Software Engineering &

Information System Design

Reference Book: Software Engineering by Roger S. Pressman
 Chapter 1
Software & Software Engineering
What is Software?
Software is:
(1) instructions (computer programs) that when executed provide
desired features, function, and performance

(2) data structures that enable the programs to adequately manipulate

information

(3) documentation that describes the operation and use of the

programs.
What is Software? (Contd.)
❑ Software is developed or engineered, it is not manufactured in the
classical sense.
the term manufacture means: to make things, usually on a large
scale, with tools and either physical labor or machinery

❑ Software doesn't "wear out".

❑ Although the industry is moving toward component-based

construction (reuse-based approach), most software continues to be
custom-built.
Hardware vs. Software
Hardware Software
▪ Manufactured ▪ Developed/engineered
▪ Wears out (no longer ▪ Deteriorates (progressively
usable) worse)
▪ Built using components ▪ Custom built
▪ Relatively simple ▪ Complex
 Failure Curves for Hardware
❑ Also called the “bathtub curve”.

❑ At the beginning of the life of hardware it shows high failure rate as

it contains many defects.

❑ By time, the manufacturers or the designers repair these defects

and it becomes idealized or gets into the steady state and continues.

❑ But after that, as time passes, the failure rate rises again and this
may be caused by excessive temperature, dust, vibration, improper
use and so on and at one time it becomes totally unusable. This
state is the “wear out” state.
Failure Curves for Software
Software Applications
• System software: such as compilers, editors, file management utilities

• Application software: stand-alone programs for specific needs

• Engineering/scientific software: such as automotive stress analysis,

molecular biology, orbital dynamics etc

• Embedded software: resides within a product or system. (key pad

control of a microwave oven, digital function of dashboard display in
a car)
Software Applications (Contd.)
• Product-line software: focus on a limited marketplace to address
mass consumer market. (word processing, graphics, database
management)

• WebApps (Web applications): network centric software. As web 2.0

emerges, more sophisticated computing environments is supported
integrated with remote database and business applications.

• AI software: uses non-numerical algorithm to solve complex problem.

Robotics, expert system, pattern recognition, game playing
Legacy Software
• Informally characterized as old software that is still performing a useful job
for the community
• Example: Consider a software developed years ago using early versions of
Fortran or other languages
Why must it change?
• software must be adapted to meet the needs of new computing environments or
technology.

• software must be enhanced to implement new business requirements.

• software must be extended to make it interoperable with other more modern

systems or databases.

• software must be re-architected to make it viable within a network environment .

Software Engineering
IEEE defines software engineering as:
The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the
development, operation and maintenance of software

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 important because it enables us to build complex

systems in a timely manner and with high quality
Software Process
▪ Software process is a collection of:
▪ Activities, actions, and tasks
▪ Performed when work product is to be created
▪ Generic software engineering encompasses 5 activities:
▪ Communication
▪ Planning
▪ Modeling
▪ Construction
▪ Deployment
Software Engineering Practice
▪ Understand the problem (communication and analysis)
▪ Plan a solution (modeling a software design)
▪ Carry out the plan (code generation)
▪ Examine the result for accuracy (testing and quality assurance)
Umbrella Activities in Software Engineering
▪ Software project tracking and control
▪ Risk management
▪ Software quality assurance
▪ Technical reviews
▪ Measurement
▪ Software configuration management
▪ Reusability management
▪ Work product preparation and production
Practice Problems
▪ Why it is important to understand the customer’s problem before creating
a software solution?
▪ Often the practitioners of software engineering believe that “Once we
write the program and get it to work, our job is done”.
- What’s the reality?
▪ There is a myth among the customer that “Software requirements
continually change, but change can be easily accommodated because
software is flexible”.
- What’s the reality?