Software

Software Engineering Tutorial

Engineering
Overview
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Let us understand what Software Engineering stands for. The term is made of
two words, software and engineering.
Software is more than just a program code. A program is an executable code,
which serves some computational purpose. Software is considered to be
collection of executable programming code, associated libraries and
documentations. Software, when made for a specific requirement is called
software product.

Software Perspective

From a software perspective, Software Engineering is the process of applying systematic,

disciplined, and measurable approaches to the design, development, testing, and maintenance of
software. The goal is to ensure that the software produced meets user requirements, functions as
intended, and is maintainable over time.

 Software refers to computer programs, applications, and systems that provide functionality to users,
including operating systems, web applications, and mobile apps.
 The focus is on the quality of software, ensuring that it is reliable, secure, and performs efficiently.

Software alone, if developed without structured practices, can become difficult to maintain, prone to errors,
and not scalable. This is where engineering principles come into play.

Engineering on the other hand, is all about developing products, using well-
defined, scientific principles and methods.

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Software engineering is an engineering branch associated with development

of software product using well-defined scientific principles, methods and
procedures. The outcome of software engineering is an efficient and reliable
software product.

From an engineering perspective, Software Engineering is the application of engineering principles to

the creation and maintenance of software. Engineering traditionally involves the design and
construction of physical systems (like buildings or bridges), but in the context of software, it focuses
on building intangible systems.

 Engineering involves problem-solving, using scientific knowledge, mathematical modeling,

and systematic methodologies to create efficient, reliable, and scalable solutions.
 It emphasizes design patterns, architecture, and structured processes to ensure software can
meet real-world requirements and constraints, such as performance, security, and scalability.

Combining the two Perspectives

When combining these perspectives, Software Engineering becomes a comprehensive discipline that
involves:

 Understanding user requirements (software side) and translating them into a functional system
(engineering side).
 Modelling and designing software using structured approaches, similar to how engineers would
design a bridge or mechanical system.
 Ensuring quality and efficiency through testing, validation, and ongoing maintenance, applying
engineering rigor to avoid failures.

This dual perspective emphasizes both the creation of functional software and the application of
systematic engineering principles to ensure that the software is reliable, maintainable, and scalable

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for real-world applications.

Definition
sIEEE defines software engineering as:
(1) The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to
the development, operation, and maintenance of software; that is, the
application of engineering to software.

(2) The study of approaches as in the above statement.

Fritz Bauer, a German computer scientist, defines software engineering as:

“Software engineering is the establishment and use of sound engineering

principles in order to obtain economically software that is reliable and
work efficiently on real machines.”

Software engineering is the systematic application of engineering principles to the design, development,
maintenance, testing, and evaluation of software systems. It aims to produce reliable, scalable, and efficient
software that meets users' needs and expectations. Unlike traditional programming, which focuses solely on
writing code, software engineering encompasses a broader spectrum of activities, ensuring the entire process
of creating and maintaining software is methodical and structured.

Key Concepts in Software Engineering

1. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC): The SDLC is the foundation of software
engineering, representing the different phases involved in the creation of software:
o Requirement Analysis: Gathering and analyzing user requirements to ensure the
system meets the user's needs.
o Design: Creating the system architecture, user interface design, database design, and
other blueprints for the software.
o Implementation: Writing the actual code based on the designs.
o Testing: Verifying that the software works as expected, identifying and fixing bugs.
o Deployment: Releasing the software to users.
o Maintenance: Updating and improving the software over time to fix bugs or add
features.
2. Software Engineering Principles:
o Modularity: Breaking down a system into smaller, manageable parts or modules, each
with a specific function.
o Abstraction: Focusing on the high-level functionality without worrying about the
details of implementation.
o Encapsulation: Restricting access to certain details of objects or functions to prevent
unintended interference.
o Separation of Concerns: Dividing a system into distinct sections, where each section
addresses a particular aspect of the software.
3. Software Development Models:

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o Waterfall Model: A linear, sequential approach where each phase must be completed
before moving to the next.
o Agile Methodology: An iterative and incremental approach, promoting flexibility and
collaboration with regular feedback and adjustments.
o DevOps: Integrates software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to improve
the speed and quality of software delivery.
4. Software Design Patterns: Reusable solutions to common design problems. Some widely used
patterns include:
o Singleton: Ensures a class has only one instance and provides a global point of access
to it.
o Factory: Defines an interface for creating objects, but allows subclasses to alter the
type of objects produced.
o Observer: Establishes a one-to-many relationship between objects so that when one
object changes, all dependent objects are notified.
5. Programming Paradigms:
o Procedural Programming: Focuses on functions and procedures.
o Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): Organizes code into objects, which represent
real-world entities.
o Functional Programming: Emphasizes mathematical functions and immutability,
avoiding side effects.
6. Testing and Quality Assurance: Ensuring that the software functions correctly through
different testing stages such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and user
acceptance testing (UAT).
7. Version Control: Tools like Git help track changes in the codebase, manage collaboration
between developers, and maintain the integrity of code throughout the development process.
8. Software Maintenance: Software engineering doesn’t end after deployment. Software
requires ongoing updates to improve performance, fix bugs, and adapt to new requirements.

Software
Evolution
The process of developing a software product using software engineering
principles and methods is referred to as Software Evolution. This includes the
initial development of software and its maintenance and updates, till desired
software product is developed, which satisfies the expected requirements.

Software Evolution refers to the process of developing software over time to

adapt to changing requirements, improve performance, fix defects, and
enhance functionality. Software systems, like other engineered products,
undergo a life cycle where they evolve in response to new demands or
technological advancements.

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Evolution starts from the requirement gathering process. After which developers
create a prototype of the intended software and show it to the users to get their
feedback at the early stage of the software product development. The users
suggest changes, on which several consecutive updates and maintenance keep
on changing too. This process changes to the original software, till the desired
software is accomplished.
Even after the user has the desired software in hand, the advancing technology
and the changing requirements force the software product to change
accordingly. Re-creating software from scratch and to go one-on-one with the
requirement is not feasible. The only feasible and economical solution is to
update the existing software so that it matches the latest requirements.

Software Evolution
Laws
Lehman has given laws for software evolution. He divided the software into three
different categories:

1. Static-type (S-type) - This is a software, which works strictly according

to defined specifications and solutions. The solution and the method to
achieve it, both are immediately understood before coding. The s-type
software is least subjected to changes hence this is the simplest of all. For
example, calculator program for mathematical computation.
2. Practical-type (P-type) - This is a software with a collection
of procedures. This is defined by exactly what procedures can do. In this
software, the specifications can be described but the solution is not
obviously instant. For example, gaming software.
3. Embedded-type (E-type) - This software works closely as the
requirement of real-world environment. This software has a high degree of
evolution as there are various changes in laws, taxes etc. in the real world

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situations. For example, Online trading software.

E-Type software
evolution
Lehman has given eight laws for E-Type software evolution -

1. Continuing change - An E-type software system must continue to adapt

to the real world changes, else it becomes progressively less useful.
2. Increasing complexity - As an E-type software system evolves, its
complexity tends to increase unless work is done to maintain or reduce it.
3. Conservation of familiarity - The familiarity with the software or the
knowledge about how it was developed, why was it developed in that
particular manner etc., must be retained at any cost, to implement the
changes in the system.
4. Continuing growth- In order for an E-type system intended to resolve
some business problem, its size of implementing the changes grows
according to the lifestyle changes of the business.

5. Reducing quality - An E-type software system declines in quality unless

rigorously maintained and adapted to a changing operational
environment.
6. Feedback systems- The E-type software systems constitute multi-loop,
multi-level feedback systems and must be treated as such to be
successfully modified or improved.
7. Self-regulation - E-type system evolution processes are self-regulating
with the distribution of product and process measures close to normal.
8. Organizational stability - The average effective global activity rate in an
evolving E-type system is invariant over the lifetime of the product.

Key Aspects of Software Evolution

1. Why Software Evolves:

o Changing Requirements: User needs or business goals change over time, requiring
updates to the software.
o Bug Fixes: Defects discovered after release need to be corrected.
o Performance Improvements: Optimizations may be necessary to improve speed,
efficiency, or scalability.
o Technological Advancements: New hardware or software platforms may require
the software to evolve.
o Security Updates: Software needs to evolve to address newly discovered security
vulnerabilities.
2. Types of Software Maintenance: Software evolution often occurs through different types
of maintenance activities:

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o Corrective Maintenance: Fixing bugs or errors that have been identified after the
software is deployed.
o Adaptive Maintenance: Modifying software to accommodate changes in the
environment (e.g., new operating systems or hardware).
o Perfective Maintenance: Improving or enhancing software performance,
functionality, or maintainability.
o Preventive Maintenance: Refactoring code or re-architecting parts of the system to
prevent future problems and improve robustness.
3. Challenges of Software Evolution:
o Code Entropy: As software evolves, the codebase can become more complex and
harder to maintain if not carefully managed. This is known as code entropy.
o Technical Debt: When quick fixes are implemented without proper refactoring, it
creates technical debt, which can slow down future development and make the
software harder to evolve.
o Backward Compatibility: Ensuring that new versions of the software remain
compatible with older data, APIs, or systems.
o Resource Allocation: Balancing between adding new features and maintaining older
parts of the software.
4. Approaches to Managing Software Evolution:
o Agile Methodologies: Agile emphasizes iterative development, which supports
continuous evolution by regularly updating software to reflect changing needs.
o DevOps Practices: DevOps promotes continuous integration and continuous
delivery (CI/CD), enabling faster and more reliable software evolution. DevOps is a
set of practices that integrates software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops)
with the goal of shortening the software development life cycle (SDLC) and
providing continuous delivery of high-quality software. It emphasizes collaboration,
automation, and monitoring at all stages of development, from coding to testing,
deployment, and operations.
o Refactoring: Regularly cleaning and optimizing code to improve its structure
without changing its external behavior. This makes future updates easier.
o Version Control Systems (VCS): Tools like Git help track changes in the codebase
and manage different versions of the software, making evolution smoother and
controlled.
o Modularization: Breaking down the system into modules or components helps with
easier updating and maintenance of individual parts.

Benefits of Software Evolution:

 Extending Lifespan: Through evolution, software remains relevant and functional over a
long period.
 Meeting User Expectations: Evolution ensures the software adapts to users’ growing needs
and business changes.
 Security: Regular updates ensure the system stays secure by addressing vulnerabilities over
time.

Examples of Software Evolution:

 Operating Systems: Systems like Windows, macOS, or Linux regularly evolve to include
new features, improve security, and adapt to new hardware.

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 Web Browsers: Browsers like Chrome and Firefox continuously evolve to improve
performance, comply with web standards, and enhance security.

Software evolution is inevitable in the life cycle of software systems. It ensures software continues
to provide value by adapting to new requirements, technology, and challenges.

Software
Paradigms
Software paradigms refer to the methods and steps, which are taken while
designing the software. There are many methods proposed and are
implemented. But, we need to see where in the software engineering concept,
these paradigms stand. These can be combined into various categories, though
each of them is contained in one another:

Programming paradigm is a subset of Software design paradigm which is further

a subset of Software development paradigm.

Software Development Paradigm

This paradigm is known as software engineering paradigms; where all the
engineering concepts pertaining to the development of software are applied. It
includes various researches and requirement gathering which helps the software
product to build. It consists of –

 Requirement gathering
 Software design
 Programming

Software Design Paradigm

This paradigm is a part of Software Development and includes –

 Design

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 Maintenance
 Programming

Programming Paradigm
This paradigm is related closely to programming aspect of software development.
This includes –
 Coding
 Testing
 Integration

Need of Software
Engineering
The need of software engineering arises because of higher rate of change in user
requirements and environment on which the software is working. Following are
some of the needs stated:

 Large software - It is easier to build a wall than a house or building,

likewise, as the size of the software becomes large, engineering has to
step to give it a scientific process.

 Scalability- If the software process were not based on scientific and

engineering concepts, it would be easier to re-create new software than to
scale an existing one.

 Cost- As hardware industry has shown its skills and huge manufacturing
has lower down the price of computer and electronic hardware. But, cost
of the software remains high if proper process is not adapted.
 Dynamic Nature- Always growing and adapting nature of the software
hugely depends upon the environment in which the user works. If the
nature of software is always changing, new enhancements need to be
done in the existing one. This is where the software engineering plays a
good role.

 Quality Management- Better process of software development provides

better and quality software product.

Importance of Software Engineering

 Efficiency: Structured processes ensure that software is developed efficiently, saving time and
resources.
 Quality Assurance: Emphasizes thorough testing and validation to produce robust software that
performs well in real-world scenarios.
 Scalability: Proper design principles ensure that software can grow and evolve without major
rewrites.

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 User Satisfaction: By focusing on requirements gathering and user-centered design, software

engineers produce systems that meet user needs.

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Characteristics of good
software
A software product can be judged by what it offers and how well it can be used.
This software must satisfy on the following grounds:

 Operational
 Transitional
 Maintenance
Well-engineered and crafted software is expected to have the following
characteristics:

Operational
This tells us how well the software works in operations. It can be measured on:

 Budget
 Usability
 Efficiency
 Correctness
 Functionality
 Dependability
 Security
 Safety

Transitional
This aspect is important when the software is moved from one platform to
another:
 Portability
 Interoperability
 Reusability
 Adaptability

Maintenance
This aspect briefs about how well the software has the capabilities to maintain
itself in the ever-changing environment:
 Modularity
 Maintainability
 Flexibility
 Scalability

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In short, Software engineering is a branch of computer science, which uses well-

defined engineering concepts required to produce efficient, durable, scalable, in-
budget, and on-time software products.

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