SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

SWE-211
3+0 (Theory Credit Hour = 3, Lab Credit Hours = 0)
BS-CS-III
SOFTWARE

• Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and

execute specific tasks. Opposite of hardware, which describes the physical aspects
of a computer, software is a generic term used to refer to applications, scripts and
programs that run on a device.

• Computer software, or simply software, is a collection of data or computer

instructions that tell the computer how to work. This is in contrast to physical
hardware, from which the system is built and actually performs the work.
Software engineering

• The economies of ALL developed nations are

dependent on software

• More and more systems are software controlled

• Software engineering is concerned with theories, methods and tools for

professional software development

• Software engineering expenditure represents a

significant fraction of GNP in all developed countries
Software costs
• Software costs often dominate 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
FAQs about software engineering

• What is software?
• What is software engineering?
• What is the difference between software engineering and computer
science?
• What is the difference between software engineering and system
engineering?
• What is a software process?
• What is a software process model?
FAQs about software engineering

• What are the costs of software engineering?

• What are software engineering methods?

• What is CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering)

• What are the attributes of good software?

• What are the key challenges facing software engineering?

What is software?

• Computer programs and associated documentation

• Software products may be developed for a particular customer or may

be developed for a general market

• Software products may be

• Generic - developed to be sold to a range of different customers
• Bespoke (custom) - developed for a single customer according to their
specification
What is software engineering?

• Software engineering is an engineering discipline which is concerned

with all aspects of software production

• Software engineers should adopt a systematic and organised approach

to their work and use appropriate tools and techniques depending on
the problem to be solved, the development constraints and the
resources available
What is the difference between software engineering
and computer science?

• Computer science is concerned with theory and fundamentals;

software engineering is concerned with the practicalities of developing
and delivering useful software

• Computer science theories are currently insufficient to act as a

complete underpinning for software engineering
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

• System engineers are involved in system specification, architectural

design, integration and deployment
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 - production of the software system
• Validation - checking that the software is what the customer wants
• Evolution - changing the software in response to changing demands
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
• Data-flow perspective - information flow
• Role/action perspective - who does what

• Generic process models

• Waterfall
• Evolutionary development
• Formal transformation
• Integration from reusable components
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

What are software engineering methods?

• Structured approaches to software development which include system

models, notations, rules, design advice and process guidance

• 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
What is CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering)

• Software systems which 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
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 usable

• Maintainability
• Software must evolve to meet changing needs
• Dependability
• Software must be trustworthy
• Efficiency
• Software should not make wasteful use of system resources
• Usability
• Software must be usable by the users for which it was designed
What are the key challenges facing software engineering?

• Coping with legacy systems, coping with increasing diversity and

coping with demands for reduced delivery times

• Legacy systems
• Old, valuable systems must be maintained and updated
• Heterogeneity
• Systems are distributed and include a mix of hardware and software
• Delivery
• There is increasing pressure for faster delivery of software
Software engineering diversity

• There are many different types of software system that their 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.
Application types
• Stand-alone applications
• These are application systems that run on a local computer, such as a PC.
They include all necessary functionality and do not need to be connected to
a network.

• Interactive transaction-based applications

• Applications that execute on a remote computer and are accessed by users
from their own PCs or terminals. These include web applications such as
e-commerce applications.

• Embedded control systems

• These are software control systems that control and manage hardware
devices. Numerically, there are probably more embedded systems than any
other type of system.
Application types
• Batch processing systems
• These are business systems that are designed to process data in large batches.
They process large numbers of individual inputs to create corresponding
outputs.
• Like Dairy Products , Manufacturing

• Entertainment systems
• These are systems that are primarily for personal use and which are intended to
entertain the user.

• Systems for modeling and simulation

• These are systems that are developed by scientists and engineers to model
physical processes or situations, which include many, separate, interacting
objects.
Application types

• Data collection systems

• These are systems that collect data from their environment using a set of
sensors and send that data to other systems for processing. Like Exam,
Survey.

• Systems of systems
• These are systems that are composed of a number of other software
systems. Like Energy - smart grid, smart houses, and integrated
production/consumption,
Software engineering fundamentals
• Some fundamental principles apply to all types of software system,
irrespective of the development techniques used:

• Systems should be developed using a managed and understood development

process. Of course, different processes are used for different types of software.
• Dependability and performance are important for all types of system.
• Understanding and managing the software specification and
• requirements (what the software should do) are important.
• Where appropriate, you should reuse software that has already been developed
rather than write new software.
Internet software engineering
• 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 over the web.

• 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.

Web-based software engineering

• Web-based systems are complex distributed systems but the

fundamental principles of software engineering discussed previously
are as applicable to them as they are to any other types of system.

• The fundamental ideas of software engineering apply to web-based

software in the same way that they apply to other types of software
system.
Web software engineering
• Software reuse
• 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.

• Incremental and agile development

• Web-based systems should be developed and delivered incrementally. It

is now generally recognized that it is impractical to specify all the
requirements for such systems in advance.
Web software engineering
• Service-oriented systems
• Software may be implemented using service-oriented software
engineering, where the software components are stand-alone web
services.

• Rich interfaces
• Interface development technologies such as AJAX and HTML5 have
emerged that support the creation of rich interfaces within a web
browser.
Software Engineering Ethics

• 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 behavior is more than simply upholding the law but involves
following a set of principles that are morally correct.
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.

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 outwith their competence.
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).
Rationale for the code of ethics
 Computers have a central and growing role in commerce, industry, government,
medicine, education, entertainment and society at large. Software engineers are
those who contribute by direct participation or by teaching, to the analysis,
specification, design, development, certification, maintenance and testing of
software systems.

 Because of their roles in developing software systems, software engineers have

significant opportunities to do good or cause harm, to enable others to do good or
cause harm, or to influence others to do good or cause harm. To ensure, as much as
possible, that their efforts will be used for good, software engineers must commit
themselves to making software engineering a beneficial and respected profession.
ACM/IEEE Code of Ethics

• The professional societies in the US have cooperated to produce a code

of ethical practice.

• Members of these organisations sign up to the code of practice when

they join.

• The Code contains eight Principles related to the behaviour 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.
Code of ethics - preamble
• 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:
Code of ethics - 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.
Code of ethics - principles

• 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.
Code of ethics - principles

• 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.
Ethical dilemmas ( situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two
or more alternatives, especially ones that are equally undesirable )

• Disagreement in principle with the policies of senior management

• Your employer acts in an unethical way and releases a safety-critical

system without finishing the testing of the system

• Participation in the development of military weapons systems or

nuclear systems
Software Engineering CASE STUDIES

• An Insulin pump control system

• A patient Information System for Mental Health Care
• A wilderness weather station
Software project failure
• Increasing system complexity
• As new software engineering techniques help us to build larger, more complex systems, the
demands change. Systems have to be built and delivered more quickly; larger, even more complex
systems are required; systems have to have new capabilities that were previously thought to be
impossible.

• Failure to use software engineering methods

• It is fairly easy to write computer programs without using software engineering methods and
techniques. Many companies have drifted into software development as their products and services
have evolved. They do not use software engineering methods in their everyday work. Consequently,
their software is often more expensive and less reliable than it should be.
Frequently asked questions about software engineering
Question Answer

What is software? Computer programs and associated documentation.

Software products may be developed for a particular
customer or may be developed for a general market.
What are the attributes of good software? 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 software Computer science focuses on theory and fundamentals;
engineering and computer science? software engineering is concerned with 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.
Frequently asked questions about software engineering
Question Answer
What are the key challenges facing Coping with increasing diversity, demands for reduced delivery
software engineering? times and developing trustworthy software.
What are the costs of software Roughly 60% of software costs are development costs, 40%
engineering? are testing costs. For custom software, evolution costs often
exceed development costs.
What are the best software engineering While all software projects have to be professionally managed
techniques and methods? 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
can’t, therefore, say that one method is better than another.

What differences has the web made to The web has led to the availability of software services and the
software engineering? possibility of developing highly distributed service- based
systems. Web-based systems development has led to
important advances in programming languages and software
reuse.
Software products

 Generic products
 Stand-alone systems that are marketed and sold to any customer who wishes
to buy them.
 Examples – PC software such as graphics programs, project management tools; CAD
software; software for specific markets such as appointments systems for dentists.

 Customized products
 Software that is commissioned by a specific customer to meet
their own needs.
 Examples – embedded control systems, air traffic control software, traffic
monitoring systems.
Product specification

• Generic products
• The specification of what the software should do is owned by the software
developer and decisions on software change are made by the developer.

• Customized products
• The specification of what the software should do is owned by the customer
for the software and they make decisions on software changes that are
required.
Essential attributes of good software

Product characteristic Description

Maintainability 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.

Dependability and Software dependability includes a range of characteristics including

security 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.
Case studies Solution

• A personal insulin pump

• An embedded system in an insulin pump used by diabetics to maintain blood glucose control.
• A mental health case patient management system
• Mentcare. A system used to maintain records of people receiving
• care for mental health problems.
• A wilderness weather station
• A data collection system that collects data about weather
• conditions in remote areas.
• iLearn: a digital learning environment
• A system to support learning in schools
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.
Insulin pump hardware architecture
Activity model of the insulin pump
Essential high-level requirements
• 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.
Assignment (Follow the book index for given references )