Individual Assignment 2015-27 Due Date: Refer to Course Description
Objective:
The purpose of this assignment is to enable students to demonstrate their ability to interpret a set of laws that are part of the principles of software engineering, to evaluate principles of software engineering aspects within an industry in relation to the various elements covered, to apply them to cases drawn from technical and academic literature and to communicate the key issues through a written academic report.
Description of assignment:
In this first assignment, two software development methodologies will be examined using the first four laws given in the prescribed text.
Glass’ law
Requirement deficiencies are the prime source of project failures. (LI)
Boehm’s first law
Errors are most frequent during the requirements and design activities and are the more expensive the later they are removed. (L2)
Boehm’s second law
Prototyping (significantly) reduces requirement and design errors, especially for user interfaces. (L3)
Constantine’s law
A structure is stable if cohesion is strong and coupling low. (L7)
The first software development methodology will be the Waterfall Model, the second software methodology will be one of your own choosing provided that it is not the Agile Methodology nor the Rational Unified Process (RUP or UP).
For both the software development methodologies do the following:
1. Describe each law in your own words. Illustrate with a practical example.
[4 + 4 = 8 marks]
2. Your first task is to describe each software development methodology clearly and completely in your own words. You may use diagrams, examples or UML to help you do this.
[4 + 4 = 8 marks]
3. Using the above four laws of the text, show where these are either implemented or missing in each software development methodology (Total Two). If a law is missing, explain the consequences and suggest how the process might be improved.
[4 + 4 = 8 marks]
4. For each software development methodology, give an example of a project which it would be well suited for and one which it would be inappropriate for (Total Two projects for each software development methodology). Justify your answers.
[4 + 4 = 8 marks]
Additional Item for ITECH6501
McIlroy’s law
Software reuse reduces cycle time and increases productivity and quality (L15)
5. Describe and illustrate this law with examples. This law was published in 1968; is this law still valid today? Justify your answer with examples.
[4 + 4 = 8 marks]
NOTE: All description should be in your own words. Your report should adhere to the guidelines
1 for the presentation of academic work . Please review the Plagiarism section in the Course Description.
Please refer to the marking guide (see next page) for more detailed breakdown of marks.
Marking Guide
? ITECH3501 ? ITECH6501
Student Name: ____________________________ ID: ____________________
Describe each law (four laws)
Illustrate with a practical example (four examples) / 4
/ 4
Describe each software development methodology (two methodologies)
Use of diagrams, examples or UML / 4
/ 4
Using the first four laws of the text, show where these are either implemented or missing in each software development methodology. If a law is missing, explain the consequences and suggest how the process might be improved.
1. Waterfall Methodology
2. Any other methodology provided that it not the Agile Methodology or the Rational Unified Process (RUP or UP). / 4
/ 4
For each software development methodology, give an example of
1. A project which it would be well suited for and
2. One which it would be inappropriate for
(Total Two projects for each software development methodology). / 4
/ 4
Total /40
ITECH3501 Weight 10% /10
Additional item for ITECH6501 /8
ITECH6501 Total /48
ITECH6501 Weight 10% /10
Comments:
__________________________________________________________________________________ 1 http://www.ballarat.edu.au/current-students/learning-and-study/resources/general-guide-for-thepresentation-of-academic-work