61FIT3SE1 - Software Engineering 1

Lecture 7
Software engineering method

Fall 2022
Outline

 Programming vs. software development

 SE, computing, and engineering
 Characteristics of software
 What is Software Engineering (SE)
 Software development process models
 Software requirements basic
Programming vs. Software
Development
 Programming (coding):
a specific task in software development, which involves
writing specific computer instructions to solve a given
problem in one or more programming languages (C#,
Java, etc.)
 Software development:
a broader creative process of constructing a software (a
‘bigger’ program) for a particular purpose (which
typically constitutes solving a set of problems).
 consistsof several phases: programming is only one
step in one of these phases
Programming vs. Software
Development
 “Software developers are the creative minds behind
computer programs. Some develop the applications that
allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or other
device. Others develop the underlying systems that run
the devices or control networks”
 “Computer programmers write code to create software
programs. They turn the program designs created by
software developers and engineers into instructions that a
computer can follow”
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
SE in computing
SE in computing

 Computer Engineer (CE): software in hardware

devices
 SoftwareEngineering (SE): software satisfies
robust real-world requirements
 Computer Science (CS): software is the currency
for expressing computing ideas
SE and CS

 SE’s foundation is CS:

 CS: foundational concepts, techniques and tools
 SE: development process
 CS:
 build “clever” software, devise new ways (e.g. new
algorithm, language, etc.)
 SE:
 builds “complex” (large) software, in a disciplined manner
 focus on quality
Similarities between SE &
engineering
 decision-based
 measure things
 use a disciplined process
 operate effectively as part of a team
 multiple roles
 use tools systematically
 reuse designs and design artifacts
 advancement of principles, standards, and best
practices
Differences between SE &
engineering
 SE’s foundations are primarily in CS, not natural
sciences
 discrete rather than continuous mathematics
 abstract/logical
entities instead of
concrete/physical artifacts
 no “manufacturing” phase
 “maintenance” means evolution (not conventional
wear and tear)
What is SE?

 Anengineering discipline for software

development
 Objectives:
 quality
 suitable for purpose
 Use a software process
Software development life cycle
 An SDLC consists of 6 phases:
 Requirements
 Analysis & Design
 Implementation & testing
 Acceptance testing
 Production
 Maintenance
Software process model
A specific way of organizing the phases of SDLC
 How to combine the stages and in what order?
 There are many different process models:
 Waterfall,prototyping, spiral…
 Extreme Programming, Scrum…
 The choice of model depends on the nature of software
Waterfall process model
 Top-down approach.
 Linear, non-
overlapping activities
and steps.
 Each step is signed
off on and then
frozen.
 Most steps result in a
final document.
 Backsteps to correct
mistakes.
Waterfall model
 Advantages
 Easy-to-follow,sequential model
 Reviews ensure readiness to advance
 Works well for well-defined projects (requirements
are clear)
 Drawbacks
 Hard to do all the planning upfront
 Final product may not match the client’s needs
 Stage reviews require significant effort
Plan-driven vs incremental
 Plan-driven
 Iteration
within activities
 Formal outputs between activities
 Incremental
 Develop software through several increments
(versions)
 Rapid feedback across activities
 Easier to make changes during development
 Core, important features come first
Prototyping process model
 Bottom-up approach.
 Problem domain or requirements not
well defined or understood.
 Create small implementations of
requirements that are least understood.
 Reduces risk as requirements are
“explored” before the product is fully
developed.
 Developers gain experience when
developing the “real” product.
Prototyping process model
 Advantages
 Clientinvolvement and early feedback
 Improves requirements and specifications
 Reduces risk of developing the “wrong” product

 Drawbacks
 Time/cost for developing a prototype may be
high
Evolutionary prototyping model

 Develop a skeleton system and evolve it for

delivery
Evolutionary prototyping model
A popular and successful model, especially for
custom products
 Requirements are not known ahead of time
 Requirements are discovered from customer feedbacks

 Advantages
 Addresses risks early
 Produces steady signs of progress, builds customer
confidence
 Useful when requirements are unknown or changing
 Customer involvement ("What do you think of this
version?")
Agile models

 Agile Manifesto (http://agilemanifesto.org/):

 Individuals and interactions over processes and
tools
 Working software over comprehensive
documentation
 Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
 Responding to change over following a plan
Agile models: XP
 Extreme Programming (XP)
 New versions may be built several times per day
with products delivered to customers weekly.
 Adaptation and re-prioritization of requirements.
 All tests must be run for every build and the
build is only accepted if tests run successfully
(may rely on test-driven development).
Agile models: XP
 Extreme Programming
(XP)
 Pair programming and
continuous code review.
 Pairs and roles are
frequently changed.

You’ll never code alone!

Agile models
 Basics
 Maintain simplicity.
 Team members choose their own
methods, tools etc.
 Continuous customer involvement.
 Expect requirements to change, focus
on incremental delivery.
Agile models
 Advantages
 Flexibility
(changes are expected)
 Focus on quality (continuous testing)
 Focus on communication

 Drawbacks
 Requires experienced management and
highly skilled developers
 Prioritizing requirements can be difficult
when there are multiple stakeholders
 Best for small to medium (sub) projects
What model would you choose and
why?
Project management triangle (pick any two)

 Consider
 The project and task at hand
 Well-definedness of requirements
 Risk management and quality/cost control
 Customer involvement and feedback
 Experience of management and team members
SDLC models summary
 All
models have the same goals: manage risks
and produce high quality software.
 Allmodels involve the same activities and
steps
 Specification, design, implementation, testing,
etc
 All models have advantages and drawbacks.
 The choice of process model depends on the
team and the target software product.
Software requirements
 Requirements specify what to build
 describe what, not how
 describe the problem, not the solution
 reflect system design, not software design

 Benefits
 Understand what is required of the software
 Communicate this understanding precisely to all
development parties
 Control production to ensure that system meets specs
(including changes)
Software requirements
 Often underrated
 Usually mis-communicated
 Great consequences from requirements failure
Requirements for different roles
 Customers
 show what should be delivered; contractual base
 Managers
a scheduling / progress indicator
 Designers
 provide a spec to design
 Programmers
 list a range of acceptable implementations / output
 QA / testers
a basis for testing, validation, verification
Classifying requirements (classic)
 Functional: map inputs to outputs
 “The user can search either all databases or a subset”
 “Every order gets an ID the user can save to account
storage”
 Nonfunctional: other constraints
 dependability,reusability, portability, scalability,
performance, safety
 “Our deliverable documents shall conform to the XYZ
process”
 “The system shall not disclose any personal user
information”
Classifying requirements (Faulk)
 Behavioral (user-visible): about the artifact
 usuallymeasurable and objective
 features, performance, security
 Development quality attributes: about the
process
 usually subjective
 flexibility, maintainability, reusability
Classifying requirements
(deliverables)
Customer requirements
 Written by customers
 Casual, informal

 Software product requirements

 Developed by software engineers
 Technical, formal

 Prototypes
 By software engineers
Requirements elicitation
 Getting requirements from customers
 Customers don’t always know what they want.
 Customers do know what they want...it just changes
over time.
 Tecniques
 Interview,document analysis, prototyping
 Old system investigation, observing customer’s
workplace
 The #1 reason that projects succeed is user
involvement