CSE 470

Software Engineering
Mid-Term Review
Imran Zahid
Lecturer
Computer Science and Engineering, BRAC University
Syllabus
• Software Process Models • Requirement Engineering
• Waterfall • Functional Requirements
• V-Model • Non-Functional Requirements
• Incremental • UML Design
• Iterative • Class Diagrams
• Spiral • Software Architectural Patterns
• Agile Development Process • Layered
• Extreme Programming (XP) • Model-View-Controller (MVC)
• Agile Unified Process (AUP) • Repository
• Scrum • Client-Server
• Pipe-Filter
Software Engineering Approaches
Software Engineering Approaches

SDLC Agile Methodologies

• This topic includes both SDLC and Agile Methodologies

• Remember, Agile Methodologies are NOT SDLC. If the question
specifies SDLC, the answer can NOT be Agile. If the question
mentions software engineering approach, it can be both SDLC and
Agile.
Software Engineering Approaches
Waterfall V Model Incremental Iterative XP Scrum AUP

Small ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌

Medium ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅

Large ❌ ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅

Testing ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅

Initial Req.
❌ ❌ ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Changing

Process Req.
❌ ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Changing

Early Release ❌ ❌ ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅

Technologies
❌ ❌ ❌ ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅
Changing

Prioritize
Example
A software company has been hired by a startup to develop a mobile app for managing personal
finances. The startup has an ambitious plan, but their requirements are not fully defined, as they are
still exploring the exact features they want. They need to get a working version of the app out to
market quickly and plan to gather feedback from early users to adjust the product based on their
needs. The app’s functionality will likely evolve over time based on this user feedback, and the
startup expects frequent changes and improvements.
The development team must work closely with the startup, holding regular meetings to review
progress and adjust the project’s direction as needed. The team needs to prioritize flexibility, fast
iteration, and continuous delivery of working versions of the app.
Example
A software company has been hired by a startup to develop a mobile app for managing personal
finances. The startup has an ambitious plan, but their requirements are not fully defined, as they are
still exploring the exact features they want. They need to get a working version of the app out to
market quickly and plan to gather feedback from early users to adjust the product based on their
needs. The app’s functionality will likely evolve over time based on this user feedback, and the
startup expects frequent changes and improvements.
The development team must work closely with the startup, holding regular meetings to review
progress and adjust the project’s direction as needed. The team needs to prioritize flexibility, fast
iteration, and continuous delivery of working versions of the app.
Answer: Agile Methodology (Changing initial requirements + Early release)
Specifically, Scrum (Fast iteration [1-4 weeks] + Regular meetings)
Example
You are assigned to develop a medium-sized software project for a client who is well-aware of their
requirements and wants to start using a prototype of the software from the very beginning. The
client also wishes to prioritize features in each delivery.
Example
You are assigned to develop a medium-sized software project for a client who is well-aware of their
requirements and wants to start using a prototype of the software from the very beginning. The
client also wishes to prioritize features in each delivery.

Answer: Incremental (Clear requirements + Early release)

Quiz Solution
You are managing a small-scale software project for FinTrust Ltd., a financial institution aiming to
develop an auditing application named AuditGuard. The client, represented by Mr. Thomas, has
clearly defined and stable requirements, which include generating monthly, quarterly, and annual
audit reports, user access management, secure data storage, detailed audit trails, and integration
with existing accounting software.
Mr. Thomas has stressed the importance of reliability and accuracy, expecting the software to meet
stringent financial compliance standards. Additionally, he insists on meticulous documentation at
each step to ensure clarity and facilitate compliance audits.
Quiz Solution
You are managing a small-scale software project for FinTrust Ltd., a financial institution aiming to
develop an auditing application named AuditGuard. The client, represented by Mr. Thomas, has
clearly defined and stable requirements, which include generating monthly, quarterly, and annual
audit reports, user access management, secure data storage, detailed audit trails, and integration
with existing accounting software.
Mr. Thomas has stressed the importance of reliability and accuracy, expecting the software to meet
stringent financial compliance standards. Additionally, he insists on meticulous documentation at
each step to ensure clarity and facilitate compliance audits.

Answer: V-Model (Clear requirements, small-scale, needs testing and documentation, doesn’t need
early release)
Software Engineering Approaches -
Questions
• Why did you choose your SE Approach? Justify
• Write the pros and cons/advantages and disadvantages of your chosen SE
Approach (optionally, in the context of the scenario).
• Why not choose other SE Approaches that might also be used in this
scenario? (particularly talking about approaches that also apply, in this case
you have to explain the overhead of other approaches)
• Why not choose other SE approaches? (explain the cons of the other
approaches that made you not choose them)
Software Engineering Approaches -
Questions
• Describe the process of your chosen SE Approach (diagram or
textual description. In case of Agile, Waterfall and V-Model, break
down the individual steps. In case of XP, mention the core principles)
• Explain the importance of a particular individual step in the process
of your chosen SE Approach.
• Apply the process of your chosen SE Approach to the given scenario
(break down the individual steps of your process and relate them to
the scenario)
Requirements Engineering
• Requirements
• Functional Requirements
• Non-Functional Requirements
• Core question: Identify User and System Requirements/Functional
and Non-functional Requirements from a given scenario.
Requirements Engineering
• Functional Requirements might be User or System requirements, try
to identify all actions done by an user using the system, or actions
done by the system.
• Non-functional Requirements might not always be explicitly stated,
assume some based on the context. E.g. an insulin pump should not
have downtime longer than the duration between doses.
Non-functional Requirements must have some metric.
• Each Functional Requirement should be an individual task.
Example
In the country Rovinia, where agriculture is a way of life, a modern solution has
emerged to transform traditional farming practices into efficient and productive
endeavors. The Agriculture Management System has become an important part in
the lives of farmers, government agencies, and suppliers alike. There are various
stakeholders such as government officers, marketers/suppliers, and farmers.
Farmers are central to the system. They use the system to manage their crops, land
parcels, and harvests efficiently. Farmers can add, view, and update information
about their crops. As crops mature, their quantity and harvest dates are tracked.
Farmers own multiple land areas for cultivation, and the system helps them manage
the details of area and soil type of the land areas. There are many markets and
different types of products in each market. Government agencies, led by individuals
like Officer Rahman, utilize the system to generate and manage Reports. These
reports contain details such as crop production rate and sale rate. Suppliers, like
Samir, use the system to coordinate orders.
Functional Requirements - Farmers
• Allow farmers to add/view/update information about their crops.
• Track the maturation of crops.
• Monitor the quantity of crops as they mature.
• Keep records of harvest dates for crops.
• Help farmers manage multiple land areas for cultivation.
• Provide details on the area of each land parcel.
• Offer information on the soil type of each land parcel.
Functional Requirements - Suppliers
• Store data about many markets.
• Provide information on different types of products in each market.
• Allow suppliers to coordinate orders with farmers.
Functional Requirements - Officers
• Enable government officers to generate reports with details such as
crop production rate and sale rate.
• Allow government officers to manage reports
Non-Functional Requirements
• Reliably track crop maturation, quantities, and harvest dates, the
predicted harvest date should not differ from the actual date of crop
maturation by more than 2 days.
• Handle many types of crops and multiple land areas without
performance degradation, the system should handle upto 50
different crops with less than 5% performance degradation.
• Comply with government regulations and standards relevant to
agriculture in Rovinia.
Class Diagrams
• Core Question: Draw a class diagram for a given scenario.
Example
A bookstore system manages books and authors. Books have titles,
publication dates, and prices. Authors write books and have names and
biographies. Customers can purchase books. Each purchase generates a
receipt.
Nouns (Potential Classes)
• Book
• Author
• Title
• Publication Date
• Price
• Customer
• Purchase
• Receipt
• Biography
Verbs (Potential Methods)
• Manages books and authors (The bookstore system manages books
and authors)
• Have titles, publication dates, and prices (Books have titles,
publication dates, and prices)
• Write books (Authors write books)
• Have names and biographies (Authors have names and biographies)
• Can purchase books (Customers can purchase books)
• Generates a receipt (Each purchase generates a receipt)
Prepositions, Conjunctions, Verbs between
Objects (Potential Relationships)
• Have (Books have titles, publication dates, and prices.)
• Generates (Each purchase generates a receipt)
• Writes (Authors write books)
• Manages (A bookstore system manages books and authors.)
• Purchase (Customers can purchase books)
Software Architecture
• Core Questions
• Given a scenario, which Software Architecture would you choose to use?
• Based on the choice, how does the Software Architecture meet the needs of
the scenario / describe the components in the given scenario.
• In case of Layered/MVC, describe what parts of the software would be contained in
each component.
• In case of Pipe-Filter/Repository/Client-Server the easiest way is to draw an
architecture diagram with the components labeled as parts of the scenario.
• Write the characteristics/describe the components of an architecture.
Software Architecture
• Primary Concern
• I need to structure the system into well-defined functional parts (and
doesn’t focus on dealing with large amounts of data). → Layered or MVC
• E.g. need reusability or maintainability
• I need to manage and share large volumes of data. → Repository or
Client-Server
• I need to process data sequentially through multiple independent steps. →
Pipe-Filter (No further decision needed)
Layered or MVC
• If the system focuses on UI flexibility and separation between
frontend and backend → Choose MVC
• That is, it is a general purpose system with no additional constraints
• If the system primarily focuses on separating internal logic into clear
layers → Choose Layered
• It is a general purpose system, but with additional constraints such as the
need for separate security layers (e.g. multilevel security), a need for a
separate services layer, etc.
Client-Server or Repository
• If multiple (potentially unlimited) users need remote access to
shared data → Choose Client-Server
• The number of users/subsystems needs to be able to scale up to any
amount (i.e. scalability is a concern)
• If data consistency and centralized internal storage are the main
concerns → Choose Repository
• Need to store large amounts of data centrally for a (limited) number of
subsystems, and perhaps need to perform some action on a central storage
of data (e.g. backup, etc.)
Example
A government agency is developing a nationwide healthcare management system that will integrate
multiple independent services, including patient records, hospital inventory, billing, and insurance
processing. Each of these services is developed by separate teams, and they must function
independently while still being part of a unified system.
Additionally, the system must enforce multiple layers of security and access control, ensuring that
only authorized personnel can access specific types of data. The agency also requires the ability to
introduce a separate auditing and logging layer to track all activities without modifying the core
business logic.
Example
A government agency is developing a nationwide healthcare management system that will integrate
multiple independent services, including patient records, hospital inventory, billing, and insurance
processing. Each of these services is developed by separate teams, and they must function
independently while still being part of a unified system.
Additionally, the system must enforce multiple layers of security and access control, ensuring that
only authorized personnel can access specific types of data. The agency also requires the ability to
introduce a separate auditing and logging layer to track all activities without modifying the core
business logic.

Answer: Layered Architecture

Example
A startup is developing a modern e-commerce platform where customers can browse products, add
them to their cart, and place orders. The company expects frequent changes to the user interface as
they experiment with new layouts and interactive features. The system must allow multiple
front-end developers to work on the user experience while back-end developers focus on business
logic and data management. The same business logic should also support different interfaces,
including a web application, a mobile app, and a chatbot integration.
Example
A startup is developing a modern e-commerce platform where customers can browse products, add
them to their cart, and place orders. The company expects frequent changes to the user interface as
they experiment with new layouts and interactive features. The system must allow multiple
front-end developers to work on the user experience while back-end developers focus on business
logic and data management. The same business logic should also support different interfaces,
including a web application, a mobile app, and a chatbot integration.

Answer: MVC
Thank you