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TM354 > Revision > Flashcards

Revision Flashcards

1
Q

What are architecturally significant requirements(ASRs)?

A

The requirements that drive a systems software architecture. Quality attributes, core features, constraints, application environment.

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2
Q

What is a software architecture?

A

The overall structure of a software system.

Tells the devs the overall shape of the software system and how to use various technologies.

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3
Q

What is an architectural pattern?

A

Codifies recurrent software architectures by describing key elements of the architecture and how they fit together.

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4
Q

What is a design pattern?

A

A reusable solution to design problems

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5
Q

What is verification in testing terms?

A

Has the product been built right?

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6
Q

What is validation in testing terms?

A

Has the right product been built?

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7
Q

What are software quality factors?

A

Correctness, reliability, integrity, maintainability, usability,…

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8
Q

What is cyclomatic complexity metric?

A

The number of independent paths through a method body

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9
Q

What is black-box testing?

A

Black-box testing is a method of testing software functionality based on tests cases from the specification.

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10
Q

What is white-box testing?

A

The testing of the internal structure of a software system.

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11
Q

What is the logical (functional) view?

A

Describes the system’s main functional elements and their interactions

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12
Q

What is the process view?

A

Describes the independently executing processes that exist at run-time and the communication between them.

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13
Q

What is the deployment view?

A

Describes how the system will be deployed to an operating environment of physical computers and networks

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14
Q

What are logical view artefacts?

A

Class and object diagrams, sequence diagrams, package diagrams.

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15
Q

What is the defining quality of a good software system, and what are its main characteristics?

A

That it meets the user’s needs. It useful, usable, flexible, available, affordable and reliable.

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16
Q

How might greater flexibility make a software system more affordable over its whole life?

A

Makes it easier to correct any errors and therefore reduce the number of staff and the amount of time needed on the project.

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17
Q

Give 2 reasons why a delivered software system might not meet its users’ needs

A

Missing some of the user’s desired functionality and is unreliable.

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18
Q

Suggest a means of measuring the maintainability of a software system

A

How easy it is for a developer to track and fix bugs and for them to implement new features to meet the users’ needs

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19
Q

What can we learn from legacy systems about developing a good software system?

A

Well documented systems rely less on the people initially involved with developing the system.

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20
Q

Suggest a reason why legacy systems will always be a problem.

A

Malleable software allows developers to bolt on and change the software

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21
Q

Why might you consider splitting up a large project into smaller chunks?

A

Decomposing a large project into smaller chunks you can assign individuals to separate tasks where it will be easier to understand each of the solutions and problems of the task required.

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22
Q

How does the complexity of a software system affect the maintenance task?

A

making changes to it or finding the solutions to any problems can become very costly and time consuming.

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23
Q

What is a module?

A

A module is a smaller subsystem of a larger overall system. In OOP a module can be a class, or a method in a procedural language.

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24
Q

Why does it help to have low coupling in a software system?

A

As it allows changes to be made to one module without making changes to others, can replace a component easier.

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25
Q

What are the context dependencies of a module? How do they relate to a module’s interface?

A

The context dependencies of a module are the other modules that the module requires in order to carry out its task.

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26
Q

What are the benefits of using modules with defined interfaces?

A 
You will know what to expect from a module and the services it provides.
Possibility of module reuse.
Irrelevant modules are avoided
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27
Q

Why does it help to have high cohesion in the modules of a software system?

A

modules are more tightly related to each other and each module will carry out a specific task. This means its purpose is clear.

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28
Q

What characteristics should a module display that will help to ensure that it is easy and cheap to develop and maintain and that errors are kept to a minimum?

A

The right balance between low coupling (its dependency on other modules) and its high cohesion (the task require of the module)

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29
Q

Why is it important to achieve a balance between coupling and cohesion?

A

You may end up with smaller loosely coupled and less cohesive modules or a larger set of tightly coupled more cohesive modules.

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30
Q

What are the characteristics of a component?

A

It is sufficiently good abstraction for the problem in hand.
Capable of being reused in future projects with same architecture.
Well defined interface.

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31
Q

How does the concept of an architecture contribute to component reuse?

A

Embodies high-level decisions about the overall structure of the system and this may apply to more than one system.

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32
Q

Which form of decomposition might be used in a software architecture?

A

Basic form of decomposition used in software architecture is partitioning addressed by a subsystem. Eg, separate the UI layer from the core business services.

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33
Q

What are the similarities and differences between components and services?

A

Both are units of reuse
Both have their own interfaces
Component is tech dependent, service is tech neutral.

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34
Q

Give the characteristics of an engineering approach that support the argument that software development is an engineering discipline.

A

Validation and verification are essential as building the software itself
Makes use of tools and standards
Follows a code of practice

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35
Q

What is a development process?

A

A development process is a set of rules and activities that define how a software development project should be carried out.

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36
Q

What should the role of project management be with respect to the deliverables of a development project?

A

Identifying an appropriate set of requirements and controlling the cost of producing them.

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37
Q

Suggest a reason why maintenance is a core activity in the development of a good software system

A

It allows the software system to evolve, allows errors to be corrected, adapting to changing environments, introduce enhancements and improve the software

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38
Q

What are the assumptions on which the waterfall model is based?

A

That when one particular activity is completed it will not be revisited.

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39
Q

Why are there additional risks when developing large projects?

A

Implementing different teams work on a project. Need for good communication between teams.

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40
Q

Why is traceability important to the development of software?

A

Able to trace backward from an implemented component(s), through their design to a given requirement.

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41
Q

How does documentation contribute to traceability within a development project?

A

The documentation records the progress from requirements to implementation.

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42
Q

For what kind of software system might you minimise or even avoid any documentation?

A

If the software system has a short lifespan or will be discarded after use.

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43
Q

How would you characterise agile documentation

A

Simple to understand, a well defined purpose and maximise the payoff in the effort of producing it

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44
Q

What is a model?

A

It is an abstract representation of a situation in reality, or of a system from a particular pov

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45
Q

What makes a ‘good model’?

A

Focus on the essentials whilst keeping out non-essential information

46
Q

What are the two kinds of rule that govern the use of modelling language?

A

Syntax and semantics (what the syntax means)

47
Q

How does a standard modelling language contribute to software development?

A

No need to learn bespoke modelling languanges. Users can pick up work from another team and understand it.

48
Q

What is the difference between a structural and a behaviour model?

A

Structural describes objects and their relationships, behaviour describes the system over time.

49
Q

What is the purpose of domain modelling?

A

Knowing the environment the system is to be introduced to.

50
Q

What is the purpose of the requirements phase?

A

Understand what the system must do and its qualities

51
Q

What is the purpose of analysis?

A

To start modelling the structure and behaviour of a software system from a users’ perspective

52
Q

What is the purpose of design?

A

To make decisions concerning how a system will meet its spec

53
Q

What is the difference between functional and non-functional requirements?

A

Functional is an action the system must perform, non-functional is a quality it must have such as usable, reliable, maintainable.

54
Q

What is reused in a framework?

A

A framework reuses an architecture together with code for components that can slot into that architecture.

55
Q

When would you not use Agile?

A

In large system with distributed teams.
Heavily regulated environment.
Requirements unlikely to change

56
Q

When would Agile development be easy to implement?

A

When team is small and located together.
When the team and users are close.
Constant requirement changes.

57
Q

What components add complexity to cyclomatic complexity?

A

IF / && / || / WHILE / FOR / SWITCH / TRY / DO-WHILE

58
Q

What is a component?

A

A component denotes a unit of reuse or replacement in a software system. Well understood and have their own interface and context dependencies.

59
Q

What is a service?

A

A unit of reuse corresponding to a piece of functionality. In a standard language with published interfaces.

60
Q

What 3 important characteristics can affect its development and likelihood of errors?

A

Malleability - That it is easy to change.
Complexity.
Size.

61
Q

What two problems can arise from decomposing a project into smaller parts?

A
  1. Is each subproblem easier than the original?

2. Will they all fit back together again?

62
Q

What is the interface of a module?

A

The interface of a module defines how other modules can use that module.

63
Q

What is abstraction?

A

A view of a complex problem with the aim of arriving at a useful decomposition of that problem.

64
Q

What is circular dependency?

A

A form of strong(or high) coupling.

65
Q

What are the 3 ways of decomposing an architecture?

A

Layers
Components
Services

66
Q

List some properties of components

A

Technology dependent
Tend to relate to entities
Assembled together through connectors

67
Q

List some properties of services

A

Technology neutral
Discoverable
Invoked using standard communication protocols
Associated to business processes

68
Q

What is requirements elicitation?

A

Identifying the problem

69
Q

What is requirements analysis?

A

Categorisation, priortisation and modelling of requirements.

70
Q

What is a process model (life cycle)?

A

Description of all the events and activities in the life of a software system in which they happen.

71
Q

What is traceability?

A

The ability to trace the history of each requirement.

72
Q

What makes up the documentation in an agile project?

A

User stories - Some functionality

Tests - An executable of a user story

73
Q

Why is traceability important?

A

Dispute resolution

Follow activities undertaken in response to proposed change.

74
Q

What are the main problems associated with development of software?

A 
Meets all requirements
On time
Minimal bugs
Good documentation
Understanding users of the system
Changing needs and requirements
75
Q

What are the required characteristics of a standard modelling language?

A

Help resolve problems not create more
Easy to learn and use
Widely used and accepted

76
Q

What is timeboxing?

A

A short fixed duration devoted to each iteration.

77
Q

What is unified process?

A

An iterative and incremental development process

78
Q

What are the 4 phases of a UP project?

A

Inception - Develop business case
Elaboration - Develop core system, address and resolve major risks.
Construction - Produce final product
Transition - Beta testing and deployment

79
Q

What are business rules?

A

Constraints on how the software system should do something.

80
Q

What are business processes?

A

What is done in the business, by whom, in what order and needing which resources

81
Q

In what ways may requirements evolve?

A

Extra functionality
Regulation changes
Evolving technologies

82
Q

What over arching property should the set of functional requirements possess?

A

They should be complete.

83
Q

How do business events and uses cases help in determining functional requirements?

A

A way of discovering requirements. Use cases derived from business events, each use case described by a set of scenarios.

84
Q

Why must functional requirements be testable?

A

They are a required function of the system, if they are not testable you cannot be sure it is implemented.

85
Q

What are the benefits of a modular approach to software development?

A

Increase in reuse
Easier to understand the system (size and complexity)
Teams of developers can work on different parts.

86
Q

What must be true of a non-functional requirement?

A

It must be testable and measurable.

87
Q

What is the difference between fork and cascade patters?

A

Fork pattern one object sends all the messages, cascade objects delegate sending of messages to other objects.

88
Q

What are the advantages of the separating the business layer and presentation layers(MVC)?

A

Greater flexibility in UI design
Developers can focus on business objects
Business logic can be tested separately from UI

89
Q

What coupling would you expect amongst three successive layers?

A

Each layer interacts with the ones directly above and below via defined interfaces minimising coupling.

90
Q

What is the Law of Demeter?

A

The Law of Demeter states that a method M in a class A should not send a message to another object unless that object is one of the following:
an instance variable used in the method m,
a parameter to the method m,
an object created in the method m,
a global variable(Java’s nearest equivalent is public static variable) used in the method m.
Typically use of cascade over fork pattern.

91
Q

What are the 8 types of non-functional requirements?

A
  1. Look and feel
  2. Usability and humanity
  3. Performance
  4. Operational and environmental
  5. Maintainbility
  6. Cultural
  7. Legal
  8. Security
92
Q

Define non-functional requirement look and feel

A

Spirit of products appearace

93
Q

Define non-functional requirement usability and humanity

A

Ease of use and special usability

94
Q

Define non-functional requirement performance

A

How fast, safe, accurate, usable, reliable, available

95
Q

Define non-functional requirement operational and environmental

A

Environment which the product needs to work

96
Q

Define non-functional requirement maintainability and support

A

Expected changes and time allowed to make them

97
Q

Define non-functional requirement cultural

A

Special requirements due to developers and users involved

98
Q

Define non-functional requirement legal

A

Laws and standards

99
Q

Define non-functional requirement security

A

Security and confidentiality

100
Q

Why are cultural requirements often difficult to deal with?

A

Involves asking personal questions which can be sensitive.

101
Q

What is the most pressing reason for considering legal requirements?

A

There are penalties for non-conformance with the law – fines, imprisonment, and loss of reputation.

102
Q

Why is requirements documentation important?

A

Why a system was developed.
What it should do.
Aid in communcation.
Form a contract

103
Q

Briefly define the term namespace

A

A namespace is a way of dividing up code logically in order to avoid naming collisions, no two elements can have the same name.

104
Q

Suggest two benefits of using assertions.

A

Checking pre and postconditions

Can be turned off so that there is no impact on performance

105
Q

What are the advantages of a standard templte, such as volere?

A

Ensures nothing is left out.
Saves time not deciding on what to record.
Assists communication between developers.
No need to learn a bespoke template.

106
Q

Benefits of a prototype and who should test it?

A

Help with design of UI.
Gets users involved.
Minimise misunderstandings between dev/client.
Be tested by real users.

107
Q

What is the relationship between stakeholders and architectural views?

A

An architectural view represents the concerns of a set of stakeholder groups

108
Q

Suggest disadvantage to using COTS

A

Limited to capabilities of components.
Adapters may be needed if interfaces are incompatible.
Potential for additional software to be needed.

109
Q

What steps are required in TDD?

A 
Decide on code increment.
Decide on test.
Write test
Run test assuming failure
Write code.
110
Q

State one possible problem that may arise when developing a software system from a set of use cases.

A

Risk of missing out non-functional requirements.

111
Q

Give a definition of the term class invariant.

A

A class invariant is a constraint which should always hold for the state of every instance of the class

TM354 (1 decks)

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