(SE) ASSIGNMENT – 3

Unit-3: Project Management Concepts and Requirement Analysis and Specification

1. What is the difference between process metrics and product metrics?
Ans.:
▪ Process Metrics: Measure the efficiency and effectiveness of software development
processes (e.g., defect removal efficiency).
▪ Product Metrics: Measure the quality and performance of the software product itself (e.g.,
code complexity, maintainability).
2. What is the purpose of a software project management plan?
Ans.: A software project management plan defines the project goals, scope, resources, schedule,
and risk management strategies. It ensures that the project is executed efficiently, meeting deadlines
and stakeholder expectations.
3. What is the difference between risk analysis and risk management?
Ans.:
▪ Risk Analysis: Identifies potential risks and evaluates their impact and likelihood.
▪ Risk Management: Involves planning and implementing strategies to mitigate or avoid risks
identified during analysis.
4. What is the purpose of project scheduling in software engineering?
Ans.: Project scheduling ensures tasks are completed on time by defining timelines, assigning
resources, and tracking progress. It helps manage dependencies and keeps the project on track.
Q:2
1. How do project planning techniques help in achieving software project goals?
Ans.: Project planning techniques are crucial in guiding a software project to success by ensuring that
goals are met efficiently and effectively. These techniques help in several ways:
Define Clear Objectives:
o Set measurable, achievable goals.
o Ensure team alignment and shared vision.
Resource Allocation:
o Allocate human, financial, and technical resources effectively.
o Minimize waste, ensure resource availability at the right time.
Risk Management:
o Identify potential risks early.
o Proactively mitigate challenges before they impact the project.
Timeline Management:
o Use Gantt charts, Critical Path Method (CPM), or Agile sprints.
o Monitor progress and adjust schedules as needed.
Budget Control:
o Estimate costs accurately to stay within budget.
o Prevent cost overruns and scope creep.
Quality Assurance:
o Incorporate testing and review phases to meet quality standards.
Communication:
o Define roles and responsibilities.
o Establish clear communication channels.
2. Compare and contrast reactive and proactive strategies in software development.
Ans.:
 3. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using software project estimation
techniques.
Ans.: Software project estimation is the process of predicting the time, effort, and resources required
to complete a project. Several estimation techniques exist, such as expert judgment, analogy-based
estimation, parametric models, and function point analysis. Here are some advantages and
disadvantages of using these techniques:
Advantages:
• Planning Basis: Enables the creation of practical schedules, budgets, and resource allocation.
• Improves Decision Making: It gives a clearer view on scope and prioritization.
• Enables Risk Management: Helps to foresee and mitigate potential risks.
• Sets Expectations: Aligns client and stakeholder expectations.
Disadvantages:
• Estimation Errors: Early-stage estimates may be imprecise and lead to under/overestimates.
• Complexity: Some techniques are complex and time-consuming.
• Changes in Scope: New features or requirements can make estimates obsolete.
• Over-reliance on estimates: Teams might be over-reliant on estimates, ignoring the evolution
of reality.
• Cognitive Biases: Optimism or anchoring biases might distort estimates.
Q3:
1. Discuss the importance of software project estimation in software engineering. Explain
how estimation techniques can be used to plan and manage software projects.
Ans.: Software project estimation is critical for planning and managing projects as it helps determine:
• Project Planning:
o Provides a foundation for creating realistic schedules, budgets, and resource
allocations.
o Ensures team knows what is achievable within time and cost constraints.
• Resource Allocation:
o Helps determine required human, technical, and financial resources.
o Reduces risk of resource shortages or over-allocations.
• Risk Management:
o Identifies potential risks (e.g., scope changes, delays) through realistic projections.
o Allows proactive management of these risks early in the project.
• Stakeholder Expectations:
o Provides clients and stakeholders with expected timelines and costs.
 o Establishes trust by aligning expectations with deliverables.
• Decision Making:
o Assists in making informed decisions about project scope, priorities, and trade-offs.
How Estimation Techniques Help in Planning and Managing Software Projects:
• Techniques:
o Expert Judgment: Relying on experienced professionals to estimate project needs.
o Analogous Estimating: Comparing with similar past projects to estimate effort/time.
o Parametric Models: Using statistical methods (e.g., function points) to estimate
based on project size.
o Bottom-up Estimating: Breaking down the project into smaller components and
estimating each part.
• Project Management:
o Helps managers allocate time, resources, and money more effectively.
o Provides a basis for tracking progress, adjusting schedules, and handling scope
changes.
2. How do risk analysis techniques help in identifying and mitigating software project risks?
Ans.: Importance: Risk analysis helps identify potential threats to a project, evaluate their impact,
and develop mitigation strategies, ensuring the project stays on track.
Techniques:
❖ Risk Identification:
o Brainstorming: Teams discuss possible risks.
o SWOT Analysis: Identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
o Checklists: Uses predefined risk lists for systematic evaluation.
❖ Risk Assessment:
o Qualitative Analysis: Prioritizes risks based on likelihood and impact using tools like
risk matrices.
o Quantitative Analysis: Uses statistical models like Monte Carlo simulations to
estimate risk probabilities.
❖ Risk Mitigation:
o Avoidance: Changing plans to eliminate risks.
o Transfer: Shifting risk responsibility (e.g., insurance).
o Reduction: Implementing measures to minimize risk impact.
o Acceptance: Acknowledging low-impact risks and monitoring them.
3. Explain the concept of requirement elicitation in software engineering. Describe the
different techniques used for requirement elicitation (interviews, surveys, observation).
Ans.: Requirement elicitation is the process of gathering and understanding user needs to define
software requirements. It ensures the final product aligns with stakeholder expectations and
addresses real-world problems.
Techniques:
1. Interviews:
o Description: Direct discussions with stakeholders to gather insights.
o Advantages: Provides detailed, in-depth information.
o Disadvantages: Time-consuming and may suffer from bias.
2. Surveys/Questionnaires:
o Description: Collects responses through structured forms.
o Advantages: Efficient for reaching many stakeholders quickly.
o Disadvantages: Limited scope for detailed feedback.
3. Observation:
o Description: Watching users in their environment to understand workflows.
o Advantages: Captures real-world practices and unmet needs.
o Disadvantages: Time-intensive and may require interpretation.
 (SE) ASSIGNMENT – 4
Unit-5: Coding and Testing
1. What is the purpose of a code review in software development?
• Ans.: Code reviews improve code quality by identifying bugs, ensuring adherence to coding
standards, and fostering knowledge sharing among team members. They also enhance
maintainability and reduce technical debt.
2. What is the difference between verification and validation in software testing?
Ans.:

3. What is the difference between alpha testing and beta testing?

Ans.:
Difference between alpha testing and beta testing

4. What is integration testing, and how does it differ from unit testing?
Ans.: Integration testing is a type of software testing that focuses on verifying the interactions and
data flow between multiple components or modules within a system to ensure they work together
as expected. It is performed after unit testing and aims to identify issues that occur when different
parts of the system are combined.
Key Differences:
• Unit testing focuses on individual units, integration testing focuses on their interactions.
• Unit tests are easier to diagnose, while integration tests may uncover issues in the way
components work together.
5. What is the role of the end-user in acceptance testing?
Ans.: End-users validate that the software meets their requirements and is ready for
deployment. Their feedback determines whether the product is acceptable for release.
Q2.
1. Explain the different types of coding standards and guidelines (e.g., naming conventions,
commenting standards)?
Ans.: Coding standards and guidelines are a set of rules and best practices that developers
follow to ensure consistency, readability, maintainability, and quality in the codebase. These
standards help teams collaborate effectively, ensuring the code is efficient and easy to understand.
There are several types of coding standards, each focusing on different aspects of software
development. Below are the key types:
▪ Naming Conventions: Guidelines for variable, function, and class names (e.g., camelCase for
variables, PascalCase for classes). Improves code readability and consistency.
▪ Commenting Standards: Ensures meaningful and clear comments in code for better
understanding, including function descriptions and inline comments for complex logic.
▪ Code Structure: Enforces consistent indentation, line breaks, and modular design.
▪ Error Handling: Establishes practices for consistent exception handling to improve
robustness.
2. Compare and contrast white box testing and black box testing in terms of their ability to
detect different types of defects. Provide examples of each type of defect.
Ans.:
White Box
Aspect White Box Testing Black Box Testing Black Box Example
Example
Tests software
Examines internal logic, Testing all Verifying login
functionality and
Focus code structure, and execution paths functionality with
behavior without
implementation. in a function. valid/invalid credentials.
accessing code.
Identifies syntax errors, Detects functional Identifying missing
Defect Detecting an
logic faults, and defects, UI issues, and error messages for
Detection infinite loop.
unreachable code. boundary-related errors. invalid inputs.
Boundary value analysis,
Code coverage analysis, Testing an online
Techniques equivalence Testing loops and
path testing, branch payment process for
Used partitioning, decision branches.
testing. successful transactions.
tables.
Requires programming
Requires understanding Debugging Checking boundary
Required knowledge and
of user requirements unreachable code values like min/max
Expertise understanding of
and workflows. paths. input range.
architecture.
Tools JUnit, SonarQube, Using JUnit to
Postman, QTP, Selenium Using Postman to
Commonly Selenium (white-box validate
(black-box automation). validate API responses.
Used automation). functions.
3. What are the common challenges faced during system testing? Explain how to overcome
these challenges.
Ans.: System testing ensures that the entire system meets the specified requirements. However,
several challenges can arise during this phase. Below are common challenges and strategies to
overcome them:
➢ Challenge 1: Incomplete Requirements
o Solution: Collaborate with stakeholders to clarify and document requirements.
➢ Challenge 2: Environment Issues
o Solution: Set up a dedicated and stable testing environment that mirrors
production.
➢ Challenge 3: High Complexity
o Solution: Divide testing into smaller, manageable tasks and prioritize critical
functionalities.
➢ Challenge 4: Time Constraints
o Solution: Focus on risk-based testing to address high-priority areas first.
 ➢ Challenge 5: Communication Gaps
o Solution: Maintain clear communication among teams with regular updates and
documentation.
Q3:
1. Compare and contrast the different types of testing (unit testing, integration testing,
system testing, regression testing). Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each type
of testing. Provide examples of how each type of testing is used in the software
development life cycle.
Ans.:
Testing Examples in
Description Advantages Disadvantages
Type SDLC
Testing individual
Detects issues early; Testing a single
components or May not cover
Unit Testing ensures each unit login function in
functions of the integration issues.
works correctly. a user module.
software in isolation.
Checking data
Verifies interactions Ensures proper May miss edge cases;
Integration flow between
between integrated module harder to debug
Testing login and user
modules. communication. failures.
profile.
Tests the entire system Complex and time- Testing an e-
System as a whole, including Ensures overall consuming; requires commerce
Testing hardware and system functionality. comprehensive test application end-
software. cases. to-end.
Re-tests previously
Re-testing login
working features after Maintains software Can be resource-
Regression functionality
changes or updates to quality; ensures intensive for large
Testing after a UI
ensure no new bugs stability. systems.
redesign.
are introduced.

2. Describe a case study where code reviews were implemented in a software development
project. What were the benefits and challenges of implementing code reviews?
Ans.: A software development company was working on a large-scale e-commerce platform. The
team had encountered difficulties with code quality, bugs, and maintaining consistency in code. To
address these issues, they decided to implement code reviews as part of their development process.
Benefits:

oBetter Code Quality: The developers found and fixed bugs, thus making the code more
robust.
o Knowledge Sharing: Junior developers learned from senior developers during reviews.
o Adherence to Standards: Ensured the use of consistent coding practices and documentation.
Challenges:

o Consumption of Time: Developers consumed a lot of time reviewing and hence

development speed was affected.
o Conflict Handling: Disagreements over code style or solutions sometimes slowed
development.
o Tooling Overhead: Learning and integrating review tools like GitHub pull requests or Code
Collaborator required an effort.