Chapter 1

Software Engineering: overview

Chapter 1 1
 1.1 Software Concepts

 Program : a set of instructions that tells the hardware what

to do.
 Simple programs may have a few hundred instructions (lines
of code) though most have many more (several million).
 Software : can be a single program or a group of programs
needed to perform several functions.
 Example : payroll processing needs several programs : program
to print checks weekly, one to produce monthly reports, and
another to prepare annual tax for employees. Each program by
itself is a software, but all programs are also software (payroll
S/W)
 So, the
Chapter 1 words of program and software are often used 2
 1.1 What is software?

 Computer programs and associated documentations

such as requirements, design models, configuration
files, and user manuals.

Chapter 1 3
 1.2 Software Types
Application software
System software
Systems
Hardware

Chapter 1 4
 1.2.1 Software Types
(functional perspective)
 System software : Provides capabilities that make any
hardware useable by managing its operation.

 Operating system : A group of programs that manage the

operation of the computer and controls the execution of
another program (system or application).
 Utility programs : Perform common functions such as
sort utility, merge utility, print utility, copy utility,
communication (network management) software, database
systems, and development software

Chapter 1 5
 1.2.1 Software Types
(functional perspective)

 Application Software : Performs the functions of an application

that the user needs. User interact with the software for
entering input and receiving output. The software also
performs data processing, storing, printing, sending, etc…

Chapter 1 6
 1.2.2 Software Types
(market perspective)
 Software products types
 Generic (build to market) : developed to be sold to a
range of different customers e.g. PC software such as
Excel or Word.
 Bespoke (custom or build to order) : 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.
Chapter 1 7
 1.3 What areas of software
applications?
 System software :OSs, drivers, telecom processors, compilers,
editors, file management utilities
 Real-time software : monitors, analyse, processes and controls
real-world events
 Business software: TPSs, MISs, DSSs, etc..
 Engineering and scientific: CAD, system simulation,
industrial,.
 Embedded software: controls industrial products and system for
the consumer (appliances control, automobiles, etc..
 PC software: WP, SS, CG, multimedia, entertainment, DBM, etc..
 Web-based software: for e-business applications (EC, EL, MC, ..
 AIChapter
software:
1 ES (KBS), pattern recognition, ANNs, games 8
 1.4 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 cost-effective

software development.
Chapter 1 9
 1.5 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 or

organised and informal approaches to their work and use
appropriate tools and techniques depending on the
problem to be solved, the development constraints and the
resources available.

Chapter 1 10
 1.5 What is software engineering?

PROBLEM Constraints
Tools

Sub Sub Sub

…………………………..
Problem1 Problem2 Problem n

Solution Solution ………………………….. Solution

1 2 n

Resources SOLUTION
Approaches
Chapter 1 11
 1.6 Software engineering importance
 Computer Software becomes a driving force because :
 Software engineering is concerned with theories, methods and
tools for professional software development.
 It is embedded in systems of all kinds : transportation, medical,
telecom, military, industrial entertainment, office products,
etc..
 Serves as the basis for modern scientific investigation and
engineering problem solving.
 It plays dual roles : product and delivery vehicle of itself.
 It is the engine that drives business and decision making
 The economies of ALL developed nations are dependent on
software.
 Expenditure on software represents a significant fraction of
Chapter 1 12
1.7 What is the difference between software
engineering and computer science?

 Computer science : is concerned with theory and fundamental

of computer functions.

 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 (unlike e.g.
physics and electrical engineering). Software engineers must
often use ad hoc approaches to develop the software.
Chapter 1 13
1.7 What is the difference between software
engineering and computer science?

Computer
Science Customer

Theorie
Computer
s Problem
functions

Software
Engineering

Tools and
approaches to
solve Problem
Chapter 1 14
 1.8 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.

Chapter 1 15
1. 9 Who are involved in software engineering?

Sponsor system
Customer development

$$$$$
Needs
Developer
User Contractual
System
obligation
builder
Needs

Software system
Uses system
Chapter 1 16
 1. 10 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 (design, and coding) - production of the
software system
 Validation - checking that the software is what the customer
wants
 Evolution - changing the software in response to changing
demands.
 Different software processes organize these activities in
different
Chapter 1 ways and are described in different levels. 17
1.11 Who are the members of the
software development team?
Requirements Analyst
Definition and Analysis
System Design Designer

Program design Programmer

Unit Testing Tester
Integration Testing

System Testing
System delivery Trainer
System maintenance
Chapter 1 18
1.12 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 (what);
 Data-flow or activity perspective - information flow (how);
 Role/action perspective - who does what.
 Generic process models
 Waterfall;
 Iterative development;
 Component-based software engineering.
Chapter 1 19
1.13 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 (see textbook for more details).
Chapter 1 20
1.14 What are software engineering
methods?

 Definition: structured approach to software development whose aim is to

facilitates the production of high-quality software in a cost-effective way.
 Classification
 Function-oriented : identify the basic functional
components of a system.
 Object-oriented : identify the basic objects of a system.

 All methods are based on the idea of developing models of

a system using graphical representation and using them as
a system specification or design.

Chapter 1 21
 1.14 What are software engineering
methods?

 Methods should include a number of different components

such as :
 Model descriptions
 Descriptions of graphical models which should be produced;
 Rules
 Constraints applied to system models;
 Recommendations
 Advice on good design practice;
 Process guidance
 What activities to follow.

Chapter 1 22
 1.15 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.

Chapter 1 23
 1.16 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 (flexibility, scalability, simplicity)
 Software must evolve to meet changing needs;
 Dependability (reliability, security, and safety)
 Software must be trustworthy;
 Efficiency (performance, memory size)
 Software should not make wasteful use of system resources;
 Acceptability
 Software must accepted by the users for which it was designed.
This means it must be understandable, usable and compatible
with other systems.
Chapter 1 24
1.17 What are the key challenges facing
software engineering?

 Heterogeneity
 Developing techniques for building software that can cope
with heterogeneous platforms and execution environments;
 Delivery
 Developing techniques that lead to faster delivery of
software;
 Trust
 Developing techniques that demonstrate that software can be
trusted by its users.

Chapter 1 25
 1.18 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.
Chapter 1 26
 1.19 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.

 Competence
 Engineers should not misrepresent their level of competence.
They should not knowingly accept work which is out with their
competence.

Chapter 1 27
 1.19 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.

 Computer misuse
 Software engineers should not use their technical skills to
misuse other people’s computers. Computer misuse ranges
from relatively trivial (game playing on an employer’s
machine, say) to extremely serious (dissemination of viruses).
Chapter 1 28
 1.20 Software project management

 Project management is needed because software

development is always subject to budget and schedule
constraints that are set by the organisation developing the
software.

 Concerned with activities involved in ensuring that

software is delivered on time and on schedule and in
accordance with the requirements of the organisations
developing and procuring the software.
Chapter 1 29
Software development framework
Applications
CASE System
tools engineering

Software
Management
activities
developmen Software
analysis
t
Development Software
models design
Software
Chapter 1
implementation 30