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Software Engineering Overview

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Biplab Swain
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Software Engineering Overview

Reserve Bank Of India


OPEN
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Let us first understand what software engineering stands for. The term is made of two
words, software and engineering.

Software is more than just a program code. A program is an executable code, which
serves some computational purpose. Software is considered to be collection of executable
programming code, associated libraries and documentations. Software, when made for a
specific requirement is called software product.

Engineering on the other hand, is all about developing products, using well-defined,
scientific principles and methods.

Software engineering is an engineering branch associated with development of software


product using well-defined scientific principles, methods and procedures. The outcome of
software engineering is an efficient and reliable software product.
Definitions
IEEE defines software engineering as:

(1) The application of a systematic,disciplined,quantifiable approach to the


development,operation and maintenance of software; that is, the application of
engineering to software.
(2) The study of approaches as in the above statement.

Fritz Bauer, a German computer scientist, defines software engineering as:

Software engineering is the establishment and use of sound engineering


principles in order to obtain economically software that is reliable and work
efficiently on real machines.

Software Evolution
The process of developing a software product using software engineering principles and
methods is referred to as software evolution. This includes the initial development of
software and its maintenance and updates, till desired software product is developed,
which satisfies the expected requirements.
Evolution starts from the requirement gathering process. After which developers create a
prototype of the intended software and show it to the users to get their feedback at the
early stage of software product development. The users suggest changes, on which
several consecutive updates and maintenance keep on changing too. This process changes
to the original software, till the desired software is accomplished.

Even after the user has desired software in hand, the advancing technology and the
changing requirements force the software product to change accordingly. Re-creating
software from scratch and to go one-on-one with requirement is not feasible. The only
feasible and economical solution is to update the existing software so that it matches the
latest requirements.

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Software Evolution Laws


Lehman has given laws for software evolution. He divided the software into three different
categories:
S-type (static-type) - This is a software, which works strictly according to
defined specifications and solutions. The solution and the method to achieve it,
both are immediately understood before coding. The s-type software is least
subjected to changes hence this is the simplest of all. For example, calculator
program for mathematical computation.

P-type (practical-type) - This is a software with a collection of procedures. This


is defined by exactly what procedures can do. In this software, the specifications
can be described but the solution is not obvious instantly. For example, gaming
software.

E-type (embedded-type) - This software works closely as the requirement of


real-world environment. This software has a high degree of evolution as there are
various changes in laws, taxes etc. in the real world situations. For example, Online
trading software.

E-Type software evolution


Lehman has given eight laws for E-Type software evolution -

Continuing change - An E-type software system must continue to adapt to the


real world changes, else it becomes progressively less useful.

Increasing complexity - As an E-type software system evolves, its complexity


tends to increase unless work is done to maintain or reduce it.
Conservation of familiarity - The familiarity with the software or the knowledge
about how it was developed, why was it developed in that particular manner etc.
must be retained at any cost, to implement the changes in the system.

Continuing growth- In order for an E-type system intended to resolve some


business problem, its size of implementing the changes grows according to the
lifestyle changes of the business.
Reducing quality - An E-type software system declines in quality unless
rigorously maintained and adapted to a changing operational environment.

Feedback systems- The E-type software systems constitute multi-loop, multi-


level feedback systems and must be treated as such to be successfully modified or
improved.

Self-regulation - E-type system evolution processes are self-regulating with the


distribution of product and process measures close to normal.

Organizational stability - The average effective global activity rate in an evolving


E-type system is invariant over the lifetime of the product.
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Software Paradigms
Software paradigms refer to the methods and steps, which are taken while designing the
software. There are many methods proposed and are in work today, but we need to see
where in the software engineering these paradigms stand. These can be combined into
various categories, though each of them is contained in one another:

Programming paradigm is a subset of Software design paradigm which is further a subset


of Software development paradigm.

Software Development Paradigm


This Paradigm is known as software engineering paradigms where all the engineering
concepts pertaining to the development of software are applied. It includes various
researches and requirement gathering which helps the software product to build. It
consists of –

Requirement gathering

Software design

Programming

Software Design Paradigm


This paradigm is a part of Software Development and includes –

Design

Maintenance

Programming

Programming Paradigm
This paradigm is related closely to programming aspect of software development. This
includes –

Coding

Testing

Integration

Need of Software Engineering


The need of software engineering arises because of higher rate of change in user
requirements and environment on which the software is working.

Large software - It is easier to build a wall than to a house or building, likewise,


as the size of software become large engineering has to step to give it a scientific
process.

Scalability- If the software process were not based on scientific and engineering
concepts, it would be easier to re-create new software than to scale an existing
one.

Cost- As hardware industry has shown its skills and huge manufacturing has lower
down he price of computer and electronic hardware. But the cost of software
remains high if proper process is not adapted.

Dynamic Nature- The always growing and adapting nature of software hugely
depends upon the environment in which user works. If the nature of software is
always changing, new enhancements need to be done in the existing one. This is
where software engineering plays a good role.

Quality Management- Better process of software development provides better


and quality software product.

Characteristics of good software


A software product can be judged by what it offers and how well it can be used. This
software must satisfy on the following grounds:

Operational

Transitional

Maintenance

Well-engineered and crafted software is expected to have the following characteristics:

Operational
This tells us how well software works in operations. It can be measured on:

Budget

Usability
Efficiency

Correctness
Functionality

Dependability
Security

Safety

Transitional
This aspect is important when the software is moved from one platform to another:

Portability
Interoperability

Reusability
Adaptability

Maintenance
This aspect briefs about how well a software has the capabilities to maintain itself in the
ever-changing environment:

Modularity

Maintainability

Flexibility

Scalability

In short, Software engineering is a branch of computer science, which uses well-defined


engineering concepts required to produce efficient, durable, scalable, in-budget and on-
time software products.

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