073 Flashcards
Question 1: Differentiate between software and software engineering. What are the characteristics and components of software? Explain.
Answer:
Software: Software refers to the collection of programs, data, and instructions that enable a computer system to perform specific tasks. It is a set of executable code that runs on hardware.
Software Engineering: Software engineering is the systematic approach to designing, developing, and maintaining software systems. It involves applying engineering principles and practices to ensure the production of high-quality software.
Characteristics of Software:
Intangible: Software cannot be physically touched or seen.
Flexible: Software can be easily modified or updated to accommodate changing requirements.
Complex: Software can have intricate logic and dependencies.
Non-deteriorating: Unlike physical products, software does not deteriorate over time.
Components of Software:
Programs: The executable code that performs specific tasks.
Data: The input, output, and storage used by the programs.
Documentation: The written materials that describe the software’s functionality, design, and usage.
Procedures: The guidelines and instructions for operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting the software.
Question 2: What are the major phases in the waterfall model and spiral model? What are the advantages of the spiral model? Explain.
Answer:
Waterfall Model: The major phases in the waterfall model are requirements analysis, system design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. It follows a linear, sequential approach.
Spiral Model: The major phases in the spiral model are planning, risk analysis, engineering, and evaluation. It is an iterative model that focuses on risk management and allows for incremental development.
Advantages of the Spiral Model:
Risk Management: The spiral model emphasizes risk analysis and mitigation throughout the project life cycle, reducing the chances of major risks going unnoticed.
Flexibility: It allows for iterative development and prototyping, accommodating changes and feedback from stakeholders.
User Involvement: The spiral model encourages continuous user involvement and feedback, ensuring that the system meets user expectations
Question 3: What are the major tasks of requirement engineering activity? Explain.
Answer:
The major tasks of requirement engineering activity include:
Requirements Elicitation: Gathering requirements from stakeholders using various techniques such as interviews, workshops, and surveys.
Requirements Analysis: Analyzing and refining the gathered requirements to ensure clarity, consistency, and feasibility.
Requirements Specification: Documenting the requirements in a clear and unambiguous manner using appropriate techniques such as use cases, user stories, or formal specifications.
Requirements Validation: Reviewing and validating the requirements with stakeholders to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with their needs.
Requirements Management: Managing changes to requirements throughout the project life cycle, ensuring proper version control and traceability.
Question 4: Explain the concept of the incremental model with an example.
Answer:
The incremental model is an iterative software development approach where the system is built and delivered in increments or small portions. Each increment adds new functionality to the system, building upon the previous increments.
Example: Suppose a software project involves developing an e-commerce website. In the incremental model, the development process may be divided into several increments. In the first increment, the basic structure and functionality of the website, such as user registration and login, product listing, and shopping cart, are implemented. In subsequent increments, additional features like payment integration, order tracking, and user reviews are added. Each increment is tested, evaluated, and delivered to the stakeholders, providing them with an evolving system that can be continuously improved and refined.
Question 5: What is the need for a feasibility study? Explain the various types of feasibility studies with examples.
Answer:
Feasibility study is conducted to assess the viability and potential success of a software project. It helps in determining whether a project is technically, economically, and operationally feasible before committing resources to it.
Types of Feasibility Studies:
Technical Feasibility: Determines if the required technology and infrastructure are available and capable of supporting the proposed system. For example, assessing if the hardware, software, and network requirements can be met for a new software system.
Economic Feasibility: Evaluates the financial viability of the project, including cost estimation, return on investment, and potential benefits. For example, analyzing the projected costs and benefits of implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
Operational Feasibility: Assesses whether the proposed system will be acceptable to end-users and fits within the organization’s existing processes and workflows. For example, evaluating the impact and feasibility of introducing a new customer relationship management (CRM) system on the sales team’s daily operations.
Question 6: What are the different types of requirement elicitation techniques? Explain briefly.
Answer:
Requirement elicitation techniques are used to gather requirements from stakeholders. Some common techniques include:
Interviews: Conducting one-on-one or group interviews with stakeholders to gather information and insights.
Surveys and Questionnaires: Distributing surveys or questionnaires to stakeholders to collect their opinions and preferences.
Workshops and Brainstorming: Facilitating collaborative sessions with stakeholders to generate ideas, identify requirements, and resolve conflicts.
Document Analysis: Reviewing existing documentation such as business reports, user manuals, and system specifications to extract requirements.
Prototyping: Building a working model or mock-up of the system to elicit feedback and refine requirements.
Question 7: What is software requirement specification (SRS)? Mention the principles and characteristics of SRS.
Answer:
Software Requirement Specification (SRS): SRS is a document that describes the requirements of a software system to be developed. It serves as a foundation for the design, development, and testing of the system.
Principles of SRS:
Clarity: The requirements should be clear, concise, and unambiguous.
Completeness: The SRS should capture all necessary requirements for the system.
Consistency: The requirements should be consistent with each other and with external documents.
Verifiability: The requirements should be testable and verifiable.
Characteristics of SRS:
Functionality: Describes the system’s functions and features.
Performance: Specifies the system’s performance and response times.
Usability: Defines user interface and usability requirements.
Reliability: Specifies system reliability, availability, and error-handling mechanisms.
Security: Describes security requirements and access controls.
Constraints: Specifies any limitations or constraints imposed on the system.
Question 8: How does software inspection improve software quality? Explain the software inspection process in brief.
Answer:
Software Inspection: Software inspection is a formal review process that involves examining software artifacts (e.g., requirements, designs, code) to identify defects and improve software quality.
Software Inspection Process:
Planning: Defining the scope, objectives, and roles for the inspection.
Overview: Presenting an overview of the artifact being inspected.
Preparation: Inspectors study the artifact individually and note potential defects.
Inspection Meeting: A group meeting is conducted where each inspector reports identified defects.
Rework: The author of the artifact corrects the identified defects.
Follow-up: A follow-up meeting is conducted to ensure that the identified defects have been addressed.
Measurement and Metrics: Collecting data on the inspection process and defects to improve future inspections.
Benefits of Software Inspection:
Early Defect Detection: Inspections catch defects early in the development process, reducing the cost and effort required to fix them.
Improved Quality: By identifying and addressing defects, inspections help improve the overall quality of the software.
Knowledge Sharing: Inspections facilitate knowledge sharing among team members, leading to improved skills and understanding.
Question 9: What is software quality assurance? What are the various quality concepts of SQA? Explain.
Answer:
Software Quality Assurance (SQA): SQA is a set of activities and processes that ensure the software product meets specified quality requirements. It focuses on preventing defects and improving the development process.
Quality Concepts of SQA:
Quality Planning: Defining quality objectives, criteria, and standards for the project.
Quality Control: Monitoring and verifying that the established processes and standards are being followed.
Quality Improvement: Identifying areas for improvement and implementing measures to enhance the quality of the software.
Quality Metrics: Defining and measuring metrics to assess the quality of the software product and development process.
Continuous Improvement: Adopting a mindset of continuous improvement by analyzing feedback, addressing issues, and incorporating lessons learned into future projects.
Question 10: What is software design? Explain the various principles and design concepts of software design.
Answer:
Software Design: Software design is the process of creating an architectural blueprint or plan for developing a software system. It involves defining the system’s structure, components, interfaces, and their interactions.
Principles of Software Design:
Modularity: Breaking the system into small, cohesive modules that can be developed and maintained independently.
Abstraction: Focusing on essential details while hiding unnecessary complexity.
Encapsulation: Bundling related data and methods into classes or modules and controlling their access.
Cohesion: Ensuring that modules or classes have a single, well-defined purpose or responsibility.
Loose Coupling: Minimizing dependencies between modules to allow for flexibility and ease of change.
Design Concepts of Software Design:
Structured Design: Organizing the system into structured modules using techniques like data flow diagrams (DFDs) and structured charts.
Object-Oriented Design: Designing the system based on objects and their interactions, using principles like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism.
Component-Based Design: Building the system by assembling pre-existing software components or modules.
Architectural Design: Defining the system’s overall structure, including components, their interactions, and the distribution of responsibilities.
Question 11: Differentiate between verification and validation.
Answer:
Verification: Verification is the process of evaluating a system or component to determine whether it meets specified requirements. It focuses on checking if the system has been built correctly, adhering to design specifications and standards.
Validation: Validation is the process of evaluating a system or component during or at the end of the development process to determine whether it satisfies the specified requirements. It focuses on checking if the system meets the customer’s needs and expectations.
Question 12: Write short notes on:
a) DFD (Data Flow Diagram)
Data Dictionary:
Estimation Techniques:
Answer:
DFD: A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of the flow of data within a system. It shows how data is input, processed, and output by different components of the system. DFDs are commonly used in software engineering to analyze and model system processes and data interactions.
b) Data Dictionary
Answer:
Data Dictionary: A Data Dictionary is a centralized repository that provides a comprehensive description of the data elements used within a system. It defines the structure, semantics, and relationships of the data elements, including their names, data types, lengths, and constraints. The data dictionary serves as a reference for developers, analysts, and users to understand and manage the data within the system.
c) Estimation Techniques
Answer:
Estimation Techniques: Estimation techniques are used in software engineering to predict the effort, time, and resources required for developing a software system. Some common estimation techniques include:
Expert Judgment: Seeking input and opinions from experienced individuals or teams.
Analogous Estimation: Using historical data from similar projects as a basis for estimation.
Parametric Estimation: Using statistical models and algorithms to estimate based on project parameters.
Three-Point Estimation: Considering optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely scenarios to calculate estimates.
