COMP5110

Lecture 1 – Introduction to Software

Engineering

Reference: Ian Sommerville. Software Engineering (9th. ed.). Addison-

Wesley Publishing Company, USA.

Mr. Matthew Ormsby

University of the West Indies

Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
Topics To Be Covered

Professional software What is meant by software engineering.

development

A brief introduction to ethical issues that

Software engineering ethics affect software engineering.

Two examples of ethical issues in

Case studies software engineering.
What Is Software Engineering?

• Software Engineering is an engineering discipline that is concerned with all

aspects of software production from the early stages of system specification
through to maintaining the system after it has gone into use.

• Engineering Discipline
• Using appropriate theories and methods to solve problems bearing in mind organizational
and financial constraints.

• All aspects of software production

• Not just technical process of development. Also project management and the
development of tools, methods etc. to support software production.
Software Engineering

• The economies of ALL developed nations are dependent on software.

• More and more systems are software controlled

• Software engineering is concerned with theories, methods and tools for

professional software development.

• Expenditure on software represents a significant fraction of GNP in all

developed countries.
Software Costs

• Software costs often dominate computer system costs. The costs of software
on a PC are often greater than the hardware cost.

• Software costs more to maintain than it does to develop. For systems with a
long life, maintenance costs may be several times development costs.

• Software engineering is concerned with cost-effective software development.

Software Products

Generic Products Customized Products

Stand-alone systems that are marketed Software that is commissioned by a
and sold to any customer who wishes to specific customer to meet their own
buy them. needs.

Examples – PC software such as Examples – embedded control systems,

graphics programs, project management air traffic control software, traffic
tools; CAD software; software for monitoring systems.
specific markets such as appointments
systems for dentists.
Software Specification

Generic Products Customized Products

The specification of what the software The specification of what the software
should do is owned by the software should do is owned by the customer for
developer and decisions on software the software and they make decisions
change are made by the developer. on software changes that are required.
Importance Of Software Engineering

• More and more, individuals and society rely on advanced software systems.
We need to be able to produce reliable and trustworthy systems economically
and quickly.

• It is usually cheaper, in the long run, to use software engineering methods

and techniques for software systems rather than just write the programs as if
it was a personal programming project. For most types of system, the majority
of costs are the costs of changing the software after it has gone into use.
Good Software

Essential Attributes

Maintainability Software should be written in such a way so that it can evolve to meet the
changing needs of customers. This is a critical attribute because software
change is an inevitable requirement of a changing business environment.

Dependability and security Software dependability includes a range of characteristics including reliability,
security and safety. Dependable software should not cause physical or
economic damage in the event of system failure. Malicious users should not be
able to access or damage the system.

Efficiency Software should not make wasteful use of system resources such as memory
and processor cycles. Efficiency therefore includes responsiveness, processing
time, memory utilisation, etc.

Acceptability Software must be acceptable to the type of users for which it is designed. This
means that it must be understandable, usable and compatible with other
systems that they use.
Software Process Activities

Software Specification – where customers and engineers define the software

that is to be produced and the constraints on its operation.

Software Development – where the software is designed and programmed.

Software Validation – where the software is checked to ensure that it is what

the customer requires.

Software Evolution – where the software is modified to reflect changing

customer and market requirements.
General Issues That Affect Most Software

Heterogeneity
• Increasingly, systems are required to operate as distributed systems across networks that
include different types of computer and mobile devices.

Business and social change

• Business and society are changing incredibly quickly as emerging economies develop
and new technologies become available. They need to be able to change their existing
software and to rapidly develop new software.

Security and trust

• As software is intertwined with all aspects of our lives, it is essential that we can trust that
software.
Software Engineering Diversity
Agile Software Development (ASD) is
the current trendsetter for developing
software.

Can ASD be used for all software

projects?
Application Types

• Stand-alone applications
• These are application systems that run on a local computer, such as a PC. They include
all necessary functionality and do not need to be connected to a network.

• Interactive transaction-based applications

• Applications that execute on a remote computer and are accessed by users from their
own PCs or terminals. These include web applications such as e-commerce applications.

• Embedded control systems

• These are software control systems that control and manage hardware devices.
Numerically, there are probably more embedded systems than any other type of system.
Application Types

• Batch processing systems

• These are business systems that are designed to process data in large batches. They
process large numbers of individual inputs to create corresponding outputs.

• Entertainment systems
• These are systems that are primarily for personal use and which are intended to entertain
the user.

• Systems for modeling and simulation

• These are systems that are developed by scientists and engineers to model physical
processes or situations, which include many, separate, interacting objects.
Application Types

• Data collection systems

• These are systems that collect data from their environment using a set of sensors and
send that data to other systems for processing.

• Systems of systems
• These are systems that are composed of a number of other software systems.
Software Engineering Fundamentals

• Some fundamental principles apply to all types of software system,

irrespective of the development techniques used:
• Systems should be developed using a managed and understood development process.
Of course, different processes are used for different types of software.
• Dependability and performance are important for all types of system.
• Understanding and managing the software specification and requirements (what the
software should do) are important.
• Where appropriate, you should reuse software that has already been developed rather
than write new software.
Frequently asked questions about software engineering

Software engineering is an engineering

What is meant by software discipline that is concerned with all
engineering? aspects of software production.

Good software should deliver the required

What are the attributes of functionality and performance to the user
good software? and should be maintainable, dependable
and usable.

What are the fundamental Software specification, software

development, software validation and
software engineering software evolution.
activities?
Frequently asked questions about software engineering

What are the key challenges Coping with increasing diversity, demands
for reduced delivery times and developing
facing software engineering? trustworthy software.

Roughly 60% of software costs are

What are the costs of development costs, 40% are testing costs.
software engineering? For custom software, evolution costs often
exceed development costs.

While all software projects have to be professionally managed

What are the best software and developed, different techniques are appropriate for different
types of system. For example, games should always be
engineering techniques and developed using a series of prototypes whereas safety critical
control systems require a complete and analysable specification
methods? to be developed. You can’t, therefore, say that one method is
better than another.
Key points

• Software engineering is an engineering discipline that is concerned with all

aspects of software production.

• Essential software product attributes are maintainability, dependability and

security, efficiency and acceptability.

• The high-level activities of specification, development, validation and

evolution are part of all software processes.

• The fundamental notions of software engineering are universally applicable to

all types of system development.
Key points

• There are many different types of system and each requires appropriate
software engineering tools and techniques for their development.

• The fundamental ideas of software engineering are applicable to all types of

software system.
 BREAK
Next Topic: Software Engineering Ethics
Software Engineering Ethics
• Software engineering involves wider responsibilities than simply the application of
technical skills.

• Software engineers must behave in an honest and ethically responsible way if they
are to be respected as professionals.

• Ethical behaviour is more than simply upholding the law but involves following a set of
principles that are morally correct.
Issues Of Professional Responsibility

Confidentiality
• Engineers should normally respect the confidentiality of their employers or clients
irrespective of whether or not a formal confidentiality agreement has been signed.

Competence
• Engineers should not misrepresent their level of competence. They should not knowingly
accept work which is out of their competence.
Issues Of Professional Responsibility

Intellectual Property Rights

• Engineers should be aware of local laws governing the use of intellectual property such
as patents, copyright, etc. They should be careful to ensure that the intellectual property
of employers and clients is protected.

Computer Misuse
• Software engineers should not use their technical skills to misuse other people’s
computers. Computer misuse ranges from relatively trivial (game playing on an
employer’s machine, say) to extremely serious (dissemination of viruses).
Jamaica Cybercrimes Act

An ACT to provide criminal sanction

for the misuse of computer systems or
data and the abuse of electronic
means of completing transactions and
to facilitate the investigation and
prosecution of cybercrimes.

What other laws should we look out for?

What about regulators?
Examples Of Ethical Dilemmas
• Disagreement in principle with the
policies of senior management.

• Your employer acts in an unethical

way and releases a safety-critical
system without finishing the testing of
the system.

• Participation in the development of

military weapons systems or nuclear
systems.
Case Studies

• A mental health case patient management system

• A system used to maintain records of people receiving care for mental health problems.

• Paymaster Jamaica Limited versus Paul Lowe & GraceKennedy Remittance

Services Limited
A patient information system for mental health care

• A patient information system to support mental health care is a medical

information system that maintains information about patients suffering from
mental health problems and the treatments that they have received.

• Most mental health patients do not require dedicated hospital treatment but
need to attend specialist clinics regularly where they can meet a doctor who
has detailed knowledge of their problems.

• To make it easier for patients to attend, these clinics are not just run-in
hospitals. They may also be held in local medical practices or community
centres.
MHC-PMS

• The MHC-PMS (Mental Health Care-Patient Management System) is an

information system that is intended for use in clinics.

• It makes use of a centralized database of patient information but has also

been designed to run on a PC, so that it may be accessed and used from
sites that do not have secure network connectivity.

• When the local systems have secure network access, they use patient
information in the database but they can download and use local copies of
patient records when they are disconnected.
MHC-PMS Goals

• To generate management information that allows health service managers to

assess performance against local and government targets.

• To provide medical staff with timely information to support the treatment of

patients.
MHC-PMS Key Features

• Individual care management

• Clinicians can create records for patients, edit the information in the system, view patient
history, etc. The system supports data summaries so that doctors can quickly learn about
the key problems and treatments that have been prescribed.

• Patient monitoring
• The system monitors the records of patients that are involved in treatment and issues
warnings if possible problems are detected.

• Administrative reporting
• The system generates monthly management reports showing the number of patients
treated at each clinic, the number of patients who have entered and left the care system,
number of patients sectioned, the drugs prescribed and their costs, etc.
MHC-PMS Concerns

• Privacy
• It is essential that patient information is confidential and is never disclosed to anyone
apart from authorised medical staff and the patient themselves.

• Safety
• Some mental illnesses cause patients to become suicidal or a danger to other people.
Wherever possible, the system should warn medical staff about potentially suicidal or
dangerous patients.
• The system must be available when needed otherwise safety may be compromised and it
may be impossible to prescribe the correct medication to patients.
Key Points

• Software engineers have responsibilities to the engineering profession and

society. They should not simply be concerned with technical issues.

• Be familiar with the relevant laws and regulators in the jurisdiction(s) that your
software will operate in