Chapter 1- Introduction to Software Engineering

Introduction
Read chapter thoroughly
Key points
Exercises...
We will
Read project Deliverables and tentative lecture schedule
Read syllabus..
Form teams
Importance of class attendance; team participation; short quizzes.
Key: don't get behind...

History of Software Engineering p5

Software crisis
Large complex systems - no scaling
Cost overruns, requirements not met, over budget, late
Let's start off with the basics:

Frequently Asked Questions about Software

Engineering
Question

Answer

What is software?

What
software?

are

the

attributes

of

Computer
programs
and
associated
documentation. Software products may be developed for
a particular customer or may be developed for a general
market.
good
Good software should deliver the required functionality
and performance to the user and should be maintainable,
dependable and usable.

What is software engineering?

Software engineering is an engineering discipline

that is concerned with all aspects of software
production.
What are the fundamental software
Software specification, software development, software
engineering activities?
validation and software evolution.
What is the difference between
Computer science focuses on theory and
software engineering and computerfundamentals; software engineering is concerned with
science?
the practicalities of developing and delivering useful
software.
What is the difference between software
System engineering is concerned with all aspects of
engineering and system engineering?
computer-based systems development including hardware,
software and process engineering. Software engineering is
part of this more general process.
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Chapter 1 Introduction

Frequently Asked Questions about Software

Engineering
Question

Answer

What are the key challenges facing

Coping with increasing diversity, demands for
software engineering?
reduced delivery times and developing trustworthy
software.
What are
engineering?

the

costs

of

software

Roughly 60% of software costs are development

costs, 40% are testing costs. For custom software,
evolution costs often exceed development costs.

What
are
the
best
software
While all software projects have to be professionally
engineering techniques and methods?
managed and developed, different techniques are
appropriate for different types of system. For example,
games should always be developed using a series of
prototypes whereas safety critical control systems require
a complete and analyzable specification to be developed.
You cant, therefore, say that one method is better than
another.
What differences has the web made
The web has led to the availability of software
to software engineering?
services and the possibility of developing highly
distributed service-based systems. Web-based systems
development has led to important advances4 in
Chapter
1 Introduction
3
programming
languages and software reuse.

Essential Attributes of Good Software

Often referred to as "Quality Metrics"
Sometimes called "Non-Functional Requirements"
Product
characteristic
Maintainability

Dependability and
security

Description
Software should be written in such a way so that it can evolve to
meet the changing needs of customers. This is a critical attribute
because software change is an inevitable requirement of a changing
business environment.
Software dependability includes a range of characteristics including
reliability, security and safety. Dependable software should not cause
physical or economic damage in the event of system failure. Malicious
users should not be able to access or damage the system.

Efficiency

Software should not make wasteful use of system resources

such as memory and processor cycles. Efficiency therefore includes
responsiveness, processing time, memory utilisation, etc.

Acceptability

Software must be acceptable to the type of users for which it is

designed. This means that it must be understandable, usable and
compatible with other systems that they use.
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Chapter 1 Introduction

Essential Attributes of Good Software

Often referred to as "Quality Metrics"
Sometimes called "Non-Functional Requirements"

More:
Many other quality metrics such as

Reliability

Scalability

Portability

Reusability

Useability
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Software Engineering
Software engineering is an engineering discipline
that is concerned with all aspects of software production
from the early stages of system specification through
to maintaining the system after it has gone into use.
Engineering discipline
Using appropriate theories and methods to solve problems
bearing in mind organizational and financial constraints.

All aspects of software production

Not just technical process of development. Also project
management and the development of tools, methods etc. to
support software production.

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Software Process Activities

(High level view)
Software specifications, where customers and
engineers define the software that is to be produced and
the constraints on its operation.
Software development, where the software is
designed and programmed.
Software validation, where the software is checked to
ensure that it is what the customer requires.
Software evolution, where the software is modified to
reflect changing customer and market requirements.

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Software Engineering Diversity

There are many different types of software system and
there is no universal set of software techniques that
is applicable to all of these.
The software engineering methods and tools used
depend on the type of application being developed,
the requirements of the customer and the background of
the development team.
Many companies do not subscribe exactly to any specific
process. Rather, they use a hybrid of activities that
fits their organization, tools, experience, and
frankly what works for them.
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Chapter 1 Introduction

Key examples of diverse systems

Stand alone apps
Interactive transaction-based apps
Embedded real time systems
Process control systems
Batch systems
Data collection systems. And more...

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Software Engineering Fundamentals

Some fundamental principles apply to all types of
software system
Systems should be developed using a managed and
understood development process.
Dependability and performance are important for all systems. But
there are many other quality metrics needed!!
Understanding and managing the software specification and
requirements (what the software should do) are vitally important.
Where appropriate, you should reuse software that has already
been developed rather than write new software.
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Software Engineering and the

Web
The Web is now a platform for running application and
organizations are increasingly developing web-based systems
rather than local systems.
Web services allow application functionality to be accessed
globally

We must consider our developments global by default.

Cloud computing is an approach to the provision of computer
services where applications run remotely on the cloud.
Users do not buy software buy pay according to use.

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Web Software Engineering

Software reuse is the dominant approach for constructing web-based
systems.
When building these systems, you think about how you can assemble them from
pre-existing software components and systems.

Web-based systems should be developed and delivered iteratively and

incrementally.
It is now generally recognized that it is impractical to specify all the
requirements for such systems in advance.

User interfaces are constrained by the capabilities of web browsers.

Technologies such as AJAX allow rich interfaces to be created within a web
browser but are still difficult to use.
Web forms with local scripting are more commonly used.

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Software Engineering Ethics

Software engineering involves wider responsibilities than
simply the application of technical skills.

This is dramatically different than software development.

years ago.
Software engineers must behave in an honest and ethically
responsible way if they are to be respected as professionals.
Ethical behavior is more than simply upholding the law but
involves following a set of principles that are morally correct.

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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.
When being fired, often employee is not allowed to return to his/her desk!

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

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
peoples computers. Computer misuse ranges from relatively trivial
(game playing on an employers machine, say) to extremely serious
(dissemination of viruses).

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ACM/IEEE Code of Ethics

The professional societies in the US have cooperated to produce
a code of ethical practice.

We have these posted along our inner hallways.

Members of these organizations sign up to the code of practice
when they join.

Absolutely you need to belong to the ACM, IEEE CS and

perhaps a couple of others in your area of specialization.
The Code contains eight Principles related to the behavior 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.
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The ACM/IEEE Code of Ethics

Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice

ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Task Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices
PREAMBLE
The short version of the code summarizes aspirations at a high level of the abstraction; the
clauses that are included in the full version give examples and details of how these aspirations
change the way we act as software engineering professionals. Without the aspirations, the
details can become legalistic and tedious; without the details, the aspirations can become high
sounding but empty; together, the aspirations and the details form a cohesive code.
Software engineers shall commit themselves to making the analysis, specification, design,
development, testing and maintenance of software a beneficial and respected profession. In
accordance with their commitment to the health, safety and welfare of the public, software
engineers shall adhere to the following Eight Principles:

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Ethical Principles
1. PUBLIC - Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.
2. CLIENT AND EMPLOYER - Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best
interests of their client and employer consistent with the public interest.
3. PRODUCT - Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications
meet the highest professional standards possible.
4. JUDGMENT - Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their
professional judgment.
5. MANAGEMENT - Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and
promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance.
6. PROFESSION - Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the
profession consistent with the public interest.
7. COLLEAGUES - Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
8. SELF - 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.

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Ethical Dilemmas
Disagreement in principle with the policies of senior
management. Discuss
Your employer acts in an unethical way and releases a
safety-critical system without finishing the testing of the
system. Discuss
Participation in the development of military weapons
systems or nuclear systems. Discuss

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Here in the following slides are some introductory thoughts regarding

architecture.
We will be taking through many of these in future lectures.
But for now...

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Case study An Insulin Pump Control System

A personal insulin pump
An embedded system in an insulin pump used by diabetics to
maintain blood glucose control.

Insulin pump control system

Collects data from a blood sugar sensor and calculates the amount
of insulin required to be injected.
Calculation based on the rate of change of blood sugar levels.
Sends signals to a micro-pump to deliver the correct dose of
insulin.
Safety-critical system as low blood sugars can lead to brain
malfunctioning, coma and death; high-blood sugar levels have
long-term consequences such as eye and kidney damage.
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Insulin pump hardware architecture

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Activity model of the insulin pump

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Essential high-level requirements

(sometimes called User Stories or Features)
The system shall be available to deliver insulin when required.
The system shall perform reliably and deliver the correct
amount of insulin to counteract the current level of blood
sugar.
The system must therefore be designed and implemented to
ensure that the system always meets these requirements.
These (above) came from the book, but clearly they are way to
high level to provide any real direction to development. We
will discuss mechanisms to capture functional and nonfunctional requirements in lectures coming up.

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