Software development

Question 1

What are the five ways in which software development projects can be implemented?

Answer 1

• The waterfall lifecycle
• Rapid application development
• The spiral model
• Agile methodologies
• Extreme programs

Question 2

Describe the waterfall lifecycle

Answer 2

The waterfall cycle consists of a sequence of stages - each one is only started after the previous one is complete

Question 3

What type of project is the waterfall lifecycle suited to

Answer 3

• It works well when there is a clear expected output at each stage
• Not suited to high-risk projects where a lot of money could be wasted (if a problem is discovered later)

Question 4

Describe rapid application development

Answer 4

The user is shown prototypes and gives feedback that is used to inform how the project is further developed.
- This continues until the user is happy that the prototype has all the required functionality

Question 5

What type of project is rapid application development suited to

Answer 5

• When the requirements aren’t completely clear from the beginning
• When It is necessary to have frequent contact with the user
• Works well with smaller projects with small teams

Question 6

Describe the spiral model

Answer 6

This is designed to try and manage risk. It consists of four stages each forming a quadrant of the spiral that are iterated through

Question 7

What are the four stages of the spiral model

Answer 7

1) determine objectives: Figure out the aims of that rotation of the spiral according to the biggest potential risk

2) Identify and resolve risk: The possible risks are identified and alternative options are considered. (if the risks are too high the project may be stopped)

3) Development and testing: This allows the part of the project being worked on to be made and tested.

4) Plan next iteration: Determines what will happen in the next iteration of the spiral

Question 8

What type of project is the spiral model best suited to

Answer 8

• Only manages risks well when practitioners are highly skilled in risk management

Question 9

Describe Agile software development

Answer 9

This is a group of methods. (produces a minimum viable product - MVP)

These methods are designed to cope with the changing requirements by producing software In an iterative manner that is produced in versions each building on the previous one and each increasing the number of requirements it meets

Question 10

What is the focus of agile software development

Answer 10

• The quality of the software
• Response to the user’s needs

Question 11

Describe Extreme programming

Answer 11

This is an example of agile software development. A method that emphasises the coding itself

• Customer role - A customer representative joins the team to define ‘user stories’ (requirements) and testing criteria
• Iterative Process - Short iterations (usually 1 week) produce working versions of the system
• Pair programming - Two programmers work together, alternating roles of coding and reviewing
• Refactoring - Regularly improving code efficiency without changing functionality
• Shared responsibility - All programmers are responsible for the entire system
• Code quality - Emphasis on high-quality, final-ready code
• Client commitment - A representative must work closely with the team

Question 12

Define algorithms

Answer 12

Set of instructions that can followed to perform a task

There are many ways they can be described:
- Bulleted lists
- Flowcharts
- Pseudocode