An Introduction to Software Engineering

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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Objectives

To introduce software engineering and to explain its importance To set out the answers to key questions about software engineering To introduce ethical and professional issues and to explain why they are of concern to software engineers

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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Topics covered

FAQs about software engineering Professional and ethical responsibility

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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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.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 4

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 costeffective software development.
Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1 Slide 5

Ian Sommerville 2004

FAQs about software engineering

What is software? What is software engineering? What is the difference between software engineering and computer science? What is the difference between software engineering and system engineering? What is a software process? What is a software process model?

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 6

FAQs about software engineering

What are the costs of software engineering? What are software engineering methods? What is CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) What are the attributes of good software? What are the key challenges facing software engineering?

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 7

What is software?

Computer programs and associated documentation such as requirements, design models and user manuals. Software products may be developed for a particular customer or may be developed for a general market. Software products may be
Generic - developed to be sold to a range of different customers e.g. PC software such as Excel or Word. Bespoke (custom) - developed for a single customer according to their specification.

New software can be created by developing new programs, configuring generic software systems or reusing existing software.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 8

What is software engineering?

Software engineering is an engineering discipline that is concerned with all aspects of software production. Software engineers should adopt a systematic and organised approach to their work and use appropriate tools and techniques depending on the problem to be solved, the development constraints and the resources available.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 9

What is the difference between software engineering and computer science?

Computer science is concerned with theory and fundamentals; software engineering is concerned with the practicalities of developing and delivering useful software. Computer science theories are still insufficient to act as a complete underpinning for software engineering.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 10

What is the difference between software engineering and system engineering?

System engineering is concerned with all aspects of computer-based systems development including hardware, software and process engineering. Software engineering is part of this process concerned with developing the software infrastructure, control, applications and databases in the system. System engineers are involved in system specification, architectural design, integration and deployment.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 11

What is a software process?

A set of activities whose goal is the development or evolution of software. Generic activities in all software processes are:

Specification - what the system should do and its development constraints Development - production of the software system Validation - checking that the software is what the customer wants Evolution - changing the software in response to changing demands.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 12

What is a software process model?

A simplified representation of a software process, presented from a specific perspective. Examples of process perspectives are
Workflow perspective - sequence of activities; Data-flow perspective - information flow; Role/action perspective - who does what. Waterfall; Iterative development; Component-based software engineering.

Generic process models

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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What are the costs of software engineering?

Roughly 60% of costs are development costs, 40% are testing costs. For custom software, evolution costs often exceed development costs. Costs vary depending on the type of system being developed and the requirements of system attributes such as performance and system reliability. Distribution of costs depends on the development model that is used.
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Ian Sommerville 2004

Activity cost distribution

Waterfall mod el 0 25 50 75 100 Sp ecif icatio n Design Develo pment Integ ration and tes tin g

Iterative develo pmen t 0 25 50 75 1 00

Sp ecif icatio n

Iterativ e d evelop men t ineerin g 50 75

Sys tem tes tin g

Co mpo nent-based so ftware en g 0 25

1 00

Sp ecif icatio n

Develo pment

Integ ration and tes tin g

Develo pment an d evolu tion cos ts for lo ng -lifetime sy st 0 10 200

ems 30 400

Sys tem d ev elop ment

Sys tem evo lu tion

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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What are software engineering methods?

Structured approaches to software development which include system models, notations, rules, design advice and process guidance. Model descriptions
Descriptions of graphical models which should be produced; Constraints applied to system models; Advice on good design practice; What activities to follow.

Rules

Recommendations

Process guidance

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 16

What is CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering)

Software systems that are intended to provide automated support for software process activities. CASE systems are often used for method support. Upper-CASE
Tools to support the early process activities of requirements and design;

Lower-CASE
Tools to support later activities such as programming, debugging and testing.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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What are the attributes of good software?

The software should deliver the required functionality and performance to the user and should be maintainable, dependable and acceptable. Maintainability
Software must evolve to meet changing needs; Software must be trustworthy; Software should not make wasteful use of system resources; Software must accepted by the users for which it was designed. This means it must be understandable, usable and compatible with other systems.
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Dependability

Efficiency

Acceptability

Ian Sommerville 2004

What are the key challenges facing software engineering?

Heterogeneity, delivery and trust. Heterogeneity

Developing techniques for building software that can cope with heterogeneous platforms and execution environments; Developing techniques that lead to faster delivery of software;

Delivery

Trust
Developing techniques that demonstrate that software can be trusted by its users.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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

Interactive transaction-based applications

Embedded control systems

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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Slide 20

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. These are systems that are primarily for personal use and which are intended to entertain the user. These are systems that are developed by scientists and engineers to model physical processes or situations, which include many, separate, interacting objects.

Entertainment systems

Systems for modelling and simulation

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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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. These are systems that are composed of a number of other software systems.

Systems of systems

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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Professional and ethical responsibility

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.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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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. Engineers should not misrepresent their level of competence. They should not knowingly accept work which is outwith their competence.

Competence

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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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. Software engineers should not use their technical skills to misuse other peoples computers. Computer misuse ranges from relatively trivial (game playing on an employers machine, say) to extremely serious (dissemination of viruses).

Computer misuse

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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ACM/IEEE Code of Ethics

The professional societies in the US have cooperated to produce a code of ethical practice. Members of these organisations sign up to the code of practice when they join. The Code contains eight Principles related to the behaviour of and decisions made by professional software engineers, including practitioners, educators, managers, supervisors and policy makers, as well as trainees and students of the profession.
Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1 Slide 26

Ian Sommerville 2004

Code of ethics - principles

PUBLIC
Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest. Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client and employer consistent with the public interest. Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.

CLIENT AND EMPLOYER

PRODUCT

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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Code of ethics - principles

JUDGMENT
Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment. Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance. Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.

MANAGEMENT

PROFESSION

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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Code of ethics - principles

COLLEAGUES
Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues. Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

SELF

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 29

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.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

Slide 30

Key points

Software engineering is an engineering discipline that is concerned with all aspects of software production. Software products consist of developed programs and associated documentation. Essential product attributes are maintainability, dependability, efficiency and usability. The software process consists of activities that are involved in developing software products. Basic activities are software specification, development, validation and evolution. Methods are organised ways of producing software. They include suggestions for the process to be followed, the notations to be used, rules governing the system descriptions which are produced and design guidelines.
Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1 Slide 31

Ian Sommerville 2004

Key points

CASE tools are software systems which are designed to support routine activities in the software process such as editing design diagrams, checking diagram consistency and keeping track of program tests which have been run. Software engineers have responsibilities to the engineering profession and society. They should not simply be concerned with technical issues. Professional societies publish codes of conduct which set out the standards of behaviour expected of their members.

Ian Sommerville 2004

Software Engineering, 7th edition. Chapter 1

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