Software Engineering Fundamentals

Course Outline

• The course covers Software Engineering Fundamentals, Software Process Models, and Requirements Engineering
• System Modeling, Architectural Design, and User Interface Design are also covered
• Agile software Development and Software Testing are further topics

Course Assessment

• Final Exam accounts for 40% of the total marks
• Midterm Exam is worth 25%
• Quizzes contribute 15%
• The Project accounts for 20% of the total score

Software Engineering Definition

• Software Engineering is an engineering discipline that focuses on all aspects of software production
• This ranges from initial system specification to ongoing maintenance

Factors Increasing Software Project Failure

• Increasing system complexity, with demands for faster delivery and more complex systems
• The failure to use software engineering methods is a factor in project failure

Software Costs

• Software costs often dominate computer system costs
• The cost of software on a PC can be greater than the hardware cost
• Maintenance costs are more than development costs, especially for long-life systems
• Software engineering aims for cost-effective software development

Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE)

• CASE tools support multiple phases of the SDLC, including project identification, selection, initiation, planning, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance
• A repository, which is an integrated standard database, provides product and tool integration
• Examples of products are Oracle Designer and Rational Rose
• Code generators enable automatic generation of program and database definition code from design documents

Key Challenges in Software Engineering

• Coping with increasing diversity, meeting demands for quicker delivery times, and making trustworthy software

Software Process Activities

• Software specification involves customers and engineers defining the software and its constraints
• Software development involves designing and programming the software
• Software validation ensures the software meets customer requirements
• Software evolution modifies the software based on changing needs

Software Engineering Diversity

• There's not a universal set of software techniques applicable to system types
• Different types of systems exist
• Software engineering methods and tools vary based on the type of application, customer requirements, and the development team

Importance of Software Engineering

• Society relies on advanced software so producing reliable and trustworthy systems economically is key
• Using software engineering methods is cheaper in the long run
• Most costs of a system are for post-implementation changes

Defining Qualities of Good Software

• Maintainability: Software should be adaptable to meet changing customer needs
• Dependability encompasses reliability, security, and safety, preventing physical/economic damage and unauthorized access
• Efficiency avoids wasteful resource use, including responsiveness, processing time and memory utilization
• Acceptability: Software should be understandable, usable, and compatible for its intended users

SDLC Phases

• Planning: Define project scope/objectives, and allocate resources
• Analysis: System requirements are defined
• Design: the system architecture and components are designed
• Implementation: the software is coded, install, and validated
• Maintenance: the system is repaired and improved

SDLC Planning Phase Details

• This phase addresses why an information system is needed and how the project team will build it
• Project Initiation determines business needs and business value
• Feasibility Analysis assesses technical, economic, and organizational feasibility
• Once approved, Project Management involves creating a work plan and staffing the project

SDLC Analysis Phase Details

• The questions of who will use the system, what the system will do, and where/when it will be used are answered
• Requirements Determination: A careful study of current organizational procedures and information systems
• Requirements Structuring: Relationships between requirements are defined, redundancies are eliminated

SDLC Design Phase Details

• Involves converting the recommended solution into system specifications
• It will specify how the system will operate in terms of the hardware, software, and network infrastructure
• The design will specify the user interface, forms, and reports as well
• Logical design focuses on functional features described independently of the computer platform
• Whereas Physical design transforms logical specifications into technology-specific details

Types of Application

• Stand-alone applications run locally with all necessary functionality without needing a network
• Interactive transaction-based applications run on remote machines and are accessed by users' devices
• These include web applications like e-commerce
• Embedded control systems are software systems that manage hardware devices.
• Batch processing systems process data in large sets of inputs
• Entertainment systems are primarily for personal use
• Systems for modelling and simulation are made to model physical processes
• Data collection systems gather data from their environment using sensors and other systems for processing
• Systems of systems are composed of multiple other software systems

Generic Products

• Stand-alone systems sold to any customer. Examples include PC software, graphics programs, project management tools, and CAD software

Customized Products

• Software commissioned to meet specific customer needs. Examples include embedded control systems, air traffic control, and traffic monitoring systems

Generic Products, Specification

• The software developer controls software specifications and makes modification decisions

Customized Products, Specification

• The customer controls software specifications and makes decisions for modification

Software Analyst/Software Designer/Software Developer

• Career options for computer scientists include roles such as Software Analyst, Software Designer
• Software Developer (Programmer), Quality Engineer (Software Tester), Cyber Security, and AI Engineers
• A career path doesn't only involve writing code