates.
3.Proof Techniques

[1*, c1]

A proof is an argument that rigorously establishes

the truth of a statement. Proofs can themselves be
represented formally as discrete structures.

Statements used in a proof include axioms

and postulates that are essentially the underlying
assumptions about mathematical structures, the
hypotheses of the theorem to be proved, and previously proved theorems.
A theorem is a statement that can be shown to
be true.
A lemma is a simple theorem used in the proof
of other theorems.
A corollary is a proposition that can be established directly from a theorem that has been
proved.
A conjecture is a statement whose truth value
is unknown.
When a conjectures proof is found, the conjecture becomes a theorem. Many times conjectures
are shown to be false and, hence, are not theorems.
3.1.Methods of Proving Theorems
Direct Proof. Direct proof is a technique to establish that the implication p q is true by showing
that q must be true when p is true.
For example, to show that if n is odd then n21
is even, suppose n is odd, i.e., n = 2k + 1 for some
integer k:
n2 = (2k + 1)2 = 4k2 + 4k + 1.
As the first two terms of the Right Hand Side
(RHS) are even numbers irrespective of the value
of k, the Left Hand Side (LHS) (i.e., n2) is an odd
number. Therefore, n21 is even.
Proof by Contradiction. A proposition p is true
by contradiction if proved based on the truth of
the implication p q where q is a contradiction.
For example, to show that the sum of 2x + 1
and 2y 1 is even, assume that the sum of 2x + 1
and 2y 1is odd. In other words, 2(x + y), which
is a multiple of 2, is odd. This is a contradiction.
Hence, the sum of 2x + 1 and 2y 1 is even.
An inference rule is a pattern establishing that
if a set of premises are all true, then it can be
deduced that a certain conclusion statement is
true. The reference rules of addition, simplification, and conjunction need to be studied.
Proof by Induction. Proof by induction is done
in two phases. First, the proposition is established to be true for a base casetypically for the

Mathematical Foundations 14-7

positive integer 1. In the second phase, it is established that if the proposition holds for an arbitrary
positive integer k, then it must also hold for the
next greater integer, k + 1. In other words, proof
by induction is based on the rule of inference that
tells us that the truth of an infinite sequence of
propositions P(n), n [1 ] is established
if P(1) is true, and secondly, k [2 ... n] if P(k)
P(k + 1).
It may be noted here that, for a proof by mathematical induction, it is not assumed that P(k) is
true for all positive integers k. Proving a theorem or proposition only requires us to establish
that if it is assumed P(k) is true for any arbitrary
positive integer k, then P(k + 1) is also true. The
correctness of mathematical induction as a valid
proof technique is beyond discussion of the current text. Let us prove the following proposition
using induction.
Proposition: The sum of the first n positive odd
integers P(n) is n2.
Basis Step: The proposition is true for n = 1 as
P(1) = 12 = 1. The basis step is complete.
Inductive Step: The induction hypothesis (IH)
is that the proposition is true for n = k, k being an
arbitrary positive integer k.
1 + 3 + 5+ + (2k 1) = k2
Now, its to be shown that P(k) P(k + 1).
P(k + 1) = 1 + 3 + 5+ +(2k 1) + (2k + 1)
= P(k) + (2k + 1)
= k2 + (2k + 1) [using IH]
= k2 + 2k + 1
= (k + 1)2
Thus, it is shown that if the proposition is true
for n = k, then it is also true for n = k + 1.
The basis step together with the inductive step of
the proof show that P(1) is true and the conditional
statement P(k) P(k + 1) is true for all positive
integers k. Hence, the proposition is proved.
4.Basics of Counting

[1*c6]

The sum rule states that if a task t1 can be done

in n1 ways and a second task t2 can be done in

n2 ways, and if these tasks cannot be done at the

same time, then there are n1+ n2 ways to do either
task.
If A and B are disjoint sets, then |A B|=|A|
+ |B|.
In general if A1, A2, . , An are disjoint
sets, then |A1 A2 An| = |A1| + |A2|
+ + |An|.
For example, if there are 200 athletes doing
sprint events and 30 athletes who participate in
the long jump event, then how many ways are
there to pick one athlete who is either a sprinter
or a long jumper?
Using the sum rule, the answer would be 200
+ 30 = 230.
The product rule states that if a task t1 can be
done in n1 ways and a second task t2 can be done
in n2 ways after the first task has been done, then
there are n1 * n2 ways to do the procedure.
If A and B are disjoint sets, then |A B| =
|A| * |B|.
In general if A1, A2, , An are disjoint sets,
then |A1 A2 An| = |A1| * |A2| * .
* |An|.
For example, if there are 200 athletes doing
sprint events and 30 athletes who participate in
the long jump event, then how many ways are
there to pick two athletes so that one is a sprinter
and the other is a long jumper?
Using the product rule, the answer would be
200 * 30 = 6000.
The principle of inclusion-exclusion states that
if a task t1 can be done in n1 ways and a second
task t2 can be done in n2 ways at the same time
with t1, then to find the total number of ways the
two tasks can be done, subtract the number of
ways to do both tasks from n1 + n2.
If A and B are not disjoint, |A B| = |A| +
|B| |A B|.
In other words, the principle of inclusionexclusion aims to ensure that the objects in the
intersection of two sets are not counted more than
once.

14-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Recursion is the general term for the practice

of defining an object in terms of itself. There are
recursive algorithms, recursively defined functions, relations, sets, etc.
A recursive function is a function that calls
itself. For example, we define f(n) = 3 * f(n 1)
for all n N and n 0 and f(0) = 5.
An algorithm is recursive if it solves a problem
by reducing it to an instance of the same problem
with a smaller input.
A phenomenon is said to be random if individual outcomes are uncertain but the long-term pattern of many individual outcomes is predictable.
The probability of any outcome for a random phenomenon is the proportion of times the
outcome would occur in a very long series of
repetitions.
The probability P(A) of any event A satisfies 0
P(A) 1. Any probability is a number between
0 and 1. If S is the sample space in a probability model, the P(S) = 1. All possible outcomes
together must have probability of 1.
Two events A and B are disjoint if they have
no outcomes in common and so can never occur
together. If A and B are two disjoint events, P(A
or B) = P(A) + P(B). This is known as the addition rule for disjoint events.
If two events have no outcomes in common,
the probability that one or the other occurs is the
sum of their individual probabilities.
Permutation is an arrangement of objects in
which the order matters without repetition. One
can choose r objects in a particular order from a
total of n objects by using nPr ways, where, npr =
n! / (n r)!. Various notations like nPr and P(n, r)
are used to represent the number of permutations
of a set of n objects taken r at a time.
Combination is a selection of objects in which
the order does not matter without repetition. This
is different from a permutation because the order
does not matter. If the order is only changed (and
not the members) then no new combination is
formed. One can choose r objects in any order
from a total of n objects by using nCr ways, where,
n
Cr = n! / [r! * (n r)!].

5.Graphs and Trees

[1*, c10, c11]

5.1.Graphs
A graph G = (V, E) where V is the set of vertices
(nodes) and E is the set of edges. Edges are also
referred to as arcs or links.

Figure 14.8. Example of a Graph

F is a function that maps the set of edges E to

a set of ordered or unordered pairs of elements V.
For example, in Figure 14.8, G = (V, E) where V
= {A, B, C}, E = {e1, e2, e3}, and F = {(e1, (A,
C)), (e2, (C, B)), (e3, (B, A))}.
The graph in Figure 14.8 is a simple graph that
consists of a set of vertices or nodes and a set of
edges connecting unordered pairs.
The edges in simple graphs are undirected.
Such graphs are also referred to as undirected
graphs.
For example, in Figure 14.8, (e1, (A, C)) may
be replaced by (e1, (C, A)) as the pair between
vertices A and C is unordered. This holds good
for the other two edges too.
In a multigraph, more than one edge may connect the same two vertices. Two or more connecting edges between the same pair of vertices may
reflect multiple associations between the same
two vertices. Such edges are called parallel or
multiple edges.
For example, in Figure 14.9, the edges e3 and
e4 are both between A and B. Figure 14.9 is a
multigraph where edges e3 and e4 are multiple
edges.

Mathematical Foundations 14-9

A directed graph G = (V, E) consists of a set of

vertices V and a set of edges E that are ordered
pairs of elements of V. A directed graph may contain loops.
For example, in Figure 14.11, G = (V, E) where
V = {A, B, C}, E = {e1, e2, e3}, and F = {(e1, (A,
C)), (e2, (B, C)), (e3, (B, A))}.

Figure 14.9. Example of a Multigraph

In a pseudograph, edges connecting a node to

itself are allowed. Such edges are called loops.

Figure 14.12. Example of a Weighted Graph

Figure 14.10. Example of a Pseudograph

For example, in Figure 14.10, the edge e4 both

starts and ends at B. Figure 14.10 is a pseudograph in which e4 is a loop.

In a weighted graph G = (V, E), each edge has a

weight associated with it. The weight of an edge
typically represents the numeric value associated
with the relationship between the corresponding
two vertices.
For example, in Figure 14.12, the weights for
the edges e1, e2, and e3 are taken to be 76, 93,
and 15 respectively. If the vertices A, B, and C
represent three cities in a state, the weights, for
example, could be the distances in miles between
these cities.
Let G = (V, E) be an undirected graph with
edge set E. Then, for an edge e E where e = {u,
v}, the following terminologies are often used:
u, v are said to be adjacent or neighbors or
connected.
edge e is incident with vertices u and v.
edge e connects u and v.
vertices u and v are endpoints for edge e.
If vertex v V, the set of vertices in the undirected graph G(V, E), then:

Figure 14.11. Example of a Directed Graph

the degree of v, deg(v), is its number of incident edges, except that any self-loops are
counted twice.

14-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

a vertex with degree 0 is called an isolated

vertex.
a vertex of degree 1 is called a pendant
vertex.
Let G(V, E) be a directed graph. If e(u, v) is an
edge of G, then the following terminologies are
often used:
u is adjacent to v, and v is adjacent from u.
e comes from u and goes to v.
e connects u to v, or e goes from u to v.
the initial vertex of e is u.
the terminal vertex of e is v.
If vertex v is in the set of vertices for the
directed graph G(V, E), then
in-degree of v, deg(v), is the number of
edges going to v, i.e., for which v is the terminal vertex.
out-degree of v, deg+(v), is the number of
edges coming from v, i.e., for which v is the
initial vertex.
degree of v, deg(v) = deg(v) + deg+(v), is the
sum of vs in-degree and out-degree.
a loop at a vertex contributes 1 to both indegree and out-degree of this vertex.
It may be noted that, following the definitions
above, the degree of a node is unchanged whether
we consider its edges to be directed or undirected.
In an undirected graph, a path of length n from
u to v is a sequence of n adjacent edges from vertex u to vertex v.
A path is a circuit if u=v.
A path traverses the vertices along it.
A path is simple if it contains no edge more
than once.
A cycle on n vertices Cn for any n 3 is a simple graph where V = {v1, v2, , vn} and E = {{v1,
v2}, {v2, v3}, , {vn1, vn}, {vn, v1}}.
For example, Figure 14.13 illustrates two
cycles of length 3 and 4.

Figure 14.13. Example of Cycles C3 and C4

An adjacency list is a table with one row per

vertex, listing its adjacent vertices. The adjacency
listing for a directed graph maintains a listing of
the terminal nodes for each of the vertex in the
graph.
Vertex

Adjacency
List

B, C

A, B, C

A, B

Figure 14.14. Adjacency Lists for Graphs in Figures 14.10

and 14.11

For example, Figure 14.14 illustrates the adjacency lists for the pseudograph in Figure 14.10
and the directed graph in Figure 14.11. As the
out-degree of vertex C in Figure 14.11 is zero,
there is no entry against C in the adjacency list.
Different representations for a graphlike
adjacency matrix, incidence matrix, and adjacency listsneed to be studied.
5.2.Trees
A tree T(N, E) is a hierarchical data structure of n
= |N| nodes with a specially designated root node
R while the remaining n 1 nodes form subtrees
under the root node R. The number of edges |E| in
a tree would always be equal to |N| 1.
The subtree at node X is the subgraph of the
tree consisting of node X and its descendants and
all edges incident to those descendants. As an
alternate to this recursive definition, a tree may
be defined as a connected undirected graph with
no simple circuits.

Mathematical Foundations 14-11

Figure 14.15. Example of a Tree

However, one should remember that a tree is

strictly hierarchical in nature as compared to a
graph, which is flat. In case of a tree, an ordered
pair is built between two nodes as parent and
child. Each child node in a tree is associated
with only one parent node, whereas this restriction becomes meaningless for a graph where no
parent-child association exists.
An undirected graph is a tree if and only if
there is a unique simple path between any two of
its vertices.
Figure 14.15 presents a tree T(N, E) where the
set of nodes N = {A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K}.
The edge set E is {(A, B), (A, C), (A, D), (B, E),
(B, F), (B, G), (C, H), (C, I), (D, J), (D, K)}.
The parent of a nonroot node v is the unique
node u with a directed edge from u to v. Each
node in the tree has a unique parent node except
the root of the tree.
For example, in Figure 14.15, root node A is
the parent node for nodes B, C, and D. Similarly,
B is the parent of E, F, G, and so on. The root
node A does not have any parent.
A node that has children is called an internal
node.
For example, in Figure 14.15, node A or node B
are examples of internal nodes.
The degree of a node in a tree is the same as its
number of children.
For example, in Figure 14.15, root node A and
its child B are both of degree 3. Nodes C and D
have degree 2.
The distance of a node from the root node in
terms of number of hops is called its level. Nodes
in a tree are at different levels. The root node is

at level 0. Alternately, the level of a node X is the

length of the unique path from the root of the tree
to node X.
For example, root node A is at level 0 in Figure 14.15. Nodes B, C, and D are at level 1. The
remaining nodes in Figure 14.15 are all at level 2.
The height of a tree is the maximum of the levels of nodes in the tree.
For example, in Figure 14.15, the height of the
tree is 2.
A node is called a leaf if it has no children. The
degree of a leaf node is 0.
For example, in Figure 14.15, nodes E through
K are all leaf nodes with degree 0.
The ancestors or predecessors of a nonroot
node X are all the nodes in the path from root to
node X.
For example, in Figure 14.15, nodes A and D
form the set of ancestors for J.
The successors or descendents of a node X are
all the nodes that have X as its ancestor. For a tree
with n nodes, all the remaining n 1 nodes are
successors of the root node.
For example, in Figure 14.15, node B has successors in E, F, and G.
If node X is an ancestor of node Y, then node Y
is a successor of X.
Two or more nodes sharing the same parent
node are called sibling nodes.
For example, in Figure 14.15, nodes E and G
are siblings. However, nodes E and J, though
from the same level, are not sibling nodes.
Two sibling nodes are of the same level, but
two nodes in the same level are not necessarily
siblings.
A tree is called an ordered tree if the relative position of occurrences of children nodes is
significant.
For example, a family tree is an ordered tree
if, as a rule, the name of an elder sibling appears
always before (i.e., on the left of) the younger
sibling.
In an unordered tree, the relative position of
occurrences between the siblings does not bear
any significance and may be altered arbitrarily.
A binary tree is formed with zero or more nodes
where there is a root node R and all the remaining
nodes form a pair of ordered subtrees under the
root node.

14-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

In a binary tree, no internal node can have more

than two children. However, one must consider
that besides this criterion in terms of the degree
of internal nodes, a binary tree is always ordered.
If the positions of the left and right subtrees for
any node in the tree are swapped, then a new tree
is derived.

Figure 14.18. Example of Complete Binary Trees

Figure 14.16. Examples of Binary Trees

For example, in Figure 14.16, the two binary

trees are different as the positions of occurrences
of the children of A are different in the two trees.

Figure 14.17. Example of a Full Binary Tree

According to [1*], a binary tree is called a full

binary tree if every internal node has exactly two
children.
For example, the binary tree in Figure 14.17
is a full binary tree, as both of the two internal
nodes A and B are of degree 2.
A full binary tree following the definition
above is also referred to as a strictly binary tree.
For example, both binary trees in Figure 14.18
are complete binary trees. The tree in Figure
14.18(a) is a complete as well as a full binary
tree. A complete binary tree has all its levels,
except possibly the last one, filled up to capacity.
In case the last level of a complete binary tree is
not full, nodes occur from the leftmost positions
available.

Interestingly, following the definitions above,

the tree in Figure 14.18(b) is a complete but not
full binary tree as node B has only one child in D.
On the contrary, the tree in Figure 14.17 is a full
but not completebinary tree, as the children
of B occur in the tree while the children of C do
not appear in the last level.
A binary tree of height H is balanced if all its
leaf nodes occur at levels H or H 1.
For example, all three binary trees in Figures
14.17 and 14.18 are balanced binary trees.
There are at most 2H leaves in a binary tree of
height H. In other words, if a binary tree with L
leaves is full and balanced, then its height is H =
log2L.
For example, this statement is true for the
two trees in Figures 14.17 and 14.18(a) as both
trees are full and balanced. However, the expression above does not match for the tree in Figure
14.18(b) as it is not a full binary tree.
A binary search tree (BST) is a special kind of
binary tree in which each node contains a distinct
key value, and the key value of each node in the
tree is less than every key value in its right subtree
and greater than every key value in its left subtree.
A traversal algorithm is a procedure for systematically visiting every node of a binary tree.
Tree traversals may be defined recursively.
If T is binary tree with root R and the remaining nodes form an ordered pair of nonnull left
subtree TL and nonnull right subtree TR below R,
then the preorder traversal function PreOrder(T)
is defined as:
PreOrder(T) = R, PreOrder(TL), PreOrder(TR)
eqn. 1

Mathematical Foundations 14-13

The recursive process of finding the preorder

traversal of the subtrees continues till the subtrees are found to be Null. Here, commas have
been used as delimiters for the sake of improved
readability.
The postorder and in-order may be similarly
defined using eqn. 2 and eqn. 3 respectively.
PostOrder(T) = PostOrder(TL), PostOrder(TR),
R eqn 2
InOrder(T) = InOrder(TL), R, InOrder(TR)
eqn 3

Figure 14.19. A Binary Search Tree

For example, the tree in Figure 14.19 is a binary

search tree (BST). The preorder, postorder, and
in-order traversal outputs for the BST are given
below in their respective order.
Preorder output: 9, 5, 2, 1, 4, 7, 6, 8, 13, 11,
10, 15
Postorder output: 1, 4, 2, 6, 8, 7, 5, 10, 11, 15,
13, 9
In-order output: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,
13, 15
Further discussion on trees and their usage has
been included in section 6, Data Structure and Representation, of the Computing Foundations KA.
6.Discrete Probability

[1*, c7]

Probability is the mathematical description of

randomness. Basic definition of probability and

randomness has been defined in section 4 of this

KA. Here, let us start with the concepts behind
probability distribution and discrete probability.
A probability model is a mathematical description of a random phenomenon consisting of two
parts: a sample space S and a way of assigning
probabilities to events. The sample space defines
the set of all possible outcomes, whereas an event
is a subset of a sample space representing a possible outcome or a set of outcomes.
A random variable is a function or rule that
assigns a number to each outcome. Basically, it
is just a symbol that represents the outcome of an
experiment.
For example, let X be the number of heads
when the experiment is flipping a coin n times.
Similarly, let S be the speed of a car as registered
on a radar detector.
The values for a random variable could be discrete or continuous depending on the experiment.
A discrete random variable can hold all possible outcomes without missing any, although it
might take an infinite amount of time.
A continuous random variable is used to measure an uncountable number of values even if an
infinite amount of time is given.
For example, if a random variable X represents
an outcome that is a real number between 1 and
100, then X may have an infinite number of values. One can never list all possible outcomes for
X even if an infinite amount of time is allowed.
Here, X is a continuous random variable. On
the contrary, for the same interval of 1 to 100,
another random variable Y can be used to list all
the integer values in the range. Here, Y is a discrete random variable.
An upper-case letter, say X, will represent
the name of the random variable. Its lower-case
counterpart, x, will represent the value of the random variable.
The probability that the random variable X will
equal x is:
P(X = x) or, more simply, P(x).
A probability distribution (density) function is
a table, formula, or graph that describes the values of a random variable and the probability associated with these values.

14-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Probabilities associated with discrete random

variables have the following properties:
i. 0 P(x) 1 for all x
ii. P(x) = 1
A discrete probability distribution can be represented as a discrete random variable.
X

P(x)

1/6

1/6

1/6

1/6

1/6

1/6

Figure 14.20. A Discrete Probability Function for a Rolling

Die

The mean of a probability distribution model

is the sum of the product terms for individual
events and its outcome probability. In other
words, for the possible outcomes x1, x2, , xn
in a sample space S if pk is the probability of outcome xk, the mean of this probability would be
= x1p1 + x2p2 + + xnpn.
For example, the mean of the probability density for the distribution in Figure 14.20 would be
1 * (1/6) + 2 * (1/6) + 3 * (1/6) + 4 * (1/6) + 5
* (1/6) + 6 * (1/6)
= 21 * (1/6) = 3.5
Here, the sample space refers to the set of all
possible outcomes.
The variance s2 of a discrete probability model
is: s2 = (x1 )2p1 + (x2 )2p2 + + (xk )2pk.
The standard deviations is the square root of the
variance.
For example, for the probability distribution in
Figure 14.20, the variation 2 would be
s2 = [(1 3.5)2 * (1/6) + (2 3.5)2 * (1/6) +
(3 3.5)2 * (1/6) + (4 3.5)2 * (1/6) + (5
3.5)2 * (1/6) + (6 3.5)2 * (1/6)]
= (6.25 + 2.25 + 0.25 + 0.5 + 2.25 + 6.25) *
(1/6)
= 17.5 * (1/6)
= 2.90
standard deviation s =

These numbers indeed aim to derive the average value from repeated experiments. This is
based on the single most important phenomenon of probability, i.e., the average value from
repeated experiments is likely to be close to the
expected value of one experiment. Moreover,
the average value is more likely to be closer to
the expected value of any one experiment as the
number of experiments increases.
7.Finite State Machines

[1*, c13]

A computer system may be abstracted as a mapping from state to state driven by inputs. In other
words, a system may be considered as a transition
function T: S I S O, where S is the set of
states and I, O are the input and output functions.
If the state set S is finite (not infinite), the system is called a finite state machine (FSM).
Alternately, a finite state machine (FSM) is a
mathematical abstraction composed of a finite
number of states and transitions between those
states. If the domain S I is reasonably small,
then one can specify T explicitly using diagrams
similar to a flow graph to illustrate the way logic
flows for different inputs. However, this is practical only for machines that have a very small
information capacity.
An FSM has a finite internal memory, an input
feature that reads symbols in a sequence and one
at a time, and an output feature.
The operation of an FSM begins from a start
state, goes through transitions depending on input
to different states, and can end in any valid state.
However, only a few of all the states mark a successful flow of operation. These are called accept
states.
The information capacity of an FSM is
C = log |S|. Thus, if we represent a machine having
an information capacity of C bits as an FSM, then
its state transition graph will have |S| = 2C nodes.
A finite state machine is formally defined as M
= (S, I, O, f, g, s0).
S is the state set;
I is the set of input symbols;
O is the set of output symbols;
f is the state transition function;

Mathematical Foundations 14-15

g is the output function;

and s0 is the initial state.
Given an input x I on state Sk, the FSM
makes a transition to state Sh following state transition function f and produces an output y O
using the output function g.

The state transition and output values for different inputs on different states may be represented
using a state table. The state table for the FSM in
Figure 14.21 is shown in Figure 14.22. Each pair
against an input symbol represents the new state
and the output symbol.
For example, Figures 14.22(a) and 14.22(b) are
two alternate representations of the FSM in Figure 14.21.
8.Grammars

Figure 14.21. Example of an FSM

For example, Figure 14.21 illustrates an FSM

with S0 as the start state and S1 as the final state.
Here, S = {S0, S1, S2}; I = {0, 1}; O = {2, 3}; f(S0,
0) = S2, f(S0, 1) = S1, f(S1, 0) = S2, f(S1, 1) = S2, f(S2,
0) = S2, f(S2, 1) = S0; g(S0, 0) = 3, g(S0, 1) = 2, g(S1,
0) = 3, g(S1, 1) = 2, g(S2, 0) = 2, g(S2, 1) = 3.
Input
0
1
S2
S1
S2
S2

Current
State
S0
S1
S2

S2

S0

(a)

Current
State
S0
S1
S2

Output
Input
0
1
3
2
3
2
2
3

State
Input
0
1
S2
S1
S2
S2
S2
S0

(b)
Figure 14.22. Tabular Representation of an FSM

[1*, c13]

The grammar of a natural language tells us

whether a combination of words makes a valid
sentence. Unlike natural languages, a formal language is specified by a well-defined set of rules for
syntaxes. The valid sentences of a formal language
can be described by a grammar with the help of
these rules, referred to as production rules.
A formal language is a set of finite-length
words or strings over some finite alphabet, and
a grammar specifies the rules for formation of
these words or strings. The entire set of words
that are valid for a grammar constitutes the language for the grammar. Thus, the grammar G is
any compact, precise mathematical definition of a
language L as opposed to just a raw listing of all
of the languages legal sentences or examples of
those sentences.
A grammar implies an algorithm that would
generate all legal sentences of the language.
There are different types of grammars.
A phrase-structure or Type-0 grammar G = (V,
T, S, P) is a 4-tuple in which:
V is the vocabulary, i.e., set of words.
T V is a set of words called terminals.
S N is a special word called the start
symbol.
P is the set of productions rules for substituting one sentence fragment for another.
There exists another set N = V T of words
called nonterminals. The nonterminals represent
concepts like noun. Production rules are applied
on strings containing nonterminals until no more
nonterminal symbols are present in the string.
The start symbol S is a nonterminal.

14-16 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

The language generated by a formal grammar

G, denoted by L(G), is the set of all strings over
the set of alphabets V that can be generated, starting with the start symbol, by applying production rules until all the nonterminal symbols are
replaced in the string.
For example, let G = ({S, A, a, b}, {a, b}, S, {S
aA, S b, A aa}). Here, the set of terminals are N = {S, A}, where S is the start symbol.
The three production rules for the grammar are
given as P1: S aA; P2: S b; P3: A aa.
Applying the production rules in all possible
ways, the following words may be generated
from the start symbol.
S aA
aaa
S b

(using P1 on start symbol)

(using P3)
(using P2 on start symbol)

Nothing else can be derived for G. Thus, the

language of the grammar G consists of only two
words: L(G) = {aaa, b}.
8.1.Language Recognition
Formal grammars can be classified according to the
types of productions that are allowed. The Chomsky hierarchy (introduced by Noam Chomsky in
1956) describes such a classification scheme.

Figure 14.23. Chomsky Hierarchy of Grammars

As illustrated in Figure 14.23, we infer the following on different types of grammars:

1. Every regular grammar is a context-free
grammar (CFG).
2. Every CFG is a context-sensitive grammar
(CSG).

3. Every CSG is a phrase-structure grammar

(PSG).
Context-Sensitive Grammar: All fragments in
the RHS are either longer than the corresponding
fragments in the LHS or empty, i.e., if b a, then
|b| < |a| or a = .
A formal language is context-sensitive if a context-sensitive grammar generates it.
Context-Free Grammar: All fragments in the
LHS are of length 1, i.e., if A a, then |A| = 1
for all A N.
The term context-free derives from the fact that
A can always be replaced by a, regardless of the
context in which it occurs.
A formal language is context-free if a contextfree grammar generates it. Context-free languages are the theoretical basis for the syntax of
most programming languages.
Regular Grammar. All fragments in the RHS
are either single terminals or a pair built by a
terminal and a nonterminal; i.e., if A a, then
either a T, or a = cD, or a = Dc for c T, D N.
If a = cD, then the grammar is called a right
linear grammar. On the other hand, if a = Dc, then
the grammar is called a left linear grammar. Both
the right linear and left linear grammars are regular or Type-3 grammar.
The language L(G) generated by a regular
grammar G is called a regular language.
A regular expression A is a string (or pattern)
formed from the following six pieces of information: a S, the set of alphabets, e, 0 and the
operations, OR (+), PRODUCT (.), CONCATENATION (*). The language of G, L(G) is equal to
all those strings that match G, L(G) = {x S*|x
matches G}.
For any a S, L(a) = a; L(e) = {}; L(0) = 0.
+ functions as an or, L(A + B) = L(A) L(B).
. creates a product structure, L(AB) = L(A) .
L(B).
* denotes concatenation, L(A*) = {x1x2xn |
xi L(A) and n 0}
For example, the regular expression (ab)*
matches the set of strings: {e, ab, abab, ababab,
abababab, }.

Mathematical Foundations 14-17

For example, the regular expression (aa)*

matches the set of strings on one letter a that have
even length.
For example, the regular expression (aaa)* +
(aaaaa)* matches the set of strings of length equal
to a multiple of 3 or 5.
9.Numerical Precision, Accuracy, and Errors
[2*, c2]
The main goal of numerical analysis is to
develop efficient algorithms for computing precise numerical values of functions, solutions of
algebraic and differential equations, optimization
problems, etc.
A matter of fact is that all digital computers can
only store finite numbers. In other words, there
is no way that a computer can represent an infinitely large numberbe it an integer, rational
number, or any real or all complex numbers (see
section 10, Number Theory). So the mathematics
of approximation becomes very critical to handle
all the numbers in the finite range that a computer
can handle.
Each number in a computer is assigned a location or word, consisting of a specified number of
binary digits or bits. A k bit word can store a total
of N = 2k different numbers.
For example, a computer that uses 32 bit arithmetic can store a total of N = 232 4.3 109 different numbers, while another one that uses 64
bits can handle N = 264 1.84 1019 different
numbers. The question is how to distribute these
N numbers over the real line for maximum efficiency and accuracy in practical computations.
One evident choice is to distribute them evenly,
leading to fixed-point arithmetic. In this system,
the first bit in a word is used to represent a sign
and the remaining bits are treated for integer values. This allows representation of the integers
from 1 N, i.e., = 1 2k1 to 1. As an approximating method, this is not good for noninteger
numbers.
Another option is to space the numbers closely
togethersay with a uniform gap of 2nand so
distribute the total N numbers uniformly over the
interval 2n1N < x 2n1N. Real numbers lying
between the gaps are represented by either rounding (meaning the closest exact representative)

or chopping (meaning the exact representative

immediately below or above, if negativethe
number).
Numbers lying beyond the range must be represented by the largest (or largest negative) number
that can be represented. This becomes a symbol
for overflow. Overflow occurs when a computation produces a value larger than the maximum
value in the range.
When processing speed is a significant bottleneck, the use of the fixed-point representations
is an attractive and faster alternative to the more
cumbersome floating-point arithmetic most commonly used in practice.
Lets define a couple of very important terms:
accuracy and precision as associated with numerical analysis.
Accuracy is the closeness with which a measured or computed value agrees with the true value.
Precision, on the other hand, is the closeness
with which two or more measured or computed
values for the same physical substance agree with
each other. In other words, precision is the closeness with which a number represents an exact
value.
Let x be a real number and let x* be an approximation. The absolute error in the approximation
x* x is defined as | x* x |. The relative error
is defined as the ratio of the absolute error to the
size of x, i.e., |x* x| / | x |, which assumes x 0;
otherwise, relative error is not defined.
For example, 1000000 is an approximation to
1000001 with an absolute error of 1 and a relative
error of 106, while 10 is an approximation of 11
with an absolute error of 1 and a relative error of
0.1. Typically, relative error is more intuitive and
the preferred determiner of the size of the error.
The present convention is that errors are always
0, and are = 0 if and only if the approximation
is exact.
An approximation x* has k significant decimal digits if its relative error is < 5 10k1. This
means that the first k digits of x* following its
first nonzero digit are the same as those of x.
Significant digits are the digits of a number that
are known to be correct. In a measurement, one
uncertain digit is included.
For example, measurement of length with
a ruler of 15.5 mm with 0.5 mm maximum

14-18 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

allowable error has 2 significant digits, whereas

a measurement of the same length using a caliper
and recorded as 15.47 mm with 0.01 mm maximum allowable error has 3 significant digits.
10.Number Theory

[1*, c4]

Number theory is one of the oldest branches

of pure mathematics and one of the largest. Of
course, it concerns questions about numbers,
usually meaning whole numbers and fractional or
rational numbers. The different types of numbers
include integer, real number, natural number,
complex number, rational number, etc.
10.1.Divisibility
Lets start this section with a brief description of
each of the above types of numbers, starting with
the natural numbers.
Natural Numbers. This group of numbers starts
at 1 and continues: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on. Zero
is not in this group. There are no negative or fractional numbers in the group of natural numbers.
The common mathematical symbol for the set of
all natural numbers is N.
Whole Numbers. This group has all of the natural numbers in it plus the number 0.
Unfortunately, not everyone accepts the above
definitions of natural and whole numbers. There
seems to be no general agreement about whether
to include 0 in the set of natural numbers.
Many mathematicians consider that, in Europe,
the sequence of natural numbers traditionally
started with 1 (0 was not even considered to be
a number by the Greeks). In the 19th century, set
theoreticians and other mathematicians started
the convention of including 0 in the set of natural
numbers.
Integers. This group has all the whole numbers
in it and their negatives. The common mathematical symbol for the set of all integers is Z, i.e., Z =
{, 3, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, 3, }.
Rational Numbers. These are any numbers that
can be expressed as a ratio of two integers. The
common symbol for the set of all rational numbers is Q.
Rational numbers may be classified into
three types, based on how the decimals act. The

decimals either do not exist, e.g., 15, or, when

decimals do exist, they may terminate, as in 15.6,
or they may repeat with a pattern, as in 1.666...,
(which is 5/3).
Irrational Numbers. These are numbers that
cannot be expressed as an integer divided by an
integer. These numbers have decimals that never
terminate and never repeat with a pattern, e.g., PI
or 2.
Real Numbers. This group is made up of all the
rational and irrational numbers. The numbers that
are encountered when studying algebra are real
numbers. The common mathematical symbol for
the set of all real numbers is R.
Imaginary Numbers. These are all based on the
imaginary number i. This imaginary number is
equal to the square root of 1. Any real number
multiple of i is an imaginary number, e.g., i, 5i,
3.2i, 2.6i, etc.
Complex Numbers. A complex number is a
combination of a real number and an imaginary
number in the form a + bi. The real part is a, and
b is called the imaginary part. The common mathematical symbol for the set of all complex numbers is C.
For example, 2 + 3i, 35i, 7.3 + 0i, and 0 + 5i.
Consider the last two examples:
7.3 + 0i is the same as the real number 7.3.
Thus, all real numbers are complex numbers with
zero for the imaginary part.
Similarly, 0 + 5i is just the imaginary number
5i. Thus, all imaginary numbers are complex
numbers with zero for the real part.
Elementary number theory involves divisibility
among integers. Let a, b Z with a 0.The expression a|b, i.e., a divides b if c Z: b = ac, i.e., there
is an integer c such that c times a equals b.
For example, 3|12 is true, but 3|7 is false.
If a divides b, then we say that a is a factor of
b or a is a divisor of b, and b is a multiple of a.
b is even if and only if 2|b.
Let a, d Z with d > 1. Then a mod d denotes
that the remainder r from the division algorithm
with dividend a and divisor d, i.e., the remainder
when a is divided by d. We can compute (a mod
d) by: a d * a/d, where a/d represents the
floor of the real number.
Let Z+ = {n Z | n > 0} and a, b Z, m Z+,
then a is congruent to b modulo m, written as a
b (mod m), if and only if m | ab.

Mathematical Foundations 14-19

Alternately, a is congruent to b modulo m if and

only if (ab) mod m = 0.
10.2.Prime Number, GCD
An integer p > 1 is prime if and only if it is not
the product of any two integers greater than 1,
i.e., p is prime if p > 1 a, b N: a > 1, b >
1, a * b = p.
The only positive factors of a prime p are 1
and p itself. For example, the numbers 2, 13, 29,
61, etc. are prime numbers. Nonprime integers
greater than 1 are called composite numbers. A
composite number may be composed by multiplying two integers greater than 1.
There are many interesting applications of
prime numbers; among them are the publickey cryptography scheme, which involves the
exchange of public keys containing the product
p*q of two random large primes p and q (a private
key) that must be kept secret by a given party.
The greatest common divisor gcd(a, b) of integers a, b is the greatest integer d that is a divisor
both of a and of b, i.e.,
d = gcd(a, b) for max(d: d|a d|b)
For example, gcd(24, 36) = 12.
Integers a and b are called relatively prime or
coprime if and only if their GCD is 1.
For example, neither 35 nor 6 are prime, but
they are coprime as these two numbers have no
common factors greater than 1, so their GCD is 1.
A set of integers X = {i1, i2, } is relatively
prime if all possible pairs ih, ik, h k drawn from
the set X are relatively prime.
11.Algebraic Structures
This section introduces a few representations
used in higher algebra. An algebraic structure
consists of one or two sets closed under some
operations and satisfying a number of axioms,
including none.
For example, group, monoid, ring, and lattice
are examples of algebraic structures. Each of
these is defined in this section.

11.1.Group
A set S closed under a binary operation forms a
group if the binary operation satisfies the following four criteria:
Associative: a, b, c S, the equation (a b)
c = a (b c) holds.
Identity: There exists an identity element I
S such that for all a S, I a = a I = a.
Inverse: Every element a S, has an inverse
a' S with respect to the binary operation,
i.e., a a' = I; for example, the set of integers
Z with respect to the addition operation is a
group. The identity element of the set is 0 for
the addition operation. x Z, the inverse
of x would be x, which is also included in Z.
Closure property: a, b S, the result of the
operation a b S.
A group that is commutative, i.e., a b = b a,
is known as a commutative or Abelian group.
The set of natural numbers N (with the operation of addition) is not a group, since there is no
inverse for any x > 0 in the set of natural numbers.
Thus, the third rule (of inverse) for our operation
is violated. However, the set of natural number
has some structure.
Sets with an associative operation (the first
condition above) are called semigroups; if they
also have an identity element (the second condition), then they are called monoids.
Our set of natural numbers under addition is
then an example of a monoid, a structure that
is not quite a group because it is missing the
requirement that every element have an inverse
under the operation.
A monoid is a set S that is closed under a single
associative binary operation and has an identity
element I S such that for all a S, I a = a I
= a. A monoid must contain at least one element.
For example, the set of natural numbers N
forms a commutative monoid under addition with
identity element 0. The same set of natural numbers N also forms a monoid under multiplication
with identity element 1. The set of positive integers P forms a commutative monoid under multiplication with identity element 1.
It may be noted that, unlike those in a group,
elements of a monoid need not have inverses. A

14-20 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

monoid can also be thought of as a semigroup

with an identity element.
A subgroup is a group H contained within a
bigger one, G, such that the identity element of
G is contained in H, and whenever h1 and h2 are
in H, then so are h1 h2 and h11. Thus, the elements of H, equipped with the group operation on
G restricted to H, indeed form a group.
Given any subset S of a group G, the subgroup
generated by S consists of products of elements
of S and their inverses. It is the smallest subgroup
of G containing S.
For example, let G be the Abelian group whose
elements are G = {0, 2, 4, 6, 1, 3, 5, 7} and whose
group operation is addition modulo 8. This group
has a pair of nontrivial subgroups: J = {0, 4} and
H = {0, 2, 4, 6}, where J is also a subgroup of H.
In group theory, a cyclic group is a group that
can be generated by a single element, in the
sense that the group has an element a (called the
generator of the group) such that, when written
multiplicatively, every element of the group is a
power of a.
A group G is cyclic if G = {an for any integer n}.
Since any group generated by an element in a
group is a subgroup of that group, showing that
the only subgroup of a group G that contains a is
G itself suffices to show that G is cyclic.
For example, the group G = {0, 2, 4, 6, 1, 3, 5,
7}, with respect to addition modulo 8 operation,
is cyclic. The subgroups J = {0, 4} and H = {0, 2,
4, 6} are also cyclic.

11.2.Rings
If we take an Abelian group and define a second
operation on it, a new structure is found that is
different from just a group. If this second operation is associative and is distributive over the
first, then we have a ring.
A ring is a triple of the form (S, +, ), where (S,
+) is an Abelian group, (S, ) is a semigroup, and
is distributive over +; i.e., a, b, c S, the equation a (b + c) = (a b) + (a c) holds. Further, if
is commutative, then the ring is said to be commutative. If there is an identity element for the
operation, then the ring is said to have an identity.
For example, (Z, +, *), i.e., the set of integers Z,
with the usual addition and multiplication operations, is a ring. As (Z, *) is commutative, this ring
is a commutative or Abelian ring. The ring has 1
as its identity element.
Lets note that the second operation may not
have an identity element, nor do we need to find
an inverse for every element with respect to this
second operation. As for what distributive means,
intuitively it is what we do in elementary mathematics when performing the following change: a
* (b + c) = (a * b) + (a * c).
A field is a ring for which the elements of the
set, excluding 0, form an Abelian group with the
second operation.
A simple example of a field is the field of rational numbers (R, +, *) with the usual addition
and multiplication operations. The numbers of
the format a/b R, where a, b are integers and
b 0. The additive inverse of such a fraction is
simply a/b, and the multiplicative inverse is b/a
provided that a 0.

Mathematical Foundations 14-21

1.Sets, Relations, Functions

2.Basic Logic
3.Proof Techniques
4.Basic Counting
5.Graphs and Trees
6.Discrete Probability
7.Finite State Machines
8.Grammars

c2
c1
c1
c6
c10, c11
c7
c13
c13

9.Numerical Precision, Accuracy, and Errors

10.Number Theory
11.Algebraic Structures

Cheney and Kincaid 2007

[2*]

Rosen 2011
[1*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

c2
c4

14-22 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

[1*] K. Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its

Applications, 7th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2011.

The author thankfully acknowledges the contribution of Prof. Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Ex-Head,
Department of Mathematics, Manipur University, India, and Prof. Devadatta Sinha, Ex-Head,
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Calcutta, India, in preparing
this chapter on Mathematical Foundations.

[2*] E.W. Cheney and D.R. Kincaid, Numerical

Mathematics and Computing, 6th ed.,
Brooks/Cole, 2007.

CHAPTER 15
ENGINEERING FOUNDATIONS
ACRONYMS
CAD
CMMI
pdf
pmf
RCA
SDLC

effectively is a goal of all engineers in all engineering disciplines.

Computer-Aided Design
Capability Maturity Model
Integration
Probability Density Function
Probability Mass Function
Root Cause Analysis
Software Development Life Cycle

BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS FOR

ENGINEERING FOUNDATIONS
The breakdown of topics for the Engineering
Foundations KA is shown in Figure 15.1.
1.Empirical Methods and Experimental
Techniques
[2*, c1]

INTRODUCTION
IEEE defines engineering as the application of
a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach
to structures, machines, products, systems or
processes [1]. This chapter outlines some of the
engineering foundational skills and techniques
that are useful for a software engineer. The focus
is on topics that support other KAs while minimizing duplication of subjects covered elsewhere
in this document.
As the theory and practice of software engineering matures, it is increasingly apparent that
software engineering is an engineering discipline that is based on knowledge and skills common to all engineering disciplines. This Engineering Foundations knowledge area (KA) is
concerned with the engineering foundations that
apply to software engineering and other engineering disciplines. Topics in this KA include
empirical methods and experimental techniques;
statistical analysis; measurement; engineering
design; modeling, prototyping, and simulation;
standards; and root cause analysis. Application
of this knowledge, as appropriate, will allow
software engineers to develop and maintain
software more efficiently and effectively. Completing their engineering work efficiently and

An engineering method for problem solving

involves proposing solutions or models of solutions and then conducting experiments or tests
to study the proposed solutions or models. Thus,
engineers must understand how to create an experiment and then analyze the results of the experiment in order to evaluate the proposed solution.
Empirical methods and experimental techniques
help the engineer to describe and understand variability in their observations, to identify the sources
of variability, and to make decisions.
Three different types of empirical studies commonly used in engineering efforts are designed
experiments, observational studies, and retrospective studies. Brief descriptions of the commonly used methods are given below.
1.1.Designed Experiment
A designed or controlled experiment is an investigation of a testable hypothesis where one or
more independent variables are manipulated to
measure their effect on one or more dependent
variables. A precondition for conducting an
experiment is the existence of a clear hypothesis.
It is important for an engineer to understand how
to formulate clear hypotheses.

15-1

15-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Figure 15.1. Breakdown of Topics for the Engineering Foundations KA

Designed experiments allow engineers to

determine in precise terms how the variables are
related and, specifically, whether a cause-effect
relationship exists between them. Each combination of values of the independent variables is
a treatment. The simplest experiments have just
two treatments representing two levels of a single independent variable (e.g., using a tool vs.
not using a tool). More complex experimental
designs arise when more than two levels, more
than one independent variable, or any dependent
variables are used.
1.2.Observational Study
An observational or case study is an empirical
inquiry that makes observations of processes
or phenomena within a real-life context. While
an experiment deliberately ignores context, an
observational or case study includes context as
part of the observation. A case study is most useful when the focus of the study is on how and why
questions, when the behavior of those involved in
the study cannot be manipulated, and when contextual conditions are relevant and the boundaries
between the phenomena and context are not clear.
1.3.Retrospective Study
A retrospective study involves the analysis of historical data. Retrospective studies are also known
as historical studies. This type of study uses data
(regarding some phenomenon) that has been
archived over time. This archived data is then analyzed in an attempt to find a relationship between
variables, to predict future events, or to identify
trends. The quality of the analysis results will
depend on the quality of the information contained
in the archived data. Historical data may be incomplete, inconsistently measured, or incorrect.

2.Statistical Analysis

[2*, c9s1, c2s1] [3*, c10s3]

In order to carry out their responsibilities, engineers must understand how different product
and process characteristics vary. Engineers often
come across situations where the relationship
between different variables needs to be studied.
An important point to note is that most of the
studies are carried out on the basis of samples
and so the observed results need to be understood
with respect to the full population. Engineers
must, therefore, develop an adequate understanding of statistical techniques for collecting reliable
data in terms of sampling and analysis to arrive at
results that can be generalized. These techniques
are discussed below.
2.1.Unit of Analysis (Sampling Units),
Population, and Sample
Unit of analysis. While carrying out any empirical study, observations need to be made on chosen units called the units of analysis or sampling
units. The unit of analysis must be identified and
must be appropriate for the analysis. For example, when a software product company wants to
find the perceived usability of a software product,
the user or the software function may be the unit
of analysis.
Population. The set of all respondents or items
(possible sampling units) to be studied forms the
population. As an example, consider the case of
studying the perceived usability of a software
product. In this case, the set of all possible users
forms the population.
While defining the population, care must be
exercised to understand the study and target
population. There are cases when the population studied and the population for which the

Engineering Foundations 15-3

results are being generalized may be different.

For example, when the study population consists
of only past observations and generalizations are
required for the future, the study population and
the target population may not be the same.
Sample. A sample is a subset of the population.
The most crucial issue towards the selection of
a sample is its representativeness, including size.
The samples must be drawn in a manner so as
to ensure that the draws are independent, and
the rules of drawing the samples must be predefined so that the probability of selecting a particular sampling unit is known beforehand. This
method of selecting samples is called probability
sampling.
Random variable. In statistical terminology,
the process of making observations or measurements on the sampling units being studied is
referred to as conducting the experiment. For
example, if the experiment is to toss a coin 10
times and then count the number of times the
coin lands on heads, each 10 tosses of the coin
is a sampling unit and the number of heads for a
given sample is the observation or outcome for
the experiment. The outcome of an experiment is
obtained in terms of real numbers and defines the
random variable being studied. Thus, the attribute
of the items being measured at the outcome of
the experiment represents the random variable
being studied; the observation obtained from a
particular sampling unit is a particular realization
of the random variable. In the example of the coin
toss, the random variable is the number of heads
observed for each experiment. In statistical studies, attempts are made to understand population
characteristics on the basis of samples.
The set of possible values of a random variable
may be finite or infinite but countable (e.g., the
set of all integers or the set of all odd numbers).
In such a case, the random variable is called a discrete random variable. In other cases, the random
variable under consideration may take values on
a continuous scale and is called a continuous random variable.
Event. A subset of possible values of a random
variable is called an event. Suppose X denotes
some random variable; then, for example, we
may define different events such as X x or X <
x and so on.

Distribution of a random variable. The range

and pattern of variation of a random variable is
given by its distribution. When the distribution
of a random variable is known, it is possible to
compute the chance of any event. Some distributions are found to occur commonly and are used
to model many random variables occurring in
practice in the context of engineering. A few of
the more commonly occurring distributions are
given below.
Binomial distribution: used to model random
variables that count the number of successes
in n trials carried out independently of each
other, where each trial results in success or
failure. We make an assumption that the
chance of obtaining a success remains constant [2*, c3s6].
Poisson distribution: used to model the count
of occurrence of some event over time or
space [2*, c3s9].
Normal distribution: used to model continuous random variables or discrete random
variables by taking a very large number of
values [2*, c4s6].
Concept of parameters. A statistical distribution
is characterized by some parameters. For example, the proportion of success in any given trial
is the only parameter characterizing a binomial
distribution. Similarly, the Poisson distribution is
characterized by a rate of occurrence. A normal
distribution is characterized by two parameters:
namely, its mean and standard deviation.
Once the values of the parameters are known,
the distribution of the random variable is completely known and the chance (probability) of
any event can be computed. The probabilities
for a discrete random variable can be computed
through the probability mass function, called
the pmf. The pmf is defined at discrete points
and gives the point massi.e., the probability
that the random variable will take that particular
value. Likewise, for a continuous random variable, we have the probability density function,
called the pdf. The pdf is very much like density
and needs to be integrated over a range to obtain
the probability that the continuous random variable lies between certain values. Thus, if the pdf

15-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

or pmf is known, the chances of the random variable taking certain set of values may be computed
theoretically.
Concept of estimation [2*, c6s2, c7s1, c7s3].
The true values of the parameters of a distribution
are usually unknown and need to be estimated
from the sample observations. The estimates are
functions of the sample values and are called statistics. For example, the sample mean is a statistic
and may be used to estimate the population mean.
Similarly, the rate of occurrence of defects estimated from the sample (rate of defects per line of
code) is a statistic and serves as the estimate of
the population rate of rate of defects per line of
code. The statistic used to estimate some population parameter is often referred to as the estimator
of the parameter.
A very important point to note is that the results
of the estimators themselves are random. If we
take a different sample, we are likely to get a different estimate of the population parameter. In the
theory of estimation, we need to understand different properties of estimatorsparticularly, how
much the estimates can vary across samples and
how to choose between different alternative ways
to obtain the estimates. For example, if we wish
to estimate the mean of a population, we might
use as our estimator a sample mean, a sample
median, a sample mode, or the midrange of the
sample. Each of these estimators has different
statistical properties that may impact the standard
error of the estimate.
Types of estimates [2*, c7s3, c8s1].There are
two types of estimates: namely, point estimates
and interval estimates. When we use the value
of a statistic to estimate a population parameter,
we get a point estimate. As the name indicates, a
point estimate gives a point value of the parameter being estimated.
Although point estimates are often used, they
leave room for many questions. For instance, we
are not told anything about the possible size of
error or statistical properties of the point estimate. Thus, we might need to supplement a point
estimate with the sample size as well as the variance of the estimate. Alternately, we might use
an interval estimate. An interval estimate is a
random interval with the lower and upper limits of the interval being functions of the sample

observations as well as the sample size. The limits are computed on the basis of some assumptions regarding the sampling distribution of the
point estimate on which the limits are based.
Properties of estimators. Various statistical
properties of estimators are used to decide about
the appropriateness of an estimator in a given
situation. The most important properties are that
an estimator is unbiased, efficient, and consistent
with respect to the population.
Tests of hypotheses [2*, c9s1].A hypothesis is
a statement about the possible values of a parameter. For example, suppose it is claimed that a
new method of software development reduces the
occurrence of defects. In this case, the hypothesis is that the rate of occurrence of defects has
reduced. In tests of hypotheses, we decideon
the basis of sample observationswhether a proposed hypothesis should be accepted or rejected.
For testing hypotheses, the null and alternative
hypotheses are formed. The null hypothesis is the
hypothesis of no change and is denoted as H0. The
alternative hypothesis is written as H1. It is important to note that the alternative hypothesis may be
one-sided or two-sided. For example, if we have
the null hypothesis that the population mean is not
less than some given value, the alternative hypothesis would be that it is less than that value and we
would have a one-sided test. However, if we have
the null hypothesis that the population mean is
equal to some given value, the alternative hypothesis would be that it is not equal and we would
have a two-sided test (because the true value could
be either less than or greater than the given value).
In order to test some hypothesis, we first compute some statistic. Along with the computation
of the statistic, a region is defined such that in
case the computed value of the statistic falls in
that region, the null hypothesis is rejected. This
region is called the critical region (also known as
the confidence interval). In tests of hypotheses,
we need to accept or reject the null hypothesis
on the basis of the evidence obtained. We note
that, in general, the alternative hypothesis is the
hypothesis of interest. If the computed value of
the statistic does not fall inside the critical region,
then we cannot reject the null hypothesis. This
indicates that there is not enough evidence to
believe that the alternative hypothesis is true.

Engineering Foundations 15-5

As the decision is being taken on the basis

of sample observations, errors are possible; the
types of such errors are summarized in the following table.
Nature
H0 is
true
H0 is
false

Statistical Decision
Accept H0
OK
Type II error
(probability = b)

Reject H0
Type I error
(probability = a)
OK

In test of hypotheses, we aim at maximizing the

power of the test (the value of 1b) while ensuring that the probability of a type I error (the value
of a) is maintained within a particular value
typically 5 percent.
It is to be noted that construction of a test of
hypothesis includes identifying statistic(s) to
estimate the parameter(s) and defining a critical
region such that if the computed value of the statistic falls in the critical region, the null hypothesis is rejected.
2.2.Concepts of Correlation and Regression
[2*, c11s2, c11s8]
A major objective of many statistical investigations is to establish relationships that make it possible to predict one or more variables in terms of
others. Although it is desirable to predict a quantity exactly in terms of another quantity, it is seldom possible and, in many cases, we have to be
satisfied with estimating the average or expected
values.
The relationship between two variables is studied using the methods of correlation and regression. Both these concepts are explained briefly in
the following paragraphs.
Correlation. The strength of linear relationship between two variables is measured using
the correlation coefficient. While computing the
correlation coefficient between two variables, we
assume that these variables measure two different attributes of the same entity. The correlation
coefficient takes a value between 1 to +1. The
values 1 and +1 indicate a situation when the
association between the variables is perfecti.e.,

given the value of one variable, the other can be

estimated with no error. A positive correlation
coefficient indicates a positive relationshipthat
is, if one variable increases, so does the other. On
the other hand, when the variables are negatively
correlated, an increase of one leads to a decrease
of the other.
It is important to remember that correlation
does not imply causation. Thus, if two variables
are correlated, we cannot conclude that one
causes the other.
Regression. The correlation analysis only
measures the degree of relationship between
two variables. The analysis to find the relationship between two variables is called regression
analysis. The strength of the relationship between
two variables is measured using the coefficient of
determination. This is a value between 0 and 1.
The closer the coefficient is to 1, the stronger the
relationship between the variables. A value of 1
indicates a perfect relationship.
3.Measurement
[4*, c3s1, c3s2] [5*, c4s4] [6*, c7s5]
[7*, p442447]
Knowing what to measure and which measurement method to use is critical in engineering
endeavors. It is important that everyone involved
in an engineering project understand the measurement methods and the measurement results
that will be used.
Measurements can be physical, environmental, economic, operational, or some other sort of
measurement that is meaningful for the particular
project. This section explores the theory of measurement and how it is fundamental to engineering. Measurement starts as a conceptualization
then moves from abstract concepts to definitions
of the measurement method to the actual application of that method to obtain a measurement
result. Each of these steps must be understood,
communicated, and properly employed in order
to generate usable data. In traditional engineering, direct measures are often used. In software
engineering, a combination of both direct and
derived measures is necessary [6*, p273].
The theory of measurement states that measurement is an attempt to describe an underlying

15-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

real empirical system. Measurement methods

define activities that allocate a value or a symbol
to an attribute of an entity.
Attributes must then be defined in terms of
the operations used to identify and measure
them that is, the measurement methods. In this
approach, a measurement method is defined to be
a precisely specified operation that yields a number (called the measurement result) when measuring an attribute. It follows that, to be useful,
the measurement method has to be well defined.
Arbitrariness in the method will reflect itself in
ambiguity in the measurement results.
In some casesparticularly in the physical
worldthe attributes that we wish to measure are
easy to grasp; however, in an artificial world like
software engineering, defining the attributes may
not be that simple. For example, the attributes of
height, weight, distance, etc. are easily and uniformly understood (though they may not be very
easy to measure in all circumstances), whereas
attributes such as software size or complexity
require clear definitions.
Operational definitions. The definition of attributes, to start with, is often rather abstract. Such
definitions do not facilitate measurements. For
example, we may define a circle as a line forming
a closed loop such that the distance between any
point on this line and a fixed interior point called
the center is constant. We may further say that the
fixed distance from the center to any point on the
closed loop gives the radius of the circle. It may be
noted that though the concept has been defined, no
means of measuring the radius has been proposed.
The operational definition specifies the exact steps
or method used to carry out a specific measurement. This can also be called the measurement
method; sometimes a measurement procedure may
be required to be even more precise.
The importance of operational definitions
can hardly be overstated. Take the case of the
apparently simple measurement of height of
individuals. Unless we specify various factors
like the time when the height will be measured
(it is known that the height of individuals vary
across various time points of the day), how the
variability due to hair would be taken care of,
whether the measurement will be with or without
shoes, what kind of accuracy is expected (correct
up to an inch, 1/2 inch, centimeter, etc.)even

this simple measurement will lead to substantial

variation. Engineers must appreciate the need to
define measures from an operational perspective.
3.1.Levels (Scales) of Measurement
[4*, c3s2] [6*, c7s5]
Once the operational definitions are determined,
the actual measurements need to be undertaken.
It is to be noted that measurement may be carried out in four different scales: namely, nominal,
ordinal, interval, and ratio. Brief descriptions of
each are given below.
Nominal scale: This is the lowest level of measurement and represents the most unrestricted
assignment of numerals. The numerals serve only
as labels, and words or letters would serve as well.
The nominal scale of measurement involves only
classification and the observed sampling units
are put into any one of the mutually exclusive
and collectively exhaustive categories (classes).
Some examples of nominal scales are:
Job titles in a company
The software development life cycle (SDLC)
model (like waterfall, iterative, agile, etc.)
followed by different software projects
In nominal scale, the names of the different categories are just labels and no relationship between
them is assumed. The only operations that can be
carried out on nominal scale is that of counting
the number of occurrences in the different classes
and determining if two occurrences have the same
nominal value. However, statistical analyses may
be carried out to understand how entities belonging to different classes perform with respect to
some other response variable.
Ordinal scale: Refers to the measurement scale
where the different values obtained through the
process of measurement have an implicit ordering. The intervals between values are not specified and there is no objectively defined zero
element. Typical examples of measurements in
ordinal scales are:
Skill levels (low, medium, high)
Capability Maturity Model Integration
(CMMI) maturity levels of software development organizations

Engineering Foundations 15-7

Level of adherence to process as measured in

a 5-point scale of excellent, above average,
average, below average, and poor, indicating
the range from total adherence to no adherence at all
Measurement in ordinal scale satisfies the transitivity property in the sense that if A > B and B
> C, then A > C. However, arithmetic operations
cannot be carried out on variables measured in
ordinal scales. Thus, if we measure customer satisfaction on a 5-point ordinal scale of 5 implying
a very high level of satisfaction and 1 implying a
very high level of dissatisfaction, we cannot say
that a score of four is twice as good as a score
of two. So, it is better to use terminology such
as excellent, above average, average, below average, and poor than ordinal numbers in order to
avoid the error of treating an ordinal scale as a
ratio scale. It is important to note that ordinal
scale measures are commonly misused and such
misuse can lead to erroneous conclusions [6*,
p274]. A common misuse of ordinal scale measures is to present a mean and standard deviation
for the data set, both of which are meaningless.
However, we can find the median, as computation
of the median involves counting only.
Interval scales: With the interval scale, we
come to a form that is quantitative in the ordinary sense of the word. Almost all the usual statistical measures are applicable here, unless they
require knowledge of a true zero point. The zero
point on an interval scale is a matter of convention. Ratios do not make sense, but the difference
between levels of attributes can be computed and
is meaningful. Some examples of interval scale of
measurement follow:
Measurement of temperature in different
scales, such as Celsius and Fahrenheit. Suppose T1 and T2 are temperatures measured
in some scale. We note that the fact that T1
is twice T2 does not mean that one object is
twice as hot as another. We also note that the
zero points are arbitrary.
Calendar dates. While the difference between
dates to measure the time elapsed is a meaningful concept, the ratio does not make sense.
Many psychological measurements aspire to
create interval scales. Intelligence is often

measured in interval scale, as it is not necessary to define what zero intelligence would
mean.
If a variable is measured in interval scale, most
of the usual statistical analyses like mean, standard deviation, correlation, and regression may
be carried out on the measured values.
Ratio scale: These are quite commonly encountered in physical science. These scales of measures are characterized by the fact that operations
exist for determining all 4 relations: equality, rank
order, equality of intervals, and equality of ratios.
Once such a scale is available, its numerical values can be transformed from one unit to another
by just multiplying by a constant, e.g., conversion
of inches to feet or centimeters. When measurements are being made in ratio scale, existence of
a nonarbitrary zero is mandatory. All statistical
measures are applicable to ratio scale; logarithm
usage is valid only when these scales are used, as
in the case of decibels. Some examples of ratio
measures are
the number of statements in a software
program
temperature measured in the Kelvin (K) scale
or in Fahrenheit (F).
An additional measurement scale, the absolute
scale, is a ratio scale with uniqueness of the measure; i.e., a measure for which no transformation
is possible (for example, the number of programmers working on a project).
3.2.Direct and Derived Measures

[6*, c7s5]

Measures may be either direct or derived (sometimes called indirect measures). An example of
a direct measure would be a count of how many
times an event occurred, such as the number of
defects found in a software product. A derived
measure is one that combines direct measures in
some way that is consistent with the measurement
method. An example of a derived measure would
be calculating the productivity of a team as the
number of lines of code developed per developermonth. In both cases, the measurement method
determines how to make the measurement.

15-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

3.3.Reliability and Validity

[4*, c3s4, c3s5]

A basic question to be asked for any measurement method is whether the proposed measurement method is truly measuring the concept with
good quality. Reliability and validity are the two
most important criteria to address this question.
The reliability of a measurement method is
the extent to which the application of the measurement method yields consistent measurement
results. Essentially, reliability refers to the consistency of the values obtained when the same item
is measured a number of times. When the results
agree with each other, the measurement method
is said to be reliable. Reliability usually depends
on the operational definition. It can be quantified
by using the index of variation, which is computed as the ratio between the standard deviation
and the mean. The smaller the index, the more
reliable the measurement results.
Validity refers to whether the measurement
method really measures what we intend to measure. Validity of a measurement method may
be looked at from three different perspectives:
namely, construct validity, criteria validity, and
content validity.
3.4.Assessing Reliability

[4*, c3s5]

There are several methods for assessing reliability; these include the test-retest method, the
alternative form method, the split-halves method,
and the internal consistency method. The easiest of these is the test-retest method. In the testretest method, we simply apply the measurement
method to the same subjects twice. The correlation coefficient between the first and second set
of measurement results gives the reliability of the
measurement method.
4.Engineering Design

[5*, c1s2, c1s3, c1s4]

A products life cycle costs are largely influenced

by the design of the product. This is true for manufactured products as well as for software products.

The design of a software product is guided by

the features to be included and the quality attributes to be provided. It is important to note that
software engineers use the term design within
their own context; while there are some commonalities, there are also many differences between
engineering design as discussed in this section
and software engineering design as discussed in
the Software Design KA. The scope of engineering design is generally viewed as much broader
than that of software design. The primary aim of
this section is to identify the concepts needed to
develop a clear understanding regarding the process of engineering design.
Many disciplines engage in problem solving
activities where there is a single correct solution. In engineering, most problems have many
solutions and the focus is on finding a feasible
solution (among the many alternatives) that
best meets the needs presented. The set of possible solutions is often constrained by explicitly imposed limitations such as cost, available
resources, and the state of discipline or domain
knowledge. In engineering problems, sometimes
there are also implicit constraints (such as the
physical properties of materials or laws of physics) that also restrict the set of feasible solutions
for a given problem.
4.1.Engineering Design in Engineering
Education
The importance of engineering design in engineering education can be clearly seen by the high
expectations held by various accreditation bodies for engineering education. Both the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board and the
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) note the importance of including
engineering design in education programs.
The Canadian Engineering Accreditation
Board includes requirements for the amount of
engineering design experience/coursework that
is necessary for engineering students as well as
qualifications for the faculty members who teach
such coursework or supervise design projects.
Their accreditation criteria states:

Engineering Foundations 15-9

Design: An ability to design solutions for

complex, open-ended engineering problems and to design systems, components
or processes that meet specified needs with
appropriate attention to health and safety
risks, applicable standards, and economic,
environmental, cultural and societal considerations. [8, p12]
In a similar manner, ABET defines engineering
design as
the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. It
is a decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and the engineering sciences are
applied to convert resources optimally to
meet these stated needs. [9, p4]
Thus, it is clear that engineering design is a
vital component in the training and education for
all engineers. The remainder of this section will
focus on various aspects of engineering design.
4.2.Design as a Problem Solving Activity
[5*, c1s4, c2s1, c3s3]
It is to be noted that engineering design is primarily a problem solving activity. Design problems
are open ended and more vaguely defined. There
are usually several alternative ways to solve the
same problem. Design is generally considered to
be a wicked problema term first coined by Horst
Rittel in the 1960s when design methods were a
subject of intense interest. Rittel sought an alternative to the linear, step-by-step model of the design
process being explored by many designers and
design theorists and argued that most of the problems addressed by the designers are wicked problems. As explained by Steve McConnell, a wicked
problem is one that could be clearly defined only
by solving it or by solving part of it. This paradox
implies, essentially, that a wicked problem has to
be solved once in order to define it clearly and then
solved again to create a solution that works. This
has been an important insight for software designers for several decades [10*, c5s1].

4.3.Steps Involved in Engineering Design

[7*, c4]
Engineering problem solving begins when a
need is recognized and no existing solution will
meet that need. As part of this problem solving,
the design goals to be achieved by the solution
should be identified. Additionally, a set of acceptance criteria must be defined and used to determine how well a proposed solution will satisfy
the need. Once a need for a solution to a problem
has been identified, the process of engineering
design has the following generic steps:
a) define the problem
b) gather pertinent information
c) generate multiple solutions
d) analyze and select a solution
e) implement the solution
All of the engineering design steps are iterative, and knowledge gained at any step in the
process may be used to inform earlier tasks and
trigger an iteration in the process. These steps are
expanded in the subsequent sections.
a. Define the problem. At this stage, the customers requirements are gathered. Specific information about product functions and features are also
closely examined. This step includes refining the
problem statement to identify the real problem to
be solved and setting the design goals and criteria
for success.
The problem definition is a crucial stage in
engineering design. A point to note is that this
step is deceptively simple. Thus, enough care
must be taken to carry out this step judiciously. It
is important to identify needs and link the success
criteria with the required product characteristics.
It is also an engineering task to limit the scope
of a problem and its solution through negotiation
among the stakeholders.
b. Gather pertinent information. At this stage,
the designer attempts to expand his/her knowledge about the problem. This is a vital, yet often
neglected, stage. Gathering pertinent information
can reveal facts leading to a redefinition of the

15-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

problemin particular, mistakes and false starts

may be identified. This step may also involve the
decomposition of the problem into smaller, more
easily solved subproblems.
While gathering pertinent information, care
must be taken to identify how a product may be
used as well as misused. It is also important to
understand the perceived value of the product/
service being offered. Included in the pertinent
information is a list of constraints that must be
satisfied by the solution or that may limit the set
of feasible solutions.
c. Generate multiple solutions. During this stage,
different solutions to the same problem are developed. It has already been stated that design problems have multiple solutions. The goal of this
step is to conceptualize multiple possible solutions and refine them to a sufficient level of detail
that a comparison can be done among them.
d. Analyze and select a solution. Once alternative
solutions have been identified, they need to be analyzed to identify the solution that best suits the current situation. The analysis includes a functional
analysis to assess whether the proposed design
would meet the functional requirements. Physical
solutions that involve human users often include
analysis of the ergonomics or user friendliness of
the proposed solution. Other aspects of the solutionsuch as product safety and liability, an economic or market analysis to ensure a return (profit)
on the solution, performance predictions and analysis to meet quality characteristics, opportunities
for incorrect data input or hardware malfunctions,
and so onmay be studied. The types and amount
of analysis used on a proposed solution are dependent on the type of problem and the needs that the
solution must address as well as the constraints
imposed on the design.
e. Implement the solution. The final phase of the
design process is implementation. Implementation refers to development and testing of the
proposed solution. Sometimes a preliminary,
partial solution called a prototype may be developed initially to test the proposed design solution under certain conditions. Feedback resulting
from testing a prototype may be used either to

refine the design or drive the selection of an alternative design solution. One of the most important activities in design is documentation of the
design solution as well as of the tradeoffs for the
choices made in the design of the solution. This
work should be carried out in a manner such that
the solution to the design problem can be communicated clearly to others.
The testing and verification take us back to the
success criteria. The engineer needs to devise
tests such that the ability of the design to meet the
success criteria is demonstrated. While designing the tests, the engineer must think through
different possible failure modes and then design
tests based on those failure modes. The engineer
may choose to carry out designed experiments to
assess the validity of the design.
5.Modeling, Simulation, and Prototyping
[5*, c6] [11*, c13s3] [12*, c2s3.1]
Modeling is part of the abstraction process used
to represent some aspects of a system. Simulation uses a model of the system and provides a
means of conducting designed experiments with
that model to better understand the system, its
behavior, and relationships between subsystems,
as well as to analyze aspects of the design. Modeling and simulation are techniques that can be
used to construct theories or hypotheses about the
behavior of the system; engineers then use those
theories to make predictions about the system.
Prototyping is another abstraction process where
a partial representation (that captures aspects of
interest) of the product or system is built. A prototype may be an initial version of the system but
lacks the full functionality of the final version.
5.1.Modeling
A model is always an abstraction of some real
or imagined artifact. Engineers use models in
many ways as part of their problem solving
activities. Some models are physical, such as a
made-to-scale miniature construction of a bridge
or building. Other models may be nonphysical
representations, such as a CAD drawing of a cog
or a mathematical model for a process. Models
help engineers reason and understand aspects of

Engineering Foundations 15-11

a problem. They can also help engineers understand what they do know and what they dont
know about the problem at hand.
There are three types of models: iconic, analogic, and symbolic. An iconic model is a visually equivalent but incomplete 2-dimensional
or 3-dimensional representationfor example,
maps, globes, or built-to-scale models of structures such as bridges or highways. An iconic
model actually resembles the artifact modeled.
In contrast, an analogic model is a functionally
equivalent but incomplete representation. That
is, the model behaves like the physical artifact
even though it may not physically resemble it.
Examples of analogic models include a miniature
airplane for wind tunnel testing or a computer
simulation of a manufacturing process.
Finally, a symbolic model is a higher level of
abstraction, where the model is represented using
symbols such as equations. The model captures
the relevant aspects of the process or system in
symbolic form. The symbols can then be used to
increase the engineers understanding of the final
system. An example is an equation such as F =
Ma. Such mathematical models can be used to
describe and predict properties or behavior of the
final system or product.
5.2.Simulation
All simulation models are a specification of reality. A central issue in simulation is to abstract
and specify an appropriate simplification of
reality. Developing this abstraction is of vital
importance, as misspecification of the abstraction would invalidate the results of the simulation
exercise. Simulation can be used for a variety of
testing purposes.
Simulation is classified based on the type of
system under study. Thus, simulation can be either
continuous or discrete. In the context of software
engineering, the emphasis will be primarily on
discrete simulation. Discrete simulations may
model event scheduling or process interaction.
The main components in such a model include
entities, activities and events, resources, the state
of the system, a simulation clock, and a random
number generator. Output is generated by the
simulation and must be analyzed.

An important problem in the development of a

discrete simulation is that of initialization. Before
a simulation can be run, the initial values of all
the state variables must be provided. As the simulation designer may not know what initial values
are appropriate for the state variables, these values might be chosen somewhat arbitrarily. For
instance, it might be decided that a queue should
be initialized as empty and idle. Such a choice of
initial condition can have a significant but unrecognized impact on the outcome of the simulation.
5.3.Prototyping
Constructing a prototype of a system is another
abstraction process. In this case, an initial version
of the system is constructed, often while the system is being designed. This helps the designers
determine the feasibility of their design.
There are many uses for a prototype, including the elicitation of requirements, the design and
refinement of a user interface to the system, validation of functional requirements, and so on. The
objectives and purposes for building the prototype will determine its construction and the level
of abstraction used.
The role of prototyping is somewhat different
between physical systems and software. With
physical systems, the prototype may actually
be the first fully functional version of a system
or it may be a model of the system. In software
engineering, prototypes are also an abstract
model of part of the software but are usually not
constructed with all of the architectural, performance, and other quality characteristics expected
in the finished product. In either case, prototype
construction must have a clear purpose and be
planned, monitored, and controlledit is a technique to study a specific problem within a limited
context [6*, c2s8].
In conclusion, modeling, simulation, and prototyping are powerful techniques for studying the
behavior of a system from a given perspective.
All can be used to perform designed experiments
to study various aspects of the system. However, these are abstractions and, as such, may not
model all attributes of interest.

15-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

6.Standards

[5*, c9s3.2] [13*, c1s2]

Moore states that a

standard can be; (a) an object or measure
of comparison that defines or represents
the magnitude of a unit; (b) a characterization that establishes allowable tolerances
for categories of items; and (c) a degree or
level of required excellence or attainment.
Standards are definitional in nature, established either to further understanding and
interaction or to acknowledge observed (or
desired) norms of exhibited characteristics
or behavior. [13*, p8]
Standards provide requirements, specifications, guidelines, or characteristics that must be
observed by engineers so that the products, processes, and materials have acceptable levels of
quality. The qualities that various standards provide may be those of safety, reliability, or other
product characteristics. Standards are considered
critical to engineers and engineers are expected to
be familiar with and to use the appropriate standards in their discipline.
Compliance or conformance to a standard lets
an organization say to the public that they (or
their products) meet the requirements stated in
that standard. Thus, standards divide organizations or their products into those that conform to
the standard and those that do not. For a standard
to be useful, conformance with the standard must
add valuereal or perceivedto the product,
process, or effort.
Apart from the organizational goals, standards
are used for a number of other purposes such
as protecting the buyer, protecting the business,
and better defining the methods and procedures
to be followed by the practice. Standards also
provide users with a common terminology and
expectations.
There are many internationally recognized
standards-making organizations including the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU),
the International Electrotechnical Commission
(IEC), IEEE, and the International Organization
for Standardization (ISO). In addition, there are

regional and governmentally recognized organizations that generate standards for that region or
country. For example, in the United States, there
are over 300 organizations that develop standards. These include organizations such as the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI),
the American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM), the Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE), and Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL),
as well as the US government. For more detail
on standards used in software engineering, see
Appendix B on standards.
There is a set of commonly used principles
behind standards. Standards makers attempt to
have consensus around their decisions. There is
usually an openness within the community of
interest so that once a standard has been set, there
is a good chance that it will be widely accepted.
Most standards organizations have well-defined
processes for their efforts and adhere to those
processes carefully. Engineers must be aware of
the existing standards but must also update their
understanding of the standards as those standards
change over time.
In many engineering endeavors, knowing and
understanding the applicable standards is critical
and the law may even require use of particular
standards. In these cases, the standards often represent minimal requirements that must be met by
the endeavor and thus are an element in the constraints imposed on any design effort. The engineer must review all current standards related to
a given endeavor and determine which must be
met. Their designs must then incorporate any and
all constraints imposed by the applicable standard. Standards important to software engineers
are discussed in more detail in an appendix specifically on this subject.
7.Root Cause Analysis
[4*, c5, c3s7, c9s8] [5*, c9s3, c9s4, c9s5]
[13*, c13s3.4.5]
Root cause analysis (RCA) is a process designed
to investigate and identify why and how an
undesirable event has happened. Root causes
are underlying causes. The investigator should
attempt to identify specific underlying causes of
the event that has occurred. The primary objective

Engineering Foundations 15-13

of RCA is to prevent recurrence of the undesirable event. Thus, the more specific the investigator can be about why an event occurred, the easier
it will be to prevent recurrence. A common way
to identify specific underlying cause(s) is to ask a
series of why questions.
7.1.Techniques for Conducting Root Cause
Analysis
[4*, c5] [5*, c3]
There are many approaches used for both quality
control and root cause analysis. The first step in
any root cause analysis effort is to identify the real
problem. Techniques such as statement-restatement, why-why diagrams, the revision method,
present state and desired state diagrams, and the
fresh-eye approach are used to identify and refine
the real problem that needs to be addressed.
Once the real problem has been identified, then
work can begin to determine the cause of the
problem. Ishikawa is known for the seven tools
for quality control that he promoted. Some of
those tools are helpful in identifying the causes
for a given problem. Those tools are check sheets
or checklists, Pareto diagrams, histograms, run
charts, scatter diagrams, control charts, and
fishbone or cause-and-effect diagrams. More
recently, other approaches for quality improvement and root cause analysis have emerged. Some
examples of these newer methods are affinity diagrams, relations diagrams, tree diagrams, matrix
charts, matrix data analysis charts, process decision program charts, and arrow diagrams. A few
of these techniques are briefly described below.
A fishbone or cause-and-effect diagram is a
way to visualize the various factors that affect
some characteristic. The main line in the diagram
represents the problem and the connecting lines
represent the factors that led to or influenced the
problem. Those factors are broken down into subfactors and sub-subfactors until root causes can
be identified.

A very simple approach that is useful in quality

control is the use of a checklist. Checklists are
a list of key points in a process with tasks that
must be completed. As each task is completed,
it is checked off the list. If a problem occurs,
then sometimes the checklist can quickly identify
tasks that may have been skipped or only partially completed.
Finally, relations diagrams are a means for displaying complex relationships. They give visual
support to cause-and-effect thinking. The diagram relates the specific to the general, revealing
key causes and key effects.
Root cause analysis aims at preventing the
recurrence of undesirable events. Reduction of
variation due to common causes requires utilization of a number of techniques. An important
point to note is that these techniques should be
used offline and not necessarily in direct response
to the occurrence of some undesirable event.
Some of the techniques that may be used to
reduce variation due to common causes are given
below.
1. Cause-and-effect diagrams may be used to
identify the sub and sub-sub causes.
2. Fault tree analysis is a technique that may be
used to understand the sources of failures.
3. Designed experiments may be used to understand the impact of various causes on the
occurrence of undesirable events (see Empirical Methods and Experimental Techniques
in this KA).
4. Various kinds of correlation analyses may be
used to understand the relationship between
various causes and their impact. These techniques may be used in cases when conducting controlled experiments is difficult but
data may be gathered (see Statistical Analysis in this KA).

15-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

c9s1,
c2s1
c3s6,
c3s9,
c4s6,
c6s2,
c7s1,
c7s3,
c8s1,
c9s1

2.2.Concepts of
c11s2,
Correlation and
c11s8
Regression
3.Measurement
3.1.Levels
(Scales) of
Measurement
3.2.Direct
and Derived
Measures

c3s2

c7s5

p442
447

Moore 2006
[13*]

Sommerville 2011
[12*]

c7s5

c10s3

Cheney and Kincaid 2007

[11*]

c4s4

c1

McConnell 2004
[10*]

Fairley 2009
[6*]

c3s1,
c3s2

Tockey 2004
[7*]

Voland 2003
[5*]

2.1.Concept of
Unit of Analysis
(Sampling
Units), Sample,
and Population

Kan 2002
[4*]

1.Empirical
Methods and
Experimental
Techniques
1.1.Designed
Experiment
1.2.
Observational
Study
1.3.
Retrospective
Study
2.Statistical
Analysis

Null and Lobur 2006

[3*]

Montgomery and Runger 2007

[2*]

MATRIX OF TOPICS VS. REFERENCE MATERIAL

Moore 2006
[13*]

Sommerville 2011
[12*]

McConnell 2004
[10*]

Tockey 2004
[7*]

Fairley 2009
[6*]

Voland 2003
[5*]

Kan 2002
[4*]

c2
s3.1

c3s5
c1s2,
c1s3,
c1s4

4.1.Design in
Engineering
Education
4.2.Design
as a Problem
Solving Activity
4.3.Steps
Involved in
Engineering
Design
5.Modeling,
Prototyping, and
Simulation
5.1.Modeling
5.2.Simulation
5.3.Prototyping

c1s4,
c2s1,
c3s3

c5s1

c4

c6

c5,
c3s7,
c9s8

c9
s3.2
c9s3,
c9s4,
c9s5

c5

c3

6.Standards

7.1.Techniques
for Conducting
Root Cause
Analysis

c13s3

c3s4,
c3s5

4.Engineering
Design

7.Root Cause
Analysis

Cheney and Kincaid 2007

[11*]

3.3.Reliability
and Validity
3.4.Assessing
Reliability

Null and Lobur 2006

[3*]

Montgomery and Runger 2007

[2*]

Engineering Foundations 15-15

c1s2
c13
s3.4.5

15-16 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

FURTHER READINGS
A. Abran, Software Metrics and Software
Metrology. [14]

W.G. Vincenti, What Engineers Know and How

They Know It. [15]

This book provides very good information on the

proper use of the terms measure, measurement
method and measurement outcome. It provides
strong support material for the entire section on
Measurement.

This book provides an interesting introduction to engineering foundations through a series

of case studies that show many of the foundational concepts as used in real world engineering
applications.

Engineering Foundations 15-17

REFERENCES
[1] ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and
Software EngineeringVocabulary, ISO/
IEC/IEEE, 2010.
[2*] D.C. Montgomery and G.C. Runger,
Applied Statistics and Probability for
Engineers, 4th ed., Wiley, 2007.
[3*] L. Null and J. Lobur, The Essentials of
Computer Organization and Architecture,
2nd ed., Jones and Bartlett Publishers,
2006.
[4*] S.H. Kan, Metrics and Models in Software
Quality Engineering, 2nd ed., AddisonWesley, 2002.
[5*] G. Voland, Engineering by Design, 2nd ed.,
Prentice Hall, 2003.
[6*] R.E. Fairley, Managing and Leading
Software Projects, Wiley-IEEE Computer
Society Press, 2009.
[7*] S. Tockey, Return on Software: Maximizing
the Return on Your Software Investment,
Addison-Wesley, 2004.
[8] Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board,
Engineers Canada, Accreditation Criteria
and Procedures, Canadian Council of
Professional Engineers, 2011; www.
engineerscanada.ca/files/w_Accreditation_
Criteria_Procedures_2011.pdf.

[9] ABET Engineering Accreditation

Commission, Criteria for Accrediting
Engineering Programs, 2012-2013,
ABET, 2011; www.abet.org/uploadedFiles/
Accreditation/Accreditation_Process/
Accreditation_Documents/Current/eaccriteria-2012-2013.pdf.
[10*] S. McConnell, Code Complete, 2nd ed.,
Microsoft Press, 2004.
[11*] E.W. Cheney and D.R. Kincaid, Numerical
Mathematics and Computing, 6th ed.,
Brooks/Cole, 2007.
[12*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th
ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.
[13*] J.W. Moore, The Road Map to Software
Engineering: A Standards-Based Guide,
Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press, 2006.
[14] A. Abran, Software Metrics and Software
Metrology, Wiley-IEEE Computer Society
Press, 2010.
[15] W.G. Vincenti, What Engineers Know
and How They Know It, John Hopkins
University Press, 1990.

APPENDIX A
KNOWLEDGE AREA DESCRIPTION
SPECIFICATIONS
INTRODUCTION
This document presents the specifications provided to the Knowledge Area Editors (KA Editors) regarding the Knowledge Area Descriptions
(KA Descriptions) of the Version 3 (V3) edition
of the Guide to the Software Engineering Body
of Knowledge (SWEBOK Guide). This document
will also enable readers, reviewers, and users to
clearly understand what specifications were used
when developing this version of the SWEBOK
Guide.
This document begins by situating the SWEBOK Guide as a foundational document for the
IEEE Computer Society suite of software engineering products and more widely within the
software engineering community at large. The
role of the baseline and the Change Control
Board is then described. Criteria and requirements are defined for the breakdowns of topics,
for the rationale underlying these breakdowns
and the succinct description of topics, and for reference materials. Important input documents are
also identified, and their role within the project is
explained. Noncontent issues such as submission
format and style guidelines are also discussed.
THE SWEBOK GUIDE IS A
FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENT FOR THE
IEEE COMPUTER SOCIETY SUITE OF
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PRODUCTS
The SWEBOK Guide is an IEEE Computer Society flagship and structural document for the IEEE
Computer Society suite of software engineering products. The SWEBOK Guide is also more
widely recognized as a foundational document
within the software engineering community at

large notably through the official recognition of

the 2004 Version as ISO/IEC Technical Report
19759:2005. The list of knowledge areas (KAs)
and the breakdown of topics within each KA is
described and detailed in the introduction of this
SWEBOK Guide.
Consequently, the SWEBOK Guide is foundational to other initiatives within the IEEE Computer Society:
a) The list of KAs and the breakdown of topics
within each KA are also adopted by the software engineering certification and associated
professional development products offered
by the IEEE Computer Society (see www.
computer.org/certification).
b) The list of KAs and the breakdown of topics are also foundational to the software
engineering curricula guidelines developed
or endorsed by the IEEE Computer Society
(www.computer.org/portal/web/education/
Curricula).
c) The Consolidated Reference List (see Appendix C), meaning the list of recommended
reference materials (to the level of section
number) that accompanies the breakdown of
topics within each KA is also adopted by the
software engineering certification and associated professional development products
offered by the IEEE Computer Society.
BASELINE AND CHANGE CONTROL
BOARD
Due to the structural nature of the SWEBOK
Guide and its adoption by other products, a baseline was developed at the outset of the project
comprised of the list of KAs, the breakdown of

A-1

A-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

topics within each KA, and the Consolidated Reference List.

A Change Control Board (CCB) has been in
place for the development of this version to handle all change requests to this baseline coming
from the KA Editors, arising during the review
process, or otherwise. Change requests must be
approved both by the SWEBOK Guide Editors
and by the CCB before being implemented. This
CCB is comprised of members of the initiatives
listed above and acting under the authority of the
Software and Systems Engineering Committee of
the IEEE Computer Society Professional Activities Board.
CRITERIA AND REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE BREAKDOWN OF TOPICS WITHIN
A KNOWLEDGE AREA
a) KA Editors are instructed to adopt the baseline breakdown of topics.
b) The breakdown of topics is expected to be
reasonable, not perfect.
c) The breakdown of topics within a KA must
decompose the subset of the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge that is generally recognized. See below for a more
detailed discussion of this point.
d) The breakdown of topics within a KA must
not presume specific application domains,
business needs, sizes of organizations, organizational structures, management philosophies,
software life cycle models, software technologies, or software development methods.
e) The breakdown of topics must, as much
as possible, be compatible with the various schools of thought within software
engineering.
f) The breakdown of topics within a KA must
be compatible with the breakdown of software engineering generally found in industry and in the software engineering literature
and standards.
g) The breakdown of topics is expected to be as
inclusive as possible.
h) The SWEBOK Guide adopts the position
that even though the following themes are
common across all Knowledge Areas, they
are also an integral part of all Knowledge

Areas and therefore must be incorporated

into the proposed breakdown of topics of
each Knowledge Area. These common
themes are measurement, quality (in general), and security.
i) The breakdown of topics should be at most
two or three levels deep. Even though no
upper or lower limit is imposed on the number of topics within each KA, a reasonable
and manageable number of topics is expected
to be included in each KA. Emphasis should
also be put on the selection of the topics
themselves rather than on their organization
in an appropriate hierarchy.
j) Topic names must be significant enough
to be meaningful even when cited outside the
SWEBOK Guide.
k) The description of a KA will include a chart
(in tree form) describing the knowledge
breakdown.
CRITERIA AND REQUIREMENTS FOR
DESCRIBING TOPICS
Topics need only be sufficiently described so the
reader can select the appropriate reference material according to his/her needs. Topic descriptions must not be prescriptive.
CRITERIA AND REQUIREMENTS FOR
REFERENCE MATERIAL
a) KA Editors are instructed to use the references (to the level of section number) allocated to their KA by the Consolidated Reference List as their Recommended References.
b) There are three categories of reference
material:
Recommended References. The set of
Recommended References (to the level
of section number) is collectively known
as the Consolidated Reference List.
Further Readings.
Additional references cited in the KA
Description (for example, the source
of a quotation or reference material in
support of a rationale behind a particular
argument).

Appendix A A-3

c) The SWEBOK Guide is intended by definition to be selective in its choice of topics

and associated reference material. The list of
reference material should be clearly viewed
as an informed and reasonable selection
rather than as a definitive list.
d) Reference material can be book chapters,
refereed journal papers, refereed conference papers, refereed technical or industrial
reports, or any other type of recognized artifact. References to another KA, subarea, or
topic are also permitted.
e) Reference material must be generally available and must not be confidential in nature.
f) Reference material must be in English.
g) Criteria and requirements for recommended
reference material or Consolidated Reference List:
Collectively the list of Recommended
References should be
i. complete: covering the entire
scope of the SWEBOK Guide
ii. sufficient: providing enough
information to describe generally accepted knowledge
iii. consistent: not providing contradictory knowledge nor conflicting practices
iv. credible: recognized as providing
expert treatment
v. current: treating the subject in
a manner that is commensurate
with currently generally accepted
knowledge
vi. succinct: as short as possible
(both in number of reference
items and in total page count)
without failing other objectives.
Recommended reference material must
be identified for each topic. Each recommended reference item may of course
cover multiple topics. Exceptionally, a
topic may be self-descriptive and not cite
a reference material item (for example, a
topic that is a definition or a topic for
which the description itself without any

cited reference material is sufficient for

the objectives of the SWEBOK Guide).
Each reference to the recommended
reference material should be as precise
as possible by identifying what specific
chapter or section is relevant.
A matrix of reference material (to the
level of section number) versus topics
must be provided.
A reasonable amount of recommended
reference material must be identified
for each KA. The following guidelines
should be used in determining how
much is reasonable:
i. If the recommended reference
material were written in a coherent manner that followed the proposed breakdown of topics and in
a uniform style (for example, in a
new book based on the proposed
KA description), an average target across all KAs for the number
of pages would be 750. However,
this target may not be attainable
when selecting existing reference
material due to differences in
style and overlap and redundancy
between the selected reference
materials.
ii. In other words, the target for the
number of pages for the entire
collection of recommended references of the SWEBOK Guide is
in the range of 10,000 to 15,000
pages.
iii. Another way of viewing this is
that the amount of recommended
reference material would be
reasonable if it consisted of the
study material on this KA for a
software engineering licensing
exam that a graduate would pass
after completing four years of
work experience.
h) Additional reference material can be
included by the KA Editor in a Further
Readings list:

A-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

These further readings must be related to

the topics in the breakdown rather than,
for example, to more advanced topics.
The list must be annotated (within 1
paragraph per reference) as to why this
reference material was included in the
list of further readings. Further readings
could include: new versions of an existing reference already included in the
recommended references, alternative
viewpoints on a KA, or a seminal treatment of a KA.
A general guideline to be followed is 10
or fewer further readings per KA.
There is no matrix of the reference
materials listed in further readings and
the breakdown of topics.
i) Criteria and requirements regarding additional references cited in the KA Description:
The SWEBOK Guide is not a research
document and its readership will be varied. Therefore, a delicate balance must
be maintained between ensuring a high
level of readability within the document
while maintaining its technical excellence. Additional reference material
should therefore only be brought in by
the KA Editor if it is necessary to the
discussion. Examples are to identify the
source of a quotation or to cite reference
item in support of a rationale behind a
particular and important argument.
COMMON STRUCTURE
KA descriptions should use the following structure:
Acronyms
Introduction
Breakdown of Topics of the KA (including a
figure describing the breakdown)
Matrix of Topics vs. Reference Material
List of Further Readings
References

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY GENERALLY

RECOGNIZED KNOWLEDGE?
The Software Engineering Body of Knowledge
is an all-inclusive term that describes the sum
of knowledge within the profession of software
engineering. However, the SWEBOK Guide seeks
to identify and describe that subset of the body
of knowledge that is generally recognized or, in
other words, the core body of knowledge. To better illustrate what generally recognized knowledge is relative to other types of knowledge,
Figure A.1 proposes a three-category schema for
classifying knowledge.
The Project Management Institute in its Guide
to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
defines generally recognized knowledge for
project management as being:
that subset of the project management
body of knowledge generally recognized
as good practice. Generally recognized
means the knowledge and practices
described are applicable to most projects
most of the time, and there is consensus
about their value and usefulness. Good
practice means there is general agreement
that the application of these skills, tools,
and techniques can enhance the chances
of success over a wide range of projects.
Good practice does not mean that the
knowledge described should always be
applied uniformly to all projects; the organization and/or project management team
is responsible for determining what is
appropriate for any given project. [1]
Generally accepted knowledge could also be
viewed as knowledge to be included in the study
material of a software engineering licensing exam
(in the USA) that a graduate would take after
completing four years of work experience. These
two definitions should be seen as complementary.
KA Editors are also expected to be somewhat
forward looking in their interpretation by taking into consideration not only what is generally recognized today and but what they expect
will be generally recognized in a 3- to 5-year
timeframe.

Specialized
Practices Used Only for
Certain Types of Software

Appendix A A-5

Generally Recognized
Established traditional practices recommended by many
organizations
Advanced and Research
Innovative practices tested
and used only by some organizations and concepts still
being developed and tested in
research organizations

Figure A.1. Categories of Knowledge

LENGTH OF KA DESCRIPTION
KA Descriptions are to be roughly 10 to 20 pages
using the formatting template for papers published in conference proceedings of the IEEE
Computer Society. This includes text, references,
appendices, tables, etc. This, of course, does not
include the reference materials themselves.
IMPORTANT RELATED DOCUMENTS
1. Graduate Software Engineering 2009
(GSwE2009): Curriculum Guidelines for
Graduate Degree Programs in Software
Engineering, 2009; www.gswe2009.org. [2]
This document provides guidelines and recommendations for defining the curricula of a
professional masters level program in software
engineering. The SWEBOK Guide is identified
as a primary reference in developing the body
of knowledge underlying these guidelines. This
document has been officially endorsed by the
IEEE Computer Society and sponsored by the
Association for Computing Machinery.
2. IEEE Std. 12207-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC
12207:2008) Standard for Systems and
Software EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle
Processes, IEEE, 2008 [3].
This standard is considered the key standard
regarding the definition of life cycle processes and
has been adopted by the two main standardization
bodies in software engineering: ISO/IEC JTC1/
SC7 and the IEEE Computer Society Software

and Systems Engineering Standards Committees.

It also has been designated as a pivotal standard
by the Software and System Engineering Standards Committee (S2ESC) of the IEEE.
Even though we do not intend that the Guide to
the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge be
fully 12207-conformant, this standard remains a
key input to the SWEBOK Guide, and special care
will be taken throughout the SWEBOK Guide
regarding the compatibility of the Guide with the
12207 standard.
3. J.W. Moore, The Road Map to Software
Engineering: A Standards-Based Guide,
Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press, 2006.
[4*]
This book describes the scope, roles, uses, and
development trends of the most widely used software engineering standards. It concentrates on
important software engineering activitiesquality and project management, system engineering, dependability, and safety. The analysis and
regrouping of the standard collections exposes
the reader to key relationships between standards.
Even though the SWEBOK Guide is not a software engineering standard per se, special care
will be taken throughout the document regarding
the compatibility of the Guide with the current
IEEE and ISO/IEC Systems and Software Engineering Standards Collection.
4. Software Engineering 2004: Curriculum
Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree
Programs in Software Engineering, IEEE
Computer Society and Association for
Computing Machinery, 2004; http://sites.
computer.org/ccse/SE2004Volume.pdf. [5]
This document describes curriculum guidelines
for an undergraduate degree in software engineering. The SWEBOK Guide is identified as being
one of the primary sources in developing the
body of knowledge underlying these guidelines.
5. ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and
Software EngineeringVocabulary, ISO/
IEC/IEEE, 2010; www.computer.org/
sevocab. [6]

A-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

The hierarchy of references for terminology is

Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary (11th
ed.) [7], IEEE/ISO/IEC 24765 [6], and new proposed definitions if required.
6. Certification and Training for Software
Professionals, IEEE Computer Society,
2013; www.computer.org/certification. [8]
Information on the certification and associated
professional development products developed
and offered by the IEEE Computer Society for
professionals in the field of software engineering can be found on this website. The SWEBOK
Guide is foundational to these products.
STYLE AND TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
KA Descriptions should conform to the
Word template available at www.computer.
org/portal/web/cscps/formatting.
KA Descriptions are expected to follow the
IEEE Computer Society Style Guide (www.
computer.org/portal/web/publications/
styleguide).
Files are to be submitted in Microsoft Word
format.
All citations of reference material are to be
produced using EndNote Web as indicated
in the instructions provided to KA Editors in
this regard.
OTHER DETAILED GUIDELINES
When referencing the Guide to the Software
Engineering Body of Knowledge, use the title
SWEBOK Guide.
For the purpose of simplicity, avoid footnotes
and try to include their content in the main text.
Use explicit references to standards, as opposed
to simply inserting numbers referencing items in

the bibliography. We believe this approach allows

the reader to be better exposed to the source and
scope of a standard.
The text accompanying figures and tables
should be self-explanatory or have enough related
text. This would ensure that the reader knows
what the figures and tables mean.
To make sure that some information in the
SWEBOK Guide does not become rapidly obsolete and due to its generic nature, please avoid
directly naming tools and products. Instead, try
to name their functions.
EDITING
Editors of the SWEBOK Guide as well as professional copy editors will edit KA Descriptions.
Editing includes copy editing (grammar, punctuation, and capitalization), style editing (conformance to the Computer Society style guide), and
content editing (flow, meaning, clarity, directness, and organization). The final editing will
be a collaborative process in which the Editors
of the SWEBOK Guide and the KA Editors work
together to achieve a concise, well-worded, and
useful KA Description.
RELEASE OF COPYRIGHT
All intellectual property rights associated with
the SWEBOK Guide will remain with the IEEE.
KA Editors must sign a copyright release form.
It is also understood that the SWEBOK Guide
will continue to be available free of charge in the
public domain in at least one format, provided by
the IEEE Computer Society through web technology or by other means.
For more information, see www.computer.org/
copyright.htm.

Appendix A A-7

REFERENCES
[1] Project Management Institute, A Guide to the
Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK(R) Guide), 5th ed., Project
Management Institute, 2013.
[2] Integrated Software and Systems
Engineering Curriculum (iSSEc) Project,
Graduate Software Engineering 2009
(GSwE2009): Curriculum Guidelines
for Graduate Degree Programs in
Software Engineering, Stevens Institute of
Technology, 2009; www.gswe2009.org.
[3] IEEE Std. 12207-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC
12207:2008) Standard for Systems and
Software EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle
Processes, IEEE, 2008.
[4*] J.W. Moore, The Road Map to Software
Engineering: A Standards-Based Guide,
Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press, 2006.

[5] Joint Task Force on Computing Curricula,

IEEE Computer Society and Association
for Computing Machinery, Software
Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines
for Undergraduate Degree Programs in
Software Engineering, 2004; http://sites.
computer.org/ccse/SE2004Volume.pdf.
[6] ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and
Software EngineeringVocabulary, ISO/
IEC/IEEE, 2010.
[7] Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary,
11th ed., 2003.
[8] IEEE Computer Society, Certification and
Training for Software Professionals, 2013;
www.computer.org/certification.

APPENDIX B
IEEE AND ISO/IEC STANDARDS SUPPORTING
THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING BODY OF
KNOWLEDGE (SWEBOK)
Some might say that the supply of software engineering standards far exceeds the demand. One
seldom listens to a briefing on the subject without
suffering some apparently obligatory joke that
there are too many of them. However, the existence of standards takes a very large (possibly
infinite) trade space of alternatives and reduces
that space to a smaller set of choicesa huge
advantage for users. Nevertheless, it can still be
difficult to choose from dozens of alternatives, so
supplementary guidance, like this appendix, can
be helpful. A summary list of the standards mentioned in this appendix appears at the end.
To reduce tedium in reading, a few simplifications and abridgements are made in this appendix:
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 maintains nearly two
hundred standards on the subject. IEEE
maintains about fifty. The two organizations
are in the tenth year of a systematic program
to coordinate and integrate their collections.
In general, this article will focus on the standards that are recognized by both organizations, taking this condition as evidence that
wide agreement has been obtained. Other
standards will be mentioned briefly.
Standards tend to have long, taxonomical
titles. If there were a single standard for
building an automobile, the one for your
Camry probably would be titled something
like, Vehicle, internal combustion, fourwheel, passenger, sedan. Also, modern standards organizations provide their standards
from databases. Like any database, these
sometimes contain errors, particularly for the
titles. So this article will often paraphrase the
B-1

title of the standard or simply use its number.

In obtaining a standard of interest, the reader
should rely on the number, not the title, given
in this article. For reasons of consistency, the
article will use the IEEEs convention for the
capitalization of titlesnouns, pronouns,
adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and first and last
words have an initial capital letterdespite
the fact that IEEE and ISO/IEC use differing
conventions.
Because these standards are being continually revised to take account of new technologies and usage patterns, this article will be
obsolescent before it is published. Therefore,
it will occasionally discuss standards that
have not yet been published, if they are likely
to assume significant importance.
Explicit trademarks are omitted. Suffice it to
say that IEEE places a trademark on all of its
standards designations.
There are some other conventions of interest:
In both IEEE and ISO/IEC, standards for
systems engineering are maintained by the
same committee as those for software engineering. Many of the standards apply to both.
So, instead of making fine distinctions, this
article will deal with both.
On the other hand, both S2ESC and SC 7
(see below for descriptions of these organizations) are responsible for standards
that dont qualify as engineering. In the
US and many other countries, the services
of a licensed engineer are required when a
product might affect public safety, health,

B-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

and welfare as opposed to affecting merely

the pocketbook of the client. This appendix
will respect that distinction and ignore standards that appear to be merely economic in
consequence.
User documentation is assumed to be developed similarly to software. For example,
a standard concerning the design of user
documentation is described in the Software
Design KA.
Some jointly developed standards are explicitly labeled as joint developments, e.g., ISO/
IEC/IEEE 24765. In other cases, the standards have different designations in the two
organizations. Examples include
IEEE Std. 12207:2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC
12207:2008), where a.k.a. (also
known as) is this appendixs abbreviation to note the designation in the other
organization;
IEEE Std. 15939:2008 Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC 15939:2007, an adoption by IEEE of a standard developed in
ISO/IEC;
IEEE Std. 1220:2005 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC
26702:2007), a fast-track by ISO/IEC
of a standard developed in IEEE.
In each of these cases, the standards are
substantively identical in the two organizations, differing only in front matter
and, occasionally, added informational
material.
A summary list of all of the mentioned standards is provided at the end of this appendix.
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7, SOFTWARE AND
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 is the major source of
international standards on software and systems
engineering. Its name is formed taxonomically.
Joint Technical Committee 1 (JTC 1) is a child
of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC); it has the scope of information technology and subdivides its work among
a number of subcommittees; Subcommittee 7 (SC

7) is the one responsible for software and systems engineering. SC 7, and its working groups,
meets twice a year, attracting delegations representing the national standards bodies of participating nations. Each nation follows its own procedures for determining national positions and
each nation has the responsibility of determining
whether an ISO/IEC standard should be adopted
as a national standard.
SC 7 creates three types of documents:
International Standards: Documents containing requirements that must be satisfied in
order to claim conformance.
Technical Specifications (formerly called
Technical Reports, type 1 and type 2): Documents published in a preliminary manner
while work continues.
Technical Reports (formerly called Technical Reports, type 3): Documents inherently
unsuited to be standards, usually because
they are descriptive rather than prescriptive.
The key thing to remember is that only the
first category counts as a consensus standard.
The reader can easily recognize the others by the
suffix TS or TR prepended to the number of the
document.
IEEE SOFTWARE AND SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING STANDARDS
COMMITTEE (S2ESC)
IEEE is the worlds largest organization of technical professionals, with about 400,000 members
in more than 160 countries. The publication of
standards is performed by the IEEE Standards
Association (IEEE-SA), but the committees that
draft and sponsor the standards are in the various
IEEE societies; S2ESC is a part of the IEEE Computer Society. IEEE is a global standards maker
because its standards are used in many different countries. Despite its international membership (about 50% non-US), though, the IEEE-SA
routinely submits its standards to the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) for endorsement as American National Standards. Some
S2ESC standards are developed within S2ESC,
some are developed jointly with SC 7, and some
are adopted after being developed by SC 7.

Appendix B B-3

IEEE-SA publishes three types of standards:

Standards, with a preponderance of the verb
shall
Recommended Practices, with a preponderance of the verb should
Guides, with a preponderance of the verb
may.
All three of these compare to ISO/IEC standards. IEEE-SA does have the concept of a TrialUse standard, which is roughly comparable to
an ISO/IEC Technical Specification. However, it
has nothing comparable to an ISO/IEC Technical Report; one would look elsewhere in IEEE for
documents of this ilk.
THE STANDARDS
The remainder of this article allocates the selected
standards to relevant knowledge areas (KAs) of
the SWEBOK Guide. There is a section for each
KA. Within each section, the relevant standards
are listedthe ones that principally apply to the
KA as well as others that principally apply to
other KAs but which are also related to the current one. Following each standard is a brief summary. In most cases, the summary is a quotation
or paraphrase of the abstract or other introductory
material from the text of the standard.
Most of the standards easily fit into one KA.
Some fit into more than one; in such cases,
a cross-reference is provided. Two standards
apply to all KAs, so they are listed in a category
called General. All of the standards related to
computer-aided software engineering (CASE)
tools and environments are listed in the Software
Engineering Models and Methods KA section.
GENERAL
The first two standards are so central that they
could be slotted into all of the KAs. Two more are
described in the Software Engineering Process
KA, but are mentioned here because they provide
a helpful framework and because the descriptions
of several other standards refer to them.
ISO/IEC TR 19759 is the SWEBOK Guide
itself. Its not an IEEE standard because, lacking
prescriptive verbs, it doesnt satisfy the criteria

for any of the IEEE categories. In ISO/IEC, it is a

technical reportdefined as a document inherently unsuited to be a standard. The 2004 IEEE
SWEBOK Guide was adopted by ISO/IEC without change. Presumably, ISO/IEC will adopt Version 3 of the SWEBOK Guide.
ISO/IEC TR 19759:2005 Software Engineering
Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge
(SWEBOK)

Applies to all KAs

ISO/IEC 19759:2005, a Guide to the Software

Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK),
identifies and describes that subset of the body
of knowledge that is generally accepted, even
though software engineers must be knowledgeable not only in software engineering, but also,
of course, in other related disciplines. SWEBOK
is an all-inclusive term that describes the sum
of knowledge within the profession of software
engineering.
The text of the SWEBOK Guide is freely available at www.swebok.org/. The ISO/IEC adoption
of the Guide is freely available at http://standards.
iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/index.
html.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765 provides a shared vocabulary for the systems and software engineering
standards of both SC 7 and S2ESC.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and Software
EngineeringVocabulary

Applies to all KAs

ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 provides a common

vocabulary applicable to all systems and software
engineering work. It was prepared to collect and
support the standardization of terminology. ISO/
IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 is intended to serve as a
useful reference for those in the information technology field and to encourage the use of systems
and software engineering standards prepared by
ISO and liaison organizations IEEE Computer
Society and Project Management Institute. ISO/
IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 includes references to the

B-4 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

active source standards for each definition so that

the use of the term can be further explored.
The vocabulary is descriptive, rather than prescriptive; it gathers up all of the definitions from
all of the relevant standards, as well as a few
other sources, rather than choosing among competing definitions.
The content of the 24765 standard is freely
accessible online at www.computer.org/sevocab.
Two standards, 12207 and 15288, provide a
complete set of processes for the entire life cycle
of a system or a software product. The two standards are aligned for concurrent use on a single
project or in a single organization. They are
mentioned here because they are often used as a
framework for explaining or localizing the role of
other standards in the life cycle.
IEEE Std. 12207-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 12207:2008)
Standard for Systems and Software Engineering
Software Life Cycle Processes

See Software Engineering Process KA

IEEE Std. 15288-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 15288:2008)

Standard for Systems and Software Engineering
System Life Cycle Processes

See Software Engineering Process KA

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
The primary standard for software and systems
requirements engineering is a new one that
replaced several existing IEEE standards. It provides a broad view of requirements engineering
across the entire life cycle.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2011 Systems and Software
EngineeringLife Cycle ProcessesRequirements
Engineering

ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2011 contains provisions

for the processes and products related to the engineering of requirements for systems and software
products and services throughout the life cycle.

It defines the construct of a good requirement,

provides attributes and characteristics of requirements, and discusses the iterative and recursive
application of requirements processes throughout the life cycle. ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2011
provides additional guidance in the application
of requirements engineering and management
processes for requirements-related activities in
ISO/IEC 12207:2008 and ISO/IEC 15288:2008.
Information items applicable to the engineering
of requirements and their content are defined.
The content of ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2011 can
be added to the existing set of requirementsrelated life cycle processes defined by ISO/IEC
12207:2008 or ISO/IEC 15288:2008, or it can be
used independently.
A multipart ISO/IEC standard provides principles and methods for sizing software based on
its requirements. The functional size is often useful in the denominator of measurements of quality and productivity in software development. It
may also play a role in contracting for servicelevel agreements.
ISO/IEC 14143 [six parts] Information TechnologySoftware MeasurementFunctional Size
Measurement

ISO/IEC 14143 describes FSM (functional size

measurement). The concepts of functional size
measurement (FSM) are designed to overcome the
limitations of earlier methods of sizing software by
shifting the focus away from measuring how the
software is implemented to measuring size in terms
of the functions required by the user.
FSM is often known as function point counting. The four standards listed below are alternative methods for function point countingall
meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 14143. The
dominant method, in terms of market share, is
the IFPUG method, described in ISO/IEC 20926.
Other methods are variations intended to improve
the validity of the count in various circumstances.
For example, ISO/IEC 19761COSMIC is

Appendix B B-5

notably intended to be used on software with a

real-time component.
ISO/IEC 19761:2011 Software EngineeringCOSMIC: A Functional Size Measurement Method
ISO/IEC 20926:2009 Software and Systems EngineeringSoftware MeasurementIFPUG Functional Size Measurement Method
ISO/IEC 20968:2002 Software EngineeringMk
II Function Point AnalysisCounting Practices
Manual
ISO/IEC 24570:2005 Software Engineering
NESMA Functional Size Measurement Method Version 2.1Definitions and Counting Guidelines for
the Application of Function Point Analysis

Sometimes requirements are described in natural language, but sometimes they are described
in formal or semiformal notations. The objective
of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is to
provide system architects, software engineers,
and software developers with tools for analysis,
design, and implementation of software-based
systems as well as for modeling business and
similar processes. The two parts of ISO/IEC
19505 define UML, revision 2. The older ISO/
IEC 19501 is an earlier version of UML. They
are mentioned here because they are often used to
model requirements.
ISO/IEC 19501:2005 Information Technology
Open Distributed ProcessingUnified Modeling
Language (UML) Version 1.4.2

See Software Engineering Models and

Methods KA

ISO/IEC 19505:2012 [two parts] Information TechnologyObject Management Group Unified Modeling Language (OMG UML)

See Software Engineering Models and

Methods KA

SOFTWARE DESIGN
The software design KA includes both software
architectural design (for determining the relationships among the items of the software and detailed
design (for describing the individual items). ISO/
IEC/IEEE 42010 concerns the description of
architecture for systems and software.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011 Systems and Software
EngineeringArchitecture Description

ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011 addresses the creation, analysis, and sustainment of architectures of systems through the use of architecture
descriptions. A conceptual model of architecture
description is established. The required contents
of an architecture description are specified. Architecture viewpoints, architecture frameworks and
architecture description languages are introduced
for codifying conventions and common practices
of architecture description. The required content
of architecture viewpoints, architecture frameworks and architecture description languages
is specified. Annexes provide the motivation
and background for key concepts and terminology and examples of applying ISO/IEC/IEEE
42010:2011.
Like ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010, the next standard treats software design as an abstraction,
independent of its representation in a document.
Accordingly, the standard places provisions on
the description of design, rather than on design
itself.
IEEE Std. 1016-2009 Standard for Information
TechnologySystems DesignSoftware Design
Descriptions

This standard describes software designs and

establishes the information content and organization of a software design description (SDD). An
SDD is a representation of a software design to be
used for recording design information and communicating that design information to key design

B-6 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

stakeholders. This standard is intended for use in

design situations in which an explicit software
design description is to be prepared. These situations include traditional software construction
activities (when design leads to code) and reverse
engineering situations (when a design description
is recovered from an existing implementation).
This standard can be applied to commercial, scientific, or military software that runs on digital
computers. Applicability is not restricted by the
size, complexity, or criticality of the software.
This standard can be applied to the description
of high-level and detailed designs. This standard does not prescribe specific methodologies
for design, configuration management, or quality assurance. This standard does not require the
use of any particular design languages, but establishes requirements on the selection of design
languages for use in an SDD. This standard can
be applied to the preparation of SDDs captured as
paper documents, automated databases, software
development tools, or other media.
By convention, this appendix treats user documentation as a part of a software system. Therefore, the various aspects of user documentation
its design, its testing, and so forthare allocated
to different KAs. The next standard deals with the
design of user documentation.
IEEE Std. 26514-2010 Standard Adoption of ISO/
IEC 26514:2008 Systems and Software EngineeringRequirements for Designers and Developers of
User Documentation

This standard provides requirements for the

design and development of software user documentation as part of the life cycle processes. It
defines the documentation process from the viewpoint of the documentation developer and also
covers the documentation product. It specifies the
structure, content, and format for user documentation and also provides informative guidance for
user documentation style. It is independent of the
software tools that may be used to produce documentation and applies to both printed documentation and onscreen documentation. Much of this

standard is also applicable to user documentation

for systems including hardware.
SOFTWARE CONSTRUCTION
The term software construction refers to the
detailed creation of working, meaningful software
through a combination of coding, verification,
unit testing, integration testing, and debugging.
There are few standards on the details of software coding. It has been found through (mostly
bad) experience that coding conventions are not
appropriate for standardization because, in most
cases, the real benefit comes from the consistency of applying an arbitrary convention rather
than the convention itself. So, although coding
conventions are a good idea, it is generally left
to the organization or the project to develop such
a standard.
Nevertheless, the subject of secure coding has
attracted attention in recent years because some
coding idioms are insecure in the face of attack.
A Technical Report prepared by ISO/IEC JTC 1/
SC 22 (programming languages) describes vulnerabilities in programming languages and how
they can be avoided.
ISO/IEC TR 24772:2013 Information Technology
Programming LanguagesGuidance to Avoiding
Vulnerabilities in Programming Languages through
Language Selection and Use

ISO/IEC TR 24772:2013 specifies software programming language vulnerabilities to be avoided

in the development of systems where assured
behavior is required for security, safety, mission-critical, and business-critical software. In
general, this guidance is applicable to the software developed, reviewed, or maintained for any
application.
Vulnerabilities are described in a generic manner that is applicable to a broad range of programming languages. Annexes relate the generic
guidance to a selection of specific programming
languages.

Appendix B B-7

The Technical Report is freely available at http://

standards.iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/
index.html.
Two standards are mentioned here because unit
testing is often regarded as an activity of software
construction. IEEE and ISO/IEC are cooperating
in the development of a four-part joint standard,
29119, that will provide a comprehensive treatment of testing and supplant IEEE Std. 1008.
IEEE Std. 1008-1987 Standard for Software Unit
Testing

See Software Testing KA

ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 [four parts] (Draft) Software

and Systems EngineeringSoftware Testing

See Software Testing KA

The next standard provides for the development

of user documentation during an agile development process. It is mentioned here because
agile development is sometimes regarded as
construction.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 26515:2012 Systems and Software
EngineeringDeveloping User Documentation in an
Agile Environment

See Software Engineering Models and

Methods KA

Coding is not the only way to create a software

product. Often code (as well as requirements and
design) is reused from previous projects or engineered for reuse in future projects. IEEE Std. 1517
is mentioned here because it provides a common
framework for extending the system and software
life cycle processes of IEEE Std. 12207:2008 to
include the systematic practice of reuse.
IEEE Std. 1517-2010 Standard for Information
TechnologySystem and Software Life Cycle ProcessesReuse Processes

See Software Engineering Process KA

SOFTWARE TESTING
Oddly, there are few standards for testing. IEEE
Std. 829 is the most comprehensive.
IEEE Std. 829-2008 Standard for Software and System Test Documentation

Test processes determine whether the development products of a given activity conform to the
requirements of that activity and whether the system and/or software satisfies its intended use and
user needs. Testing process tasks are specified
for different integrity levels. These process tasks
determine the appropriate breadth and depth of
test documentation. The documentation elements
for each type of test documentation can then be
selected. The scope of testing encompasses software-based systems, computer software, hardware, and their interfaces. This standard applies
to software-based systems being developed,
maintained, or reused (legacy, commercial offthe-shelf, nondevelopmental items). The term
software also includes firmware, microcode,
and documentation. Test processes can include
inspection, analysis, demonstration, verification,
and validation of software and software-based
system products.
IEEE Std. 1008 focuses on unit testing.
IEEE Std. 1008-1987 Standard for Software Unit
Testing

The primary objective is to specify a standard

approach to software unit testing that can be
used as a basis for sound software engineering practice. A second objective is to describe
the software engineering concepts and testing
assumptions on which the standard approach is
based. A third objective is to provide guidance
and resource information to assist with the implementation and usage of the standard unit testing
approach.

B-8 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

IEEE and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 are cooperating

in a project to develop a single comprehensive
standard that covers all aspects of testing. One
can hope for publication of the four-part standard
by 2014. Portions of the content remain controversial. One taxonomical issue is whether static
methodssuch as inspection, review, and static
analysisshould fall within the scope of testing or should be distinguished as verification
and validation. Although the resolution of the
issue is probably of little importance to users of
the standard, it assumes great importance to the
standards-writers who must manage an integrated
suite of interoperating standards.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 [four parts] (Draft) Software
and Systems EngineeringSoftware Testing

The purpose of ISO/IEC 29119 Software Testing

is to define an internationally agreed standard for
software testing that can be used by any organization when performing any form of software
testing.
Testing of user documentation is described in
the next standard, providing requirements for the
test and review of software user documentation
as part of the life cycle processes. It defines the
documentation process from the viewpoint of the
documentation tester and reviewer. It is relevant
to roles involved in testing and development of
software and user documentation, including project managers, usability experts, and information
developers in addition to testers and reviewers.
IEEE Std. 26513-2010 Standard Adoption of ISO/
IEC 26513:2009 Systems and Software EngineeringRequirements for Testers and Reviewers of
Documentation

ISO/IEC 26513 provides the minimum requirements for the testing and reviewing of user documentation, including both printed and onscreen
documents used in the work environment by the
users of systems software. It applies to printed
user manuals, online help, tutorials, and user reference documentation.

It specifies processes for use in testing and

reviewing of user documentation. It is not limited to the test and review phase of the life cycle,
but includes activities throughout the information
management and documentation management
processes.
Two standards are mentioned here because
some sources consider software verification and
validation to be taxonomically included in testing.
IEEE Std. 1012-2012 Standard for System and Software Verification and Validation

See Software Quality KA

IEEE Std. 1044-2009 Standard for Classification for

Software Anomalies

See Software Quality KA

SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
This standardthe result of harmonizing distinct
IEEE and ISO/IEC standards on the subject
describes a single comprehensive process for the
management and execution of software maintenance. It expands on the provisions of the software maintenance process provided in ISO/IEC/
IEEE 12207.
IEEE Std. 14764-2006 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 14764:2006)
Standard for Software EngineeringSoftware Life
Cycle ProcessesMaintenance

ISO/IEC 14764:2006 describes in greater

detail management of the maintenance process
described in ISO/IEC 12207, including amendments. It also establishes definitions for the various types of maintenance. ISO/IEC 14764:2006
provides guidance that applies to planning, execution and control, review and evaluation, and
closure of the maintenance process. The scope of
ISO/IEC 14764:2006 includes maintenance for
multiple software products with the same maintenance resources. Maintenance in ISO/IEC
14764:2006 means software maintenance unless
otherwise stated.

Appendix B B-9

ISO/IEC 14764:2006 provides the framework

within which generic and specific software maintenance plans may be executed, evaluated, and
tailored to the maintenance scope and magnitude of given software products. It provides the
framework, precise terminology, and processes
to allow the consistent application of technology (tools, techniques, and methods) to software
maintenance.
It does not address the operation of software
and the operational functions, e.g., backup,
recovery, and system administration, which are
normally performed by those who operate the
software.
ISO/IEC 14764:2006 is written primarily for
maintainers of software and additionally for those
responsible for development and quality assurance. It may also be used by acquirers and users
of systems containing software, who may provide
inputs to the maintenance plan.
SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION
MANAGEMENT
There is one
management.

standard

for

configuration

IEEE Std. 828-2012 Standard for Configuration

Management in Systems and Software Engineering

This standard establishes the minimum requirements for processes for configuration management
(CM) in systems and software engineering. The
application of this standard applies to any form,
class, or type of software or system. This revision
of the standard expands the previous version to
explain CM, including identifying and acquiring
configuration items, controlling changes, reporting the status of configuration items, as well as
software builds and release engineering. Its predecessor defined only the contents of a software
configuration management plan. This standard
addresses what CM activities are to be done, when
they are to happen in the life cycle, and what planning and resources are required. It also describes
the content areas for a CM plan. The standard supports ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2008 and ISO/IEC/
IEEE 15288:2008 and adheres to the terminology

in ISO/IEC/IEEE Std. 24765 and the information

item requirements of IEEE Std. 15939.
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 has not yet determined
what action it should take regarding the new
IEEE Std. 828. There are issues concerning the
extent of compatibility with ISO/IEC/IEEE
12207 and other standards in the SC 7 suite. It
should be noted, though, that SC 7 does not have
a competing standard.
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
MANAGEMENT
Most readers will interpret the phrase software
engineering management to mean the management of a project that concerns software. There
are at least two possible extensions to this generalization, though. Some software activities are
managed according to a service-level agreement
(SLA). SLAs do not meet the criteria for project according to some definitions. Also, it has
become generally agreed that some management
of software should occur in the organization at a
level above the project, so that all projects can
benefit from a common investment. A commonly
cited example is the provision of software processes and tooling by the organization.
Software project management can be regarded
as a specialization of project management
often regarded as a distinct discipline. The Project Management Institutes Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK
Guide) is often regarded as the authoritative
source for this knowledge. From time to time,
IEEE adopts the most recent version of the
PMBOK Guide as an IEEE standard.
IEEE Std. 1490-2011 GuideAdoption of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Standard, A
Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)Fourth Edition

The PMBOK Guide identifies that subset of

the project management body of knowledge generally recognized as good practice. Generally
recognized means the knowledge and practices
described are applicable to most projects most of

B-10 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

the time and there is consensus about their value and

usefulness. Good practice means there is general
agreement that the application of these skills, tools,
and techniques can enhance the chances of success
over a wide range of projects. Good practice does
not mean the knowledge described should always
be applied uniformly to all projects; the organization and/or project management team is responsible for determining what is appropriate for any
given project. The PMBOK Guide also provides
and promotes a common vocabulary within the
project management profession for discussing,
writing, and applying project management concepts. Such a standard vocabulary is an essential
element of a professional discipline. The Project
Management Institute (PMI) views this standard
as a foundational project management reference
for its professional development programs and
certifications.
The 2008 revisions of ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207
and 15288 provide project management processes for software and systems and relate them
to organization-level processes as well as technical processes. The jointly developed 16326
standard, replacing two older standards, expands
those provisions with guidance for application.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 16326:2009 Systems and Software EngineeringLife Cycle ProcessesProject
Management

ISO/IEC/IEEE 16326:2009 provides normative

content specifications for project management
plans covering software projects and softwareintensive system projects. It also provides detailed
discussion and advice on applying a set of project processes that are common to both the software and system life cycle as covered by ISO/IEC
12207:2008 (IEEE Std. 12207-2008) and ISO/IEC
15288:2008 (IEEE Std. 15288-2008), respectively.
The discussion and advice are intended to aid in
the preparation of the normative content of project
management plans. ISO/IEC/IEEE 16326:2009
is the result of the harmonization of ISO/IEC TR
16326:1999 and IEEE Std. 1058-1998.

Particularly in high-technology applications

and high-consequence projects, the management
of risk is an important aspect of the overall project management responsibilities. This standard
deals with that subject.
IEEE Std. 16085-2006 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 16085:2006)
Standard for Systems and Software Engineering
Software Life Cycle ProcessesRisk Management

ISO/IEC 16085:2006 defines a process for the

management of risk in the life cycle. It can be
added to the existing set of system and software
life cycle processes defined by ISO/IEC 15288 and
ISO/IEC 12207, or it can be used independently.
ISO/IEC 16085:2006 can be applied equally to
systems and software.
The purpose of risk management is to identify potential managerial and technical problems
before they occur so that actions can be taken that
reduce or eliminate the probability and/or impact
of these problems should they occur. It is a critical tool for continuously determining the feasibility of project plans, for improving the search
for and identification of potential problems that
can affect life cycle activities and the quality and
performance of products, and for improving the
active management of projects.
The analysis of risk and risk mitigation depends
crucially upon measurement. This international
standard provides an elaboration of the measurement process from ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2008
and ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2008.
IEEE Std. 15939-2008 Standard Adoption of ISO/
IEC 15939:2007 Systems and Software EngineeringMeasurement Process

ISO/IEC 15939 defines a measurement process

applicable to system and software engineering and management disciplines. The process is
described through a model that defines the activities of the measurement process that are required
to adequately specify what measurement information is required, how the measures and analysis results are to be applied, and how to determine

Appendix B B-11

if the analysis results are valid. The measurement

process is flexible, tailorable, and adaptable to the
needs of different users.
ISO/IEC 15939:2007 identifies a process that
supports defining a suitable set of measures that
address specific information needs. It identifies the
activities and tasks that are necessary to successfully identify, define, select, apply, and improve
measurement within an overall project or organizational measurement structure. It also provides
definitions for measurement terms commonly used
within the system and software industries.

to produce or manage documentation, and applies

to both printed documentation and onscreen documentation. Much of its guidance is applicable to
user documentation for systems including hardware as well as software.

Software projects often require the development of user documentation. Management of the
project, therefore, includes management of the
documentation effort.

A set of useful quality practices that can be

selected and applied during one or more steps in
a software acquisition process is described. This
recommended practice can be applied to software
that runs on any computer system regardless of
the size, complexity, or criticality of the software,
but is more suited for use on modified-off-theshelf software and fully developed software.

ISO/IEC/IEEE 26511:2012 Systems and Software

EngineeringRequirements for Managers of User
Documentation

ISO/IEC/IEEE 26511:2012 specifies procedures

for managing user documentation throughout the
software life cycle. It applies to people or organizations producing suites of documentation, to
those undertaking a single documentation project,
and to documentation produced internally, as well
as to documentation contracted to outside service
organizations. It provides an overview of the software documentation and information management
processes, and also presents aspects of portfolio
planning and content management that user documentation managers apply. It covers management
activities in starting a project, including setting
up procedures and specifications, establishing
infrastructure, and building a team. It includes
examples of roles needed on a user documentation
team. It addresses measurements and estimates
needed for management control, and the use of
supporting processes such as change management,
schedule and cost control, resource management,
and quality management and process improvement. It includes requirements for key documents
produced for user documentation management,
including documentation plans and documentation
management plans. ISO/IEC/IEEE 26511:2012 is
independent of the software tools that may be used

Sometimes software or system components are

acquired rather than developed.
IEEE Std. 1062-1998 Recommended Practice for
Software Acquisition

Sometimes user documentation is acquired

regardless of whether the software it describes
was acquired. The following standard deals with
that subject.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 26512:2011 Systems and Software
EngineeringRequirements for Acquirers and Suppliers of User Documentation

ISO/IEC/IEEE 26512:2011 was developed to

assist users of ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2008 or ISO/
IEC/IEEE 12207:2008 to acquire or supply software user documentation as part of the software
life cycle processes. It defines the documentation
process from the acquirers standpoint and the
suppliers standpoint. ISO/IEC/IEEE 26512:2011
covers the requirements for information items used
in the acquisition of user documentation products:
the acquisition plan, document specification, statement of work, request for proposals, and proposal.
It provides an overview of the software user documentation and information management processes
which may require acquisition and supply of software user documentation products and services.
It addresses the preparation of requirements for

B-12 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

software user documentation. These requirements

are central to the user documentation specification
and statement of work. It includes requirements
for primary document outputs of the acquisition
and supply process: the request for proposal and
the proposal for user documentation products and
services. It also discusses the use of a documentation management plan and a document plan as
they arise in the acquisition and supply processes.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 26512:2011 is independent of the
software tools that may be used to produce documentation and applies to both printed documentation and onscreen documentation. Much of its
guidance is applicable to user documentation for
systems including hardware as well as software.
The next two standards are mentioned here
because they supply information used in management decision-making.
IEEE Std. 1028-2008 Standard for Software Reviews
and Audits

See Software Quality KA

IEEE Std. 1061-1998 Standard for Software Quality

Metrics Methodology

See Software Quality KA

The next standard is mentioned because it

includes the managers role in developing user
documentation in an agile project.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 26515:2012 Systems and Software
EngineeringDeveloping User Documentation in an
Agile Environment

See Software Engineering Models and

Methods KA

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PROCESS

Software and systems engineering processes
are central to the standardization of those two
disciplinesnot just because many are interested in process improvement, but also because
processes are effective for the description of

improved practices. For example, one might propose an improved practice for software requirements analysis. A nave treatment might relate
the description to an early stage of the life cycle
model. A superior approach is to describe the
practice in the context of a process that can be
applied at any stage of the life cycle. The requirements analysis process, for example, is necessary for the development stage, for maintenance,
and often for retirement, so an improved practice
described in terms of the requirements analysis
process can be applied to any of those stages.
The two key standards are ISO/IEC/IEEE
12207, Software Life Cycle Processes, and ISO/
IEC/IEEE 15288, System Life Cycle Processes.
The two standards have distinct histories, but
they were both revised in 2008 to align their processes, permitting their interoperable use across a
wide spectrum of projects ranging from a standalone software component to a system with negligible software content. Both are being revised
again with the intent of containing an identical
list of processes, but with provisions specialized
for the respective disciplines.
IEEE Std. 12207-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 12207:2008)
Standard for Systems and Software Engineering
Software Life Cycle Processes

ISO/IEC 12207:2008 establishes a common

framework for software life cycle processes, with
well-defined terminology that can be referenced
by the software industry.
ISO/IEC 12207:2008 applies to the acquisition of systems and software products and services and to the supply, development, operation,
maintenance, and disposal of software products
and the software portion of a system, whether
performed internally or externally to an organization. Those aspects of system definition needed
to provide the context for software products and
services are included.
ISO/IEC 12207:2008 also provides a process
that can be employed for defining, controlling,
and improving software life cycle processes.
The processes, activities and tasks of ISO/IEC
12207:2008either alone or in conjunction with
ISO/IEC 15288may also be applied during the
acquisition of a system that contains software.

Appendix B B-13

IEEE Std. 15288-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 15288:2008)

Standard for Systems and Software Engineering
System Life Cycle Processes

ISO/IEC 15288:2008 establishes a common

framework for describing the life cycle of systems created by humans. It defines a set of
processes and associated terminology. These
processes can be applied at any level in the
hierarchy of a systems structure. Selected sets
of these processes can be applied throughout
the life cycle for managing and performing the
stages of a systems life cycle. This is accomplished through the involvement of all interested
parties, with the ultimate goal of achieving customer satisfaction.
ISO/IEC 15288:2008 also provides processes
that support the definition, control, and improvement of the life cycle processes used within an
organization or a project. Organizations and
projects can use these life cycle processes when
acquiring and supplying systems.
ISO/IEC 15288:2008 concerns those systems
that are man-made and may be configured with
one or more of the following: hardware, software,
data, humans, processes (e.g., processes for providing service to users), procedures (e.g., operator instructions), facilities, materials, and naturally occurring entities. When a system element is
software, the software life cycle processes documented in ISO/IEC 12207:2008 may be used to
implement that system element.
ISO/IEC 15288:2008 and ISO/IEC 12207:2008
are harmonized for concurrent use on a single
project or in a single organization.
Those two standards specify that processes
may produce items of information but do not prescribe their content or format. The next standard
provides help with that.

information items (information products, documentation) to be developed and revised during

systems and software life cycles and service
management processes. It specifies the purpose
and content of all identified systems and software
data records and life cycle information items, as
well as records and information items for information technology service management. The
information item contents are defined according
to generic document types (description, plan, policy, procedure, report, request, and specification)
and the specific purpose of the document. For
simplicity of reference, each information item
is described as if it were published as a separate
document. However, information items may be
unpublished but available in a repository for reference, divided into separate documents or volumes, or combined with other information items
into one document. ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2011
is based on the life cycle processes specified in
ISO/IEC 12207:2008 (IEEE Std. 12207-2008)
and ISO/IEC 15288:2008 (IEEE Std. 152882008), and the service management processes
specified in ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005 and ISO/IEC
20000-2:2005.
The next two guides provide supplementary
information helpful in applying 12207 and 15288.
IEEE Std. 24748.2-2012 GuideAdoption of ISO/
IEC TR 24748-2:2011 Systems and Software EngineeringLife Cycle ManagementPart 2: Guide to
the Application of ISO/IEC 15288 (System Life Cycle
Processes)

ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2011 Systems and Software

EngineeringContent of Life-Cycle Information
Products (Documentation)

ISO/IEC TR 24748-2 is a guide for the application of ISO/IEC 15288:2008. It addresses system, life cycle, process, organizational, project,
and adaptation concepts, principally through
reference to ISO/IEC TR 24748-1 and ISO/IEC
15288:2008. It then gives guidance on applying
ISO/IEC 15288:2008 from the aspects of strategy, planning, application in organizations, and
application on projects.

ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2011 provides requirements for identifying and planning the specific

IEEE Std. 24748.3-2012 GuideAdoption of

ISO/IEC TR 24748-3:2011 Systems and Software

B-14 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

EngineeringLife Cycle ManagementPart 3:

Guide to the Application of ISO/IEC 12207 (Software Life Cycle Processes)

ISO/IEC TR 24748-3 is a guide for the application of ISO/IEC 12207:2008. It addresses system, life cycle, process, organizational, project,
and adaptation concepts, principally through
reference to ISO/IEC TR 24748-1 and ISO/IEC
12207:2008. It gives guidance on applying ISO/
IEC 12207:2008 from the aspects of strategy,
planning, application in organizations, and application on projects.
The 12207 and 15288 standards provide processes covering the life cycle, but they do not provide a standard life cycle model (waterfall, incremental delivery, prototype-driven, etc). Selecting
an appropriate life cycle model for a project is a
major concern of ISO/IEC 24748-1.
IEEE Std. 24748.1-2011 GuideAdoption of ISO/
IEC TR 24748-1:2010 Systems and Software EngineeringLife Cycle ManagementPart 1: Guide
for Life Cycle Management

ISO/IEC TR 24748-1 provides information on

life cycle concepts and descriptions of the purposes and outcomes of representative life cycle
stages. It also illustrates the use of a life cycle
model for systems in the context of ISO/IEC
15288 and provides a corresponding illustration
of the use of a life cycle model for software in the
context of ISO/IEC 12207. ISO/IEC TR 24748-1
additionally provides detailed discussion and
advice on adapting a life cycle model for use in a
specific project and organizational environment.
It further provides guidance on life cycle model
use by domains, disciplines and specialties. ISO/
IEC TR 24748-1 gives a detailed comparison
between prior and current versions of ISO/IEC
12207 and ISO/IEC 15288 as well as advice on
transitioning from prior to current versions and
on using their application guides. The discussion and advice are intended to provide a reference model for life cycle models, facilitate use of
the updated ISO/IEC 15288 and ISO/IEC 12207,
and provide a framework for the development of

updated application guides for those International

Standards. ISO/IEC TR 24748-1 is a result of the
alignment stage of the harmonization of ISO/IEC
12207 and ISO/IEC 15288.
The next standard extends the provisions of
ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 to deal with systematic
software reuse.
IEEE Std. 1517-2010 Standard for Information
TechnologySystem and Software Life Cycle ProcessesReuse Processes

A common framework for extending the system

and software life cycle processes of IEEE Std.
12207:2008 to include the systematic practice
of reuse is provided. The processes, activities,
and tasks to be applied during each life cycle
process to enable a system and/or product to be
constructed from reusable assets are specified.
The processes, activities, and tasks to enable
the identification, construction, maintenance,
and management of assets supplied are also
specified.
IEEE Std. 1220 has been widely applied as a
systems engineering process and was adopted by
ISO/IEC with the number 26702. Unfortunately,
the standard is not completely compatible with
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 and is being revised to
solve that problem. The result will be published
as ISO/IEC/IEEE 24748-4.
IEEE Std. 1220-2005 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 26702:2007)
Standard for Application and Management of the
Systems Engineering Process

ISO/IEC 26702 defines the interdisciplinary tasks

which are required throughout a systems life
cycle to transform customer needs, requirements,
and constraints into a system solution. In addition, it specifies the requirements for the systems
engineering process and its application throughout the product life cycle. ISO/IEC 26702:2007
focuses on engineering activities necessary to
guide product development, while ensuring

Appendix B B-15

that the product is properly designed to make it

affordable to produce, own, operate, maintain,
and eventually dispose of without undue risk to
health or the environment.
Since SC 7 and IEEE have written so many
process standards, one may not be surprised to
learn that their model for process description is
recorded in a Technical Report.
IEEE Std. 24774-2012 GuideAdoption of ISO/IEC
TR 24474:2010 Systems and Software EngineeringLife Cycle ManagementGuidelines for Process Description

An increasing number of international, national,

and industry standards describe process models. These models are developed for a range of
purposes including process implementation and
assessment. The terms and descriptions used in
such models vary in format, content, and level
of prescription. ISO/IEC TR 24774:2010 presents guidelines for the elements used most frequently in describing a process: the title, purpose, outcomes, activities, task, and information
item. Whilst the primary purpose of ISO/IEC TR
24774:2010 is to encourage consistency in standard process reference models, the guidelines it
provides can be applied to any process model
developed for any purpose.
A very small entity (VSE) is an enterprise, an
organization, a department, or a project having
up to 25 people. The ISO/IEC 29110 series profiles large standards, such as ISO/IEC 12207 for
software and ISO/IEC 15288 for systems, into
smaller ones for VSEs. ISO 29110 is applicable to
VSEs that do not develop critical systems or critical software. Profiles provide a roadmap allowing
a start-up to grow a step at a time using the ISO
29110 management and engineering guides.
ISO/IEC 29110 set of standards and technical
reports are targeted by audience such as VSEs,
customers, or auditors. ISO/IEC 29110 is not
intended to preclude the use of different life
cycles approaches such as waterfall, iterative,
incremental, evolutionary, or agile.

A VSE could obtain an ISO/IEC 29110 Certification. The set of technical reports is available
at no cost on the ISO website. Many ISO 29110
documents are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and French.
ISO/IEC TR 29110-5-1-2:2011 Software EngineeringLifecycle Profiles for Very Small Entities
(VSEs)Part 5-1-2: Management and Engineering
Guide: Generic Profile Group: Basic Profile

ISO/IEC TR 29110-5-1-2:2011 is applicable to

very small entities (VSEs). A VSE is defined as
an enterprise, organization, department, or project having up to 25 people. A set of standards and
guides has been developed according to a set of
VSEs characteristics and needs. The guides are
based on subsets of appropriate standards elements, referred to as VSE profiles. The purpose
of a VSE profile is to define a subset of ISO/IEC
international standards relevant to the VSEs
context.
ISO/IEC TR 29110-5-1-2:2011 provides the
management and engineering guide to the basic
VSE profile applicable to VSEs that do not
develop critical software. The generic profile
group does not imply any specific application
domain.
The next standard may be viewed as an alternative to 12207 for individual projects. The 1074
standard explains how to define processes for
use on a given project. The 12207 and 15288
standards, however, focus on defining processes
for organizational adoption and repeated use on
many projects. The current 1074 is the update of
a standard that was a predecessor of 12207.
IEEE Std. 1074-2006 Standard for Developing a
Software Project Life Cycle Process

This standard provides a process for creating a

software project life cycle process (SPLCP). It is
primarily directed at the process architect for a
given software project.

B-16 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

All of the standards described so far in this section provide a basis for defining processes. Some
users are interested in assessing and improving
their processes after implementation. The 15504
series provides for process assessment; it is currently being revised and renumbered 330xx.
ISO/IEC 15504 [ten parts] Information TechnologyProcess Assessment

ISO/IEC 15504-2:2003 defines the requirements

for performing process assessment as a basis
for use in process improvement and capability
determination.
Process assessment is based on a two-dimensional model containing a process dimension and
a capability dimension. The process dimension is
provided by an external process reference model
(such as 12207 or 15288), which defines a set of
processes characterized by statements of process
purpose and process outcomes. The capability
dimension consists of a measurement framework
comprising six process capability levels and their
associated process attributes.
The assessment output consists of a set of process attribute ratings for each process assessed,
termed the process profile, and may also include
the capability level achieved by that process.
ISO/IEC 15504-2:2003 identifies the measurement framework for process capability and the
requirements for
performing an assessment;
process reference models;
process assessment models;
verifying conformity of process assessment.
The requirements for process assessment
defined in ISO/IEC 15504-2:2003 form a structure that
facilitates self-assessment;
provides a basis for use in process improvement and capability determination;
takes into account the context in which the
assessed process is implemented;
produces a process rating;
addresses the ability of the process to achieve
its purpose;

is applicable across all application domains

and sizes of organization; and
may provide an objective benchmark
between organizations.
The minimum set of requirements defined in
ISO/IEC 15504-2:2003 ensures that assessment
results are objective, impartial, consistent, repeatable, and representative of the assessed processes.
Results of conformant process assessments may
be compared when the scopes of the assessments
are considered to be similar; for guidance on this
matter, refer to ISO/IEC 15504-4.
Several other standards are mentioned here
because they are written as elaborations of the
processes of 12207 or 15288. They are allocated
to other KAs because each one deals with topics
described in those other KAs.
IEEE Std. 828-2012 Standard for Configuration
Management in Systems and Software Engineering

See Software Configuration Management KA

IEEE Std. 14764-2006 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 14764:2006)

Standard for Software EngineeringSoftware Life
Cycle ProcessesMaintenance

See Software Maintenance KA

ISO/IEC 15026-4:2012 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and Software AssurancePart 4:

Assurance in the Life Cycle

See Software Quality KA

IEEE Std. 15939-2008 Standard Adoption of ISO/

IEC 15939:2007 Systems and Software EngineeringMeasurement Process

See Software Engineering Management KA

ISO/IEC 15940:2006 Information Technology

Software Engineering Environment Services

See Software Engineering Models and

Methods KA

IEEE Std. 16085-2006 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 16085:2006)

Standard for Systems and Software Engineering
Software Life Cycle ProcessesRisk Management

See Software Engineering Management KA

Appendix B B-17

ISO/IEC/IEEE 16326:2009 Systems and Software EngineeringLife Cycle ProcessesProject

Management

See Software Engineering Management KA

ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2011 Systems and Software

EngineeringLife Cycle ProcessesRequirements
Engineering

See Software Requirements KA

Some users desire process standards usable

for IT operations or IT service management.
The ISO/IEC 20000 series describe IT service
management. The processes are less rigorously
defined than those of the aforementioned engineering standards, but may be preferable for situations where the risks of failure involve money
or customer satisfaction rather than public health,
safety, and welfare. The ISO/IEC 20000 series
now extend to many parts. The foundation of
the series, ISO/IEC 20000-1, is briefly described
below.
ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 Information Technology
Service ManagementPart 1: Service Management
System Requirements

ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 is a service management

system (SMS) standard. It specifies requirements
for the service provider to plan, establish, implement, operate, monitor, review, maintain, and
improve an SMS. The requirements include the
design, transition, delivery and improvement of
services to fulfill agreed service requirements.
IEEE has adopted the first two parts of the ISO/
IEC 20000 series.
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING MODELS
AND METHODS
Some approaches to software engineering use
methods that cut across large parts of the life
cycle, rather than focusing on specific processes.
Chief Programmer was one traditional example. Agile development (actually an example
of traditional incremental delivery) is a current

example. Neither S2ESC nor SC 7 has a standard

for agile development, but there is a standard
for developing user documentation in an agile
project.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 26515:2012 Systems and Software
EngineeringDeveloping User Documentation in an
Agile Environment

ISO/IEC/IEEE 26515:2012 specifies the way in

which user documentation can be developed in
agile development projects. It is intended for use
in all organizations that are using agile development or are considering implementing their projects using these techniques. It applies to people
or organizations producing suites of documentation, to those undertaking a single documentation project, and to documentation produced
internally, as well as to documentation contracted
to outside service organizations. ISO/IEC/IEEE
26515:2012 addresses the relationship between
the user documentation process and the life cycle
documentation process in agile development. It
describes how the information developer or project manager may plan and manage the user documentation development in an agile environment.
It is intended neither to encourage nor to discourage the use of any particular agile development
tools or methods.
Many methodologies are based on semiformal
descriptions of the software to be constructed.
These range from simple descriptive notations
to models that can be manipulated and tested
and, in some cases, can generate code. Two relatively old techniques start the list; the first has
been widely applied for modeling processes and
workflows.
IEEE Std. 1320.1-1998 Standard for Functional Modeling LanguageSyntax and Semantics for IDEF0

IDEF0 function modeling is designed to represent the decisions, actions, and activities of an
existing or prospective organization or system.
IDEF0 graphics and accompanying texts are presented in an organized and systematic way to gain

B-18 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

understanding, support analysis, provide logic for

potential changes, specify requirements, and support system-level design and integration activities. IDEF0 may be used to model a wide variety
of systems, composed of people, machines, materials, computers, and information of all varieties,
and structured by the relationships among them,
both automated and nonautomated. For new systems, IDEF0 may be used first to define requirements and to specify the functions to be carried
out by the future system. As the basis of this
architecture, IDEF0 may then be used to design
an implementation that meets these requirements
and performs these functions. For existing systems, IDEF0 can be used to analyze the functions
that the system performs and to record the means
by which these are done.
IEEE Std. 1320.2-1998 Standard for Conceptual
Modeling LanguageSyntax and Semantics for
IDEF1X97 (IDEFobject)

IDEF1X 97 consists of two conceptual modeling

languages. The key-style language supports data/
information modeling and is downward compatible with the US governments 1993 standard,
FIPS PUB 184. The identity-style language is
based on the object model with declarative rules
and constraints. IDEF1X 97 identity style includes
constructs for the distinct but related components
of object abstraction: interface, requests, and
realization; utilizes graphics to state the interface;
and defines a declarative, directly executable rule
and constraint language for requests and realizations. IDEF1X 97 conceptual modeling supports
implementation by relational databases, extended
relational databases, object databases, and object
programming languages. IDEF1X 97 is formally
defined in terms of first order logic. A procedure
is given whereby any valid IDEF1X 97 model
can be transformed into an equivalent theory in
first order logic. That procedure is then applied to
a metamodel of IDEF1X 97 to define the valid set
of IDEF1X 97 models.
In recent years, the UML notation has become
popular for modeling software-intensive systems.

The next two standards provide two versions of

the UML language.
ISO/IEC 19501:2005 Information Technology
Open Distributed ProcessingUnified Modeling
Language (UML) Version 1.4.2

ISO/IEC 19501 describes the Unified Modeling Language (UML), a graphical language for
visualizing, specifying, constructing, and documenting the artifacts of a software-intensive system. The UML offers a standard way to write a
systems blueprints, including conceptual things
such as business processes and system functions
as well as concrete things such as programming
language statements, database schemas, and reusable software components.
ISO/IEC 19505:2012 [two parts] Information TechnologyObject Management Group Unified Modeling Language (OMG UML)

ISO/IEC 19505 defines the Unified Modeling

Language (UML), revision 2. The objective of
UML is to provide system architects, software
engineers, and software developers with tools for
analysis, design, and implementation of softwarebased systems as well as for modeling business
and similar processes.
Two more standards build on the base of UML
to provide additional modeling capabilities:
ISO/IEC 19506:2012 Information Technology
Object Management Group Architecture-Driven
Modernization (ADM)Knowledge Discovery
Meta-Model (KDM)

ISO/IEC 19506:2012 defines a metamodel for representing existing software assets, their associations, and operational environments, referred to as
the knowledge discovery metamodel (KDM). This
is the first in the series of specifications related to
software assurance (SwA) and architecture-driven
modernization (ADM) activities. KDM facilitates

Appendix B B-19

projects that involve existing software systems

by insuring interoperability and exchange of data
between tools provided by different vendors.
ISO/IEC 19507:2012 Information Technology
Object Management Group Object Constraint Language (OCL)

ISO/IEC 19507:2012 defines the Object Constraint Language (OCL), version 2.3.1. OCL version 2.3.1 is the version of OCL that is aligned
with UML 2.3 and MOF 2.0.
Some organizations invest in software engineering environments (SEE) to assist in the
construction of software. An SEE, per se, is not
a replacement for sound processes. However, a
suitable SEE must support the processes that
have been chosen by the organization.
ISO/IEC 15940:2006 Information Technology
Software Engineering Environment Services

ISO/IEC 15940:2006 defines software engineering

environment (SEE) services conceptually in a reference model that can be adapted to any SEEs to automate one or more software engineering activities.
It describes services that support the process definitions as in ISO/IEC 12207 so that the set of SEE
services is compatible with ISO/IEC 12207. ISO/
IEC 15940:2006 can be used either as a general reference or to define an automated software process.
The selection of tooling for a software engineering
environment is itself a difficult task. Two standards
provide some assistance. ISO/IEC 14102:2008
defines both a set of processes and a structured set of
computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tool
characteristics for use in the technical evaluation
and the ultimate selection of a CASE tool.
IEEE Std. 14102-2010 Standard Adoption of ISO/
IEC 14102:2008 Information TechnologyGuideline for the Evaluation and Selection of CASE Tools

Within systems and software engineering, computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools
represent a major part of the supporting technologies used to develop and maintain information technology systems. Their selection must be
carried out with careful consideration of both the
technical and management requirements.
ISO/IEC 14102:2008 defines both a set of processes and a structured set of CASE tool characteristics for use in the technical evaluation and
the ultimate selection of a CASE tool. It follows
the software product evaluation model defined in
ISO/IEC 14598-5:1998.
ISO/IEC 14102:2008 adopts the general model
of software product quality characteristics and
subcharacteristics defined in ISO/IEC 91261:2001 and extends these when the software
product is a CASE tool; it provides product characteristics unique to CASE tools.
The next document provides guidance on how
to adopt CASE tools, once selected.
IEEE Std. 14471-2010 GuideAdoption of ISO/IEC
TR 14471:2007 Information TechnologySoftware
EngineeringGuidelines for the Adoption of CASE
Tools

The purpose of ISO/IEC TR 14471:2007 is to

provide a recommended practice for CASE adoption. It provides guidance in establishing processes and activities that are to be applied for
the successful adoption of CASE technology.
The use of ISO/IEC TR 14471:2007 will help
to maximize the return and minimize the risk of
investing in CASE technology. However, ISO/
IEC TR 14471:2007 does not establish compliance criteria.
It is best used in conjunction with ISO/IEC
14102 for CASE tool evaluation and selection. It
neither dictates nor advocates particular development standards, software processes, design methods, methodologies, techniques, programming
languages, or life cycle paradigms.

B-20 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Within a software engineering environment, it

is important for the various tools to interoperate.
The following standards provide a scheme for
interconnection.
IEEE Std. 1175.1-2002 Guide for CASE Tool InterconnectionsClassification and Description
IEEE Std. 1175.2-2006 Recommended Practice for
CASE Tool InterconnectionCharacterization of
Interconnections
IEEE Std. 1175.3-2004 Standard for CASE Tool
InterconnectionsReference Model for Specifying
Software Behavior
IEEE Std. 1175.4-2008 Standard for CASE Tool
InterconnectionsReference Model for Specifying
System Behavior

The purpose of this family of standards is to specify a common set of modeling concepts based
on those found in commercial CASE tools for
describing the operational behavior of a software
system. These standards establish a uniform,
integrated model of software concepts related to
software functionality. They also provide a textual syntax for expressing the common properties
(attributes and relationships) of those concepts as
they have been used to model software behavior.
SOFTWARE QUALITY
One viewpoint of software quality starts with
ISO 9001, Quality Management Requirements,
dealing with quality policy throughout an organization. The terminology of that standard may
be unfamiliar to software professionals, and
quality management auditors may be unfamiliar
with software jargon. The following standard
describes the relationship between ISO 9001 and
ISO/IEC 12207. Unfortunately, the current version refers to obsolete editions of both; a replacement is in progress:
IEEE Std. 90003-2008 GuideAdoption of ISO/
IEC 90003:2004 Software EngineeringGuidelines

for the Application of ISO 9001:2000 to Computer

Software

ISO/IEC 90003 provides guidance for organizations in the application of ISO 9001:2000 to the
acquisition, supply, development, operation, and
maintenance of computer software and related
support services. ISO/IEC 90003:2004 does not
add to or otherwise change the requirements of
ISO 9001:2000.
The guidelines provided in ISO/IEC
90003:2004 are not intended to be used as assessment criteria in quality management system
registration/certification.
The application of ISO/IEC 90003:2004 is
appropriate to software that is
part of a commercial contract with another
organization,
a product available for a market sector,
used to support the processes of an
organization,
embedded in a hardware product, or
related to software services.
Some organizations may be involved in all
the above activities; others may specialize in
one area. Whatever the situation, the organizations quality management system should cover
all aspects (software related and nonsoftware
related) of the business.
ISO/IEC 90003:2004 identifies the issues
which should be addressed and is independent
of the technology, life cycle models, development processes, sequence of activities, and
organizational structure used by an organization. Additional guidance and frequent references to the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 software
engineering standards are provided to assist in
the application of ISO 9001:2000: in particular, ISO/IEC 12207, ISO/IEC TR 9126, ISO/
IEC 14598, ISO/IEC 15939, and ISO/IEC TR
15504.
The ISO 9001 approach posits an organization-level quality management process paired
with project-level quality assurance planning
to achieve the organizational goals. IEEE 730
describes project-level quality planning. It is

Appendix B B-21

currently aligned with an obsolete edition of

12207, but a revision is being prepared.
IEEE Std. 730-2002 Standard for Software Quality
Assurance Plans

The standard specifies the format and content of

software quality assurance plans.
Another viewpoint of software quality begins
with enumerating the desired characteristics of a
software product and selecting measures or other
evaluations to determine if the desired level of
characteristics has been achieved. The so-called
SQuaRE (software product quality requirements
and evaluation) series of SC 7 standards covers
this approach in great detail.
ISO/IEC 25000 through 25099 Software EngineeringSoftware Product Quality Requirements and
Evaluation (SQuaRE)

A few of the SQuaRE standards are selected

below for particular attention. The first is the
overall guide to the series.
ISO/IEC 25000:2005 Software EngineeringSoftware Product Quality Requirements and Evaluation
(SQuaRE)Guide to SQuaRE

ISO/IEC 25000:2005 provides guidance for the

use of the new series of international standards
named Software product Quality Requirements
and Evaluation (SQuaRE). The purpose of this
guide is to provide a general overview of SQuaRE
contents, common reference models, and definitions, as well as the relationship among the documents, allowing users of this guide a good understanding of those international standards. This
document contains an explanation of the transition process between the old ISO/IEC 9126 and
the 14598 series and SQuaRE, and also presents
information on how to use the ISO/IEC 9126 and
14598 series in their previous form.

SQuaRE provides
terms and definitions,
reference models,
guides
standards for requirements specification,
planning and management, measurement,
and evaluation purposes.
The next SQuaRE standard provides a taxonomy of software quality characteristics that may
be useful in selecting characteristics relevant to a
specific project:
ISO/IEC 25010:2011 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and Software Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE)System and Software Quality Models

ISO/IEC 25010:2011 defines the following:

1. A quality in-use model composed of five
characteristics (some of which are further
subdivided into subcharacteristics) that
relate to the outcome of interaction when a
product is used in a particular context of use.
This system model is applicable to the complete human-computer system, including
both computer systems in use and software
products in use.
2. A product quality model composed of eight
characteristics (which are further subdivided
into subcharacteristics) that relate to static
properties of software and dynamic properties of the computer system. The model is
applicable to both computer systems and
software products.
The characteristics defined by both models
are relevant to all software products and computer systems. The characteristics and subcharacteristics provide consistent terminology for
specifying, measuring, and evaluating system
and software product quality. They also provide
a set of quality characteristics against which
stated quality requirements can be compared for
completeness.

B-22 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Although the scope of the product quality

model is intended to be software and computer
systems, many of the characteristics are also relevant to wider systems and services.
ISO/IEC 25012 contains a model for data quality that is complementary to this model.
The scope of the models excludes purely functional properties, but it does include functional
suitability.
The scope of application of the quality models
includes supporting specification and evaluation
of software and software-intensive computer systems from different perspectives by those who are
associated with their acquisition, requirements,
development, use, evaluation, support, maintenance, quality assurance and control, and audit.
The models can, for example, be used by developers, acquirers, quality assurance and control
staff, and independent evaluators, particularly
those responsible for specifying and evaluating
software product quality. Activities during product development that can benefit from the use of
the quality models include
identifying software and system requirements;
validating the comprehensiveness of a
requirements definition;
identifying software and system design
objectives;
identifying software and system testing
objectives;
identifying quality control criteria as part of
quality assurance;
identifying acceptance criteria for a software
product and/or software-intensive computer
system;
establishing measures of quality characteristics in support of these activities.
Some documents in the SQuaRE series deal specifically with the characteristic of usability. The
Common Industry Format (CIF) for usability reporting began at the US National Institute for Standards
and Technology (NIST) and was moved into ISO/
IEC JTC 1/SC 7 for purposes of standardization.
ISO/IEC 25060 through 25064 Software EngineeringSoftware Product Quality Requirements and

Evaluation (SQuaRE)Common Industry Format

(CIF) for Usability

A family of international standards, named the

Common Industry Formats (CIF), documents
the specification and evaluation of the usability
of interactive systems. It provides a general overview of the CIF framework and contents, definitions, and the relationship of the framework elements. The intended users of the framework are
identified, as well as the situations in which the
framework may be applied. The assumptions and
constraints of the framework are also enumerated.
The framework content includes the following:
consistent terminology and classification of
specification, evaluation, and reporting;
a definition of the type and scope of formats
and the high-level structure to be used for
documenting required information and the
results of evaluation.
The CIF family of standards is applicable to
software and hardware products used for predefined tasks. The information items are intended
to be used as part of system-level documentation
resulting from development processes such as
those in ISO 9241-210 and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7
process standards.
The CIF family focuses on documenting those
elements needed for design and development of
usable systems, rather than prescribing a specific
process. It is intended to be used in conjunction
with existing international standards, including ISO 9241, ISO 20282, ISO/IEC 9126, and
the SQuaRE series (ISO/IEC 25000 to ISO/IEC
25099).
The CIF family of standards does not prescribe
any kind of method, life cycle or process.
Not everyone agrees with the taxonomy of
quality characteristics in ISO/IEC 25010. That
standard has a quality factor called reliability
that has subfactors of maturity, availability, fault
tolerance, and recoverability. IEC TC 65, which
has responsibility for standards on dependability, defines that term as a nonquantitative composite of reliability, maintainability, and maintenance support. Others use the term reliability

Appendix B B-23

to denote a measure defined by a mathematical

equation. The disagreement over the use of these
words means that the standards on the subject are
inherently unaligned. A few will be noted below,
but the words like those noted above may mean
different things in different standards.
IEEE Std. 982.1-2005 Standard for Dictionary of
Measures of the Software Aspects of Dependability

A standard dictionary of measures of the software aspects of dependability for assessing and
predicting the reliability, maintainability, and
availability of any software system; in particular,
it applies to mission critical software systems.
IEEE Std. 1633-2008 Recommended Practice for
Software Reliability

The methods for assessing and predicting the reliability of software, based on a life cycle approach
to software reliability engineering, are prescribed in
this recommended practice. It provides information
necessary for the application of software reliability
(SR) measurement to a project, lays a foundation
for building consistent methods, and establishes
the basic principle for collecting the data needed to
assess and predict the reliability of software. The
recommended practice prescribes how any user can
participate in SR assessments and predictions.
IEEE has an overall standard for software
product quality that has a scope similar to the
ISO/IEC 250xx series described previously. Its
terminology differs from the ISO/IEC series, but
it is substantially more compact.
IEEE Std. 1061-1998 Standard for Software Quality
Metrics Methodology

A methodology for establishing quality requirements and identifying, implementing, analyzing,

and validating the process and product software
quality metrics is defined. The methodology
spans the entire software life cycle.

One approach to achieving software quality is

to perform an extensive program of verification
and validation. IEEE Std. 1012 is probably the
worlds most widely applied standard on this subject. A revision was recently published.
IEEE Std. 1012-2012 Standard for System and Software Verification and Validation

Verification and validation (V&V) processes are

used to determine whether the development products of a given activity conform to the requirements of that activity and whether the product
satisfies its intended use and user needs. V&V life
cycle process requirements are specified for different integrity levels. The scope of V&V processes
encompasses systems, software, and hardware, and
it includes their interfaces. This standard applies to
systems, software, and hardware being developed,
maintained, or reused [legacy, commercial off-theshelf (COTS), nondevelopmental items]. The term
software also includes firmware and microcode,
and each of the terms system, software, and hardware includes documentation. V&V processes
include the analysis, evaluation, review, inspection, assessment, and testing of products.
There are other standards that support the verification and validation processes. One describes
techniques for performing reviews and audits
during a software project.
IEEE Std. 1028-2008 Standard for Software Reviews
and Audits

Five types of software reviews and audits,

together with procedures required for the execution of each type, are defined in this standard.
This standard is concerned only with the reviews
and audits; procedures for determining the necessity of a review or audit are not defined, and the
disposition of the results of the review or audit
is not specified. Types included are management
reviews, technical reviews, inspections, walkthroughs, and audits.

B-24 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

In many cases, a database of software anomalies is used to support verification and validation
activities. The following standard suggests how
anomalies should be classified.

use of each part and the combined use of multiple

parts. Coverage of assurance for a service being
operated and managed on an ongoing basis is not
covered in ISO/IEC 15026.

IEEE Std. 1044-2009 Standard for Classification for

Software Anomalies

The second part of the standard describes the

structure of an assurance case, which is intended
as a structured argument that the critical property
has been achieved. It is a generalization of various
domain-specific constructs like safety cases.

This standard provides a uniform approach to the

classification of software anomalies, regardless
of when they originate or when they are encountered within the project, product, or system life
cycle. Classification data can be used for a variety of purposes, including defect causal analysis, project management, and software process
improvement (e.g., to reduce the likelihood of
defect insertion and/or increase the likelihood of
early defect detection).
In some systems, one particular property of the
software is so important that it requires special
treatment beyond that provided by a conventional verification and validation program. The
emerging term for this sort of treatment is systems and software assurance. Examples include
safety, privacy, high security, and ultrareliability.
The 15026 standard is under development to deal
with such situations. The first part of the four-part
standard provides terminology and concepts used
in the remaining parts. It was first written before
the other parts and is now being revised for complete agreement with the others.
IEEE Std. 15026.1-2011 Trial-Use Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC TR 15026-1:2010 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and Software AssurancePart 1: Concepts and Vocabulary

This trial-use standard adopts ISO/IEC TR

15026-1:2010, which defines terms and establishes an extensive and organized set of concepts
and their relationships for software and systems
assurance, thereby establishing a basis for shared
understanding of the concepts and principles central to ISO/IEC 15026 across its user communities. It provides information to users of the subsequent parts of ISO/IEC 15026, including the

IEEE Std. 15026.2-2011 Standard Adoption of ISO/

IEC 15026-2:2011 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and Software AssurancePart 2:
Assurance Case

ISO/IEC 15026-2:2011 is adopted by this standard. ISO/IEC 15026-2:2011 specifies minimum

requirements for the structure and contents of an
assurance case to improve the consistency and
comparability of assurance cases and to facilitate stakeholder communications, engineering
decisions, and other uses of assurance cases. An
assurance case includes a top-level claim for a
property of a system or product (or set of claims),
systematic argumentation regarding this claim,
and the evidence and explicit assumptions that
underlie this argumentation. Arguing through
multiple levels of subordinate claims, this structured argumentation connects the top-level claim
to the evidence and assumptions. Assurance
cases are generally developed to support claims
in areas such as safety, reliability, maintainability, human factors, operability, and security,
although these assurance cases are often called
by more specific names, e.g., safety case or reliability and maintainability (R&M) case. ISO/IEC
15026-2:2011 does not place requirements on
the quality of the contents of an assurance case
and does not require the use of a particular terminology or graphical representation. Likewise, it
places no requirements on the means of physical
implementation of the data, including no requirements for redundancy or colocation.
In many systems, some portions are critical to
achieving the desired property while others are only

Appendix B B-25

incidental. For example, the flight control system of

an airliner is critical to safety, but the microwave
oven is not. Conventionally, the various portions
are assigned criticality levels to indicate their significance to the overall achievement of the property.
The third part of ISO/IEC 15026 describes how that
is done. This part will be revised for better fit with
the remainder of the 15026 standard.
ISO/IEC 15026-3:2011 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and Software AssurancePart 3:
System Integrity Levels

ISO/IEC 15026-3:2011 specifies the concept of

integrity levels with corresponding integrity level
requirements that are required to be met in order
to show the achievement of the integrity level. It
places requirements on and recommends methods for defining and using integrity levels and
their integrity level requirements, including the
assignment of integrity levels to systems, software products, their elements, and relevant external dependences.
ISO/IEC 15026-3:2011 is applicable to systems and software and is intended for use by:
definers of integrity levels such as industry
and professional organizations, standards
organizations, and government agencies;
users of integrity levels such as developers
and maintainers, suppliers and acquirers,
users, and assessors of systems or software,
and for the administrative and technical support of systems and/or software products.
One important use of integrity levels is by suppliers and acquirers in agreements; for example,
to aid in assuring safety, economic, or security
characteristics of a delivered system or product.
ISO/IEC 15026-3:2011 does not prescribe a
specific set of integrity levels or their integrity
level requirements. In addition, it does not prescribe the way in which integrity level use is integrated with the overall system or software engineering life cycle processes.
ISO/IEC 15026-3:2011 can be used alone or
with other parts of ISO/IEC 15026. It can be used
with a variety of technical and specialized risk
analysis and development approaches. ISO/IEC

TR 15026-1 provides additional information and

references to aid users of ISO/IEC 15026-3:2011.
ISO/IEC 15026-3:2011 does not require the
use of the assurance cases described by ISO/IEC
15026-2 but describes how integrity levels and
assurance cases can work together, especially in
the definition of specifications for integrity levels
or by using integrity levels within a portion of an
assurance case.
The final part of 15026 provides additional
guidance for executing the life cycle processes of
12207 and 15288 when a system or software is
required to achieve an important property.
ISO/IEC 15026-4:2012 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and Software AssurancePart 4:
Assurance in the Life Cycle

This part of ISO/IEC 15026 gives guidance and

recommendations for conducting selected processes, activities and tasks for systems and software
products requiring assurance claims for properties
selected for special attention, called critical properties. This part of ISO/IEC 15026 specifies a property-independent list of processes, activities, and
tasks to achieve the claim and show the achievement of the claim. This part of ISO/IEC 15026
establishes the processes, activities, tasks, guidance,
and recommendations in the context of a defined
life cycle model and set of life cycle processes for
system and/or software life cycle management.
The next standard deals with a property
safetythat is often identified as critical. It was
originally developed in cooperation with the US
nuclear power industry.
IEEE Std. 1228-1994 Standard for Software Safety
Plans

The minimum acceptable requirements for the

content of a software safety plan are established.
This standard applies to the software safety plan
used for the development, procurement, maintenance, and retirement of safety-critical software.

B-26 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

This standard requires that the plan be prepared

within the context of the system safety program. Only the safety aspects of the software are
included. This standard does not contain special
provisions required for software used in distributed systems or in parallel processors.
Classical treatments suggest that verification
deals with static evaluation methods and that
testing deals with dynamic evaluation methods. Recent treatments, including ISO/IEC draft
29119, are blurring this distinction, though, so
testing standards are mentioned here.
IEEE Std. 829-2008 Standard for Software and System Test Documentation

See Software Testing KA

IEEE Std. 1008-1987 Standard for Software Unit

Testing

See Software Testing KA

IEEE Std. 26513-2010 Standard Adoption of ISO/

IEC 26513:2009 Systems and Software EngineeringRequirements for Testers and Reviewers of
Documentation

See Software Testing KA

ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 [four parts] (Draft) Software

and Systems EngineeringSoftware Testing

See Software Testing KA

Knowledge (SWEBOK)

See General

An SC 7 standard provides a framework for

comparisons among certifications of software
engineering professionals. That standard states
that the areas considered in certification must be
mapped to the SWEBOK Guide.
ISO/IEC 24773:2008 Software EngineeringCertification of Software Engineering Professionals

ISO/IEC 24773:2008 establishes a framework for

comparison of schemes for certifying software
engineering professionals. A certification scheme
is a set of certification requirements for software
engineering professionals. ISO/IEC 24773:2008
specifies the items that a scheme is required to
contain and indicates what should be defined for
each item.
ISO/IEC 24773:2008 will facilitate the portability of software engineering professional certifications between different countries or organizations. At present, different countries and
organizations have adopted different approaches
on the topic, which are implemented by means
of regulations and bylaws. The intention of ISO/
IEC 24773:2008 is to be open to these individual approaches by providing a framework for
expressing them in a common scheme that can
lead to understanding.

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

SC 7 is currently drafting a guide that will supplement 24773.

IEEE is a provider of products related to the certification of professional practitioners of software

engineering. The first has already been described,
the Guide to the Software Engineering Body of
Knowledge. The SWEBOK Guide has been adopted
by ISO/IEC as an outline of the knowledge that professional software engineers should have.

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ECONOMICS

ISO/IEC TR 19759:2005 Software EngineeringGuide to the Software Engineering Body of

No standards are allocated to this KA.

COMPUTING FOUNDATIONS
No standards are allocated to this KA.
MATHEMATICAL FOUNDATIONS
No standards are allocated to this KA.

Appendix B B-27

ENGINEERING FOUNDATIONS

The list of standards published for ISO/IEC JTC

1/SC 7 can be found at www.iso.org/iso/iso_
catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_tc_browse.
htm?commid=45086.
Because the URL might change, readers might
have to navigate to the list. Begin at www.iso.org/
iso/store.htm, then click on browse standards
catalogue, then browse by TC, then JTC 1,
then SC 7.
Finding the current list of standards for S2ESC
is a bit more difficult. Begin at http://standards.
ieee.org/. In the search box under Find Standards, type S2ESC. This should produce a
list of published standards for which S2ESC is
responsible.
Keep in mind that the searchable databases
are compilations. Like any such database, they
can contain errors that lead to incomplete search
results.

The definitions contained in ISO/IEC/IEEE

24765, System and Software Vocabulary, are
freely available at www.computer.org/sevocab.
However, the vast majority of standards are not
free. ISO/IEC standards are generally purchased
from the national standards organization of the
country in which one lives. For example, in the
US, international standards can be purchased
from the American National Standards Institute
at http://webstore.ansi.org/. Alternatively, standards can be purchased directly from ISO/IEC
at www.iso.org/iso/store.htm. It should be noted
that each individual nation is free to set its own
prices, so it may be helpful to check both sources.
IEEE standards may be available to you for
free if your employer or library has a subscription
to IEEE Xplore: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/. Some
subscriptions to Xplore provide access only to
the abstracts of standards; the full text may then
be purchased via Xplore. Alternatively, standards
may be purchased via the IEEE standards store at
www.techstreet.com/ieeegate.html. It should be
noted that IEEE-SA sometimes bundles standards
into groups available at a substantial discount.
Finally, the reader should note that standards
that IEEE has adopted from ISO/IEC, standards
that ISO/IEC has fast-tracked from IEEE, and
standards that were jointly developed or revised
are available from both sources. For all standards
described in this article, the IEEE version and the
ISO/IEC version are substantively identical. The
respective versions may have different front and
back matter but the bodies are identical.

WHERE TO OBTAIN THE STANDARDS

WHERE TO SEE THE SWEBOK GUIDE

Some readers will want to obtain standards

described in this article. The first thing to
know is that some international standards are
available free for individual use. The current
list of ISO/IEC standards available under these
terms is located at http://standards.iso.org/ittf/
PubliclyAvailableStandards/index.html.
One of the publicly available standards is the
ISO/IEC adoption of the SWEBOK Guide, ISO/
IEC 19759.

The SWEBOK Guide is published under an IEEE

copyright. The current version of the SWEBOK
Guide is available free to the public at www.
swebok.org/. The ISO/IEC adoption of the
SWEBOK Guide, ISO/IEC TR 19759, is one of
the freely available standards.

No standards are allocated to this KA.

STAYING CURRENT
This article was obsolescent the moment it was
drafted. Some readers will need to know how
to get current designations and descriptions of
standards. This section describes some helpful
resources.
WHERE TO FIND STANDARDS

B-28 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

SUMMARY LIST OF THE STANDARDS

Number and Title (listed in order of number)

Most Relevant KA

IEEE Std. 730-2002 Standard for Software Quality Assurance Plans

IEEE Std. 828-2012 Standard for Configuration Management in
Systems and Software Engineering
IEEE Std. 829-2008 Standard for Software and System Test
Documentation
IEEE Std. 982.1-2005 Standard for Dictionary of Measures of the
Software Aspects of Dependability
IEEE Std. 1008-1987 Standard for Software Unit Testing
IEEE Std. 1012-2012 Standard for System and Software Verification and
Validation
IEEE Std. 1016-2009 Standard for Information TechnologySystems
DesignSoftware Design Descriptions
IEEE Std. 1028-2008 Standard for Software Reviews and Audits
IEEE Std. 1044-2009 Standard for Classification for Software
Anomalies
IEEE Std. 1061-1998 Standard for Software Quality Metrics
Methodology

SW Quality
SW Configuration
Management

IEEE Std. 1062-1998 Recommended Practice for Software Acquisition

IEEE Std. 1074-2006 Standard for Developing a Software Project Life
Cycle Process
IEEE Std. 1175.1-2002 Guide for CASE Tool Interconnections
Classification and Description
IEEE Std. 1175.2-2006 Recommended Practice for CASE Tool
InterconnectionCharacterization of Interconnections
IEEE Std. 1175.3-2004 Standard for CASE Tool Interconnections
Reference Model for Specifying Software Behavior
IEEE Std. 1175.4-2008 Standard for CASE Tool Interconnections
Reference Model for Specifying System Behavior
IEEE Std. 1220-2005 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 26702:2007) Standard for
Application and Management of the Systems Engineering Process
IEEE Std. 1228-1994 Standard for Software Safety Plans
IEEE Std. 1320.1-1998 Standard for Functional Modeling Language
Syntax and Semantics for IDEF0
IEEE Std. 1320.2-1998 Standard for Conceptual Modeling Language
Syntax and Semantics for IDEF1X97 (IDEFobject)
IEEE Std. 1490-2011 GuideAdoption of the Project Management
Institute (PMI) Standard, A Guide to the Project Management Body
of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)Fourth Edition
IEEE Std. 1517-2010 Standard for Information TechnologySystem
and Software Life Cycle ProcessesReuse Processes

SW Testing
SW Quality
SW Testing
SW Quality
SW Design
SW Quality
SW Quality
SW Quality
SW Engineering
Management
SW Engineering
Process
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Engineering
Process
SW Quality
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Engineering
Management
SW Engineering
Process

Appendix B B-29

Number and Title (listed in order of number)

Most Relevant KA

IEEE Std. 1633-2008 Recommended Practice for Software Reliability

IEEE Std. 12207-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 12207:2008) Standard for
Systems and Software EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle Processes
IEEE Std. 14102-2010 Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC 14102:2008
Information TechnologyGuideline for the Evaluation and Selection of
CASE Tools
ISO/IEC 14143 [six parts] Information TechnologySoftware
MeasurementFunctional Size Measurement
IEEE Std. 14471-2010 GuideAdoption of ISO/IEC TR 14471:2007
Information TechnologySoftware EngineeringGuidelines for the
Adoption of CASE Tools
IEEE Std. 14764-2006 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 14764:2006) Standard for
Software EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle ProcessesMaintenance
IEEE Std. 15026.1-2011 Trial-Use Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC
TR 15026-1:2010 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and
Software AssurancePart 1: Concepts and Vocabulary
IEEE Std. 15026.2-2011 Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC 150262:2011 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and Software
AssurancePart 2: Assurance Case
ISO/IEC 15026-3 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and
Software AssurancePart 3: System Integrity Levels
ISO/IEC 15026-4:2012 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems
and Software AssurancePart 4: Assurance in the Life Cycle
IEEE Std. 15288-2008 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 15288:2008) Standard for
Systems and Software EngineeringSystem Life Cycle Processes
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2011 Systems and Software Engineering
Content of Life-Cycle Information Products (Documentation)
ISO/IEC 15504 [ten parts] Information TechnologyProcess
Assessment
IEEE Std. 15939-2008 Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC 15939:2007
Systems and Software EngineeringMeasurement Process

SW Quality
SW Engineering
Process

ISO/IEC 15940:2006 Information TechnologySoftware Engineering

Environment Services

SW Engineering
Models and Methods

IEEE Std. 16085-2006 (a.k.a. ISO/IEC 16085:2006) Standard for

Systems and Software EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle Processes
Risk Management
ISO/IEC/IEEE 16326:2009 Systems and Software EngineeringLife
Cycle ProcessesProject Management
ISO/IEC 19501:2005 Information TechnologyOpen Distributed
ProcessingUnified Modeling Language (UML) Version 1.4.2

SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Requirements
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Maintenance
SW Quality

SW Quality
SW Quality
SW Quality
SW Engineering
Process
SW Engineering
Process
SW Engineering
Process
SW Engineering
Management

SW Engineering
Management
SW Engineering
Management
SW Engineering
Models and Methods

B-30 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

Number and Title (listed in order of number)

Most Relevant KA

ISO/IEC 19505:2012 [two parts] Information TechnologyObject

Management Group Unified Modeling Language (OMG UML)
ISO/IEC 19506:2012 Information TechnologyObject Management
Group Architecture-Driven Modernization (ADM)Knowledge
Discovery Meta-Model (KDM)
ISO/IEC 19507:2012 Information TechnologyObject Management
Group Object Constraint Language (OCL)
ISO/IEC TR 19759:2005 Software EngineeringGuide to the Software
Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK)
ISO/IEC 19761:2011 Software EngineeringCOSMIC: A Functional
Size Measurement Method
ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 Information TechnologyService
ManagementPart 1: Service management system requirements
ISO/IEC 20926:2009 Software and Systems EngineeringSoftware
MeasurementIFPUG Functional Size Measurement Method
ISO/IEC 20968:2002 Software EngineeringMk II Function Point
AnalysisCounting Practices Manual
ISO/IEC 24570:2005 Software EngineeringNESMA Functional
Size Measurement Method Version 2.1Definitions and Counting
Guidelines for the Application of Function Point Analysis
IEEE Std. 24748.1-2011 GuideAdoption of ISO/IEC TR 24748-1:2010
Systems and Software EngineeringLife Cycle ManagementPart 1:
Guide for Life Cycle Management
IEEE Std. 24748.2-2012 GuideAdoption of ISO/IEC TR 24748-2:2011
Systems and Software EngineeringLife Cycle ManagementPart
2: Guide to the Application of ISO/IEC 15288 (System Life Cycle
Processes)
IEEE Std. 24748-3:2012 GuideAdoption of ISO/IEC TR 24748-3:2011
Systems and Software EngineeringLife Cycle ManagementPart
3: Guide to the Application of ISO/IEC 12207 (Software Life Cycle
Processes)
ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010 Systems and Software
EngineeringVocabulary
ISO/IEC TR 24772:2013 Information technologyProgramming
Languages Guidance to Avoiding Vulnerabilities in Programming
Languages through Language Selection and Use
ISO/IEC 24773:2008 Software EngineeringCertification of Software
Engineering Professionals
IEEE Std. 24774:2012 GuideAdoption of ISO/IEC TR 24474:2010
Systems and Software EngineeringLife Cycle Management
Guidelines for Process Description
ISO/IEC 25000:2005 Software EngineeringSoftware Product Quality
Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE)Guide to SQuaRE

SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
[General]
SW Requirements
SW Engineering
Process
SW Requirements
SW Requirements
SW Requirements
SW Engineering
Process
SW Engineering
Process

SW Engineering
Process
[General]
SW Construction
SW Engineering
Professional Practice
SW Engineering
Process
SW Quality

Appendix B B-31

Number and Title (listed in order of number)

ISO/IEC 25000 through 25099 Software EngineeringSoftware
Product Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE)
ISO/IEC 25010:2011 Systems and Software EngineeringSystems and
Software Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE)System
and Software Quality Models
ISO/IEC 25060 through 25064 Software EngineeringSoftware
Product Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE)Common
Industry Format (CIF) for Usability
ISO/IEC/IEEE 26511:2012 Systems and Software Engineering
Requirements for Managers of User Documentation
ISO/IEC/IEEE 26512:2011 Systems and Software Engineering
Requirements for Acquirers and Suppliers of User Documentation
IEEE Std. 26513-2010 Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC 26513:2009
Systems and Software EngineeringRequirements for Testers and
Reviewers of Documentation
IEEE Std. 26514-2010 Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC 26514:2008
Systems and Software EngineeringRequirements for Designers and
Developers of User Documentation
ISO/IEC/IEEE 26515:2012 Systems and Software Engineering
Developing User Documentation in an Agile Environment
ISO/IEC 29110 [several parts] Software EngineeringLifecycle
Profiles for Very Small Entities (VSE)
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 [four parts] (Draft) Software and Systems
EngineeringSoftware Testing
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2011 Systems and Software EngineeringLife
Cycle ProcessesRequirements Engineering
ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011 Systems and Software Engineering
Architecture Description
IEEE Std. 90003:2008 GuideAdoption of ISO/IEC 90003:2004
Software EngineeringGuidelines for the Application of ISO
9001:2000 to Computer Software

Most Relevant KA
SW Quality
SW Quality

SW Quality
SW Engineering
Management
SW Engineering
Management
SW Testing

SW Design
SW Engineering
Models and Methods
SW Engineering
Process
SW Testing
SW Requirements
SW Design
SW Quality

APPENDIX C
CONSOLIDATED REFERENCE LIST
The Consolidated Reference List identifies all
recommended reference materials (to the level of
section number) that accompany the breakdown
of topics within each knowledge area (KA). This
Consolidated Reference List is adopted by the
software engineering certification and associated
professional development products offered by the
IEEE Computer Society. KA Editors used the references allocated to their KA by the Consolidated
Reference List as their Recommended References.
Collectively this Consolidated Reference List is
Complete: Covering the entire scope of the
SWEBOK Guide.
Sufficient: Providing enough information to
describe generally accepted knowledge.
Consistent: Not providing contradictory
knowledge nor conflicting practices.
Credible: Recognized as providing expert
treatment.
Current: Treating the subject in a manner that
is commensurate with currently generally
accepted knowledge.
Succinct: As short as possible (both in number of reference items and in total page
count) without failing other objectives.
[1*] J.H. Allen et al., Software Security
Engineering: A Guide for Project
Managers, Addison-Wesley, 2008.
[2*] M. Bishop, Computer Security: Art and
Science, Addison-Wesley, 2002.
[3*] B. Boehm and R. Turner, Balancing Agility
and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed,
Addison-Wesley, 2003.

[4*] F. Bott et al., Professional Issues in

Software Engineering, 3rd ed., Taylor &
Francis, 2000.
[5*] J.G. Brookshear, Computer Science: An
Overview, 10th ed., Addison-Wesley, 2008.
[6*] D. Budgen, Software Design, 2nd ed.,
Addison-Wesley, 2003.
[7*] E.W. Cheney and D.R. Kincaid, Numerical
Mathematics and Computing, 6th ed.,
Brooks/Cole, 2007.
[8*] P. Clements et al., Documenting Software
Architectures: Views and Beyond, 2nd ed.,
Pearson Education, 2010.
[9*] R.E. Fairley, Managing and Leading
Software Projects, Wiley-IEEE Computer
Society Press, 2009.
[10*] D. Galin, Software Quality Assurance:
From Theory to Implementation, Pearson
Education Limited, 2004.
[11*] E. Gamma et al., Design Patterns:
Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented
Software, 1st ed., Addison-Wesley
Professional, 1994.
[12*] P. Grubb and A.A. Takang, Software
Maintenance: Concepts and Practice, 2nd
ed., World Scientific Publishing, 2003.
[13*] A.M.J. Hass, Configuration Management
Principles and Practices, 1st ed., AddisonWesley, 2003.

C-1

C-2 SWEBOK Guide V3.0

[14*] E. Horowitz et al., Computer Algorithms,

2nd ed., Silicon Press, 2007.
[15*] IEEE CS/ACM Joint Task Force on
Software Engineering Ethics and
Professional Practices, Software
Engineering Code of Ethics and
Professional Practice (Version 5.2), 1999;
www.acm.org/serving/se/code.htm.
[16*] IEEE Std. 828-2012, Standard for
Configuration Management in Systems and
Software Engineering, IEEE, 2012.
[17*] IEEE Std. 1028-2008, Software Reviews
and Audits, IEEE, 2008.
[18*] ISO/IEC 14764 IEEE Std. 14764-2006,
Software EngineeringSoftware Life Cycle
ProcessesMaintenance, IEEE, 2006.
[19*] S.H. Kan, Metrics and Models in Software
Quality Engineering, 2nd ed., AddisonWesley, 2002.
[20*] S. McConnell, Code Complete, 2nd ed.,
Microsoft Press, 2004.
[21*] J. McGarry et al., Practical Software
Measurement: Objective Information
for Decision Makers, Addison-Wesley
Professional, 2001.
[22*] S.J. Mellor and M.J. Balcer, Executable
UML: A Foundation for Model-Driven
Architecture, 1st ed., Addison-Wesley,
2002.
[23*] D.C. Montgomery and G.C. Runger,
Applied Statistics and Probability for
Engineers, 4th ed., Wiley, 2007.
[24*] J.W. Moore, The Road Map to Software
Engineering: A Standards-Based Guide, 1st
ed., Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press,
2006.

[25*] S. Naik and P. Tripathy, Software Testing

and Quality Assurance: Theory and
Practice, Wiley-Spektrum, 2008.
[26*] J. Nielsen, Usability Engineering, 1st ed.,
Morgan Kaufmann, 1993.
[27*] L. Null and J. Lobur, The Essentials of
Computer Organization and Architecture,
2nd ed., Jones and Bartlett Publishers,
2006.
[28*] M. Page-Jones, Fundamentals of ObjectOriented Design in UML, 1st ed., AddisonWesley, 1999.
[29*] K. Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its
Applications, 7th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2011.
[30*] A. Silberschatz, P.B. Galvin, and G.
Gagne, Operating System Concepts, 8th
ed., Wiley, 2008.
[31*] H.M. Sneed, Offering Software
Maintenance as an Offshore Service, Proc.
IEEE Intl Conf. Software Maintenance
(ICSM 08), IEEE, 2008, pp. 15.
[32*] I. Sommerville, Software Engineering, 9th
ed., Addison-Wesley, 2011.
[33*] S. Tockey, Return on Software:
Maximizing the Return on Your Software
Investment, 1st ed., Addison-Wesley, 2004.
[34*] G. Voland, Engineering by Design, 2nd
ed., Prentice Hall, 2003.
[35*] K.E. Wiegers, Software Requirements, 2nd
ed., Microsoft Press, 2003.
[36*] J.M. Wing, A Specifiers Introduction to
Formal Methods, Computer, vol. 23, no. 9,
1990, pp. 8, 1023.