Chapter 1

Introduction to Software
Engineering
Objectives
 To introduce software engineering and to explain its
importance
 To set out the answers to key questions about
software engineering
 To introduce ethical and professional issues and to
explain why they are of concern to software
engineers
History of Software Engineering
• The field of software engineering was born in 1968 in
response to chronic failures of large software projects
to meet schedule and budget constraints
– Recognition of "the software crisis"
• The term became popular after NATO Conference in
Garmisch Partenkirchen (Germany), 1968
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.
 Expenditure on software represents a
significant fraction of (Gross National Product)GNP
in all developed countries.
 Software costs
 Software costs often dominate computer 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
such as requirements, design models and user
manuals.
 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 e.g. PC software such as
Excel or Word.
 Custom - developed for a single customer
according to their specification.
 New software can be created by developing new
programs, configuring generic software systems or
What is software engineering?

 Software engineering is an engineering discipline

that 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 still 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
concerned with developing the software
infrastructure, control, applications and databases
in the system.
 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;

 Iterative development;
 Component-based software engineering,etc.
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.
 Activity cost distribution
Waterfall model
0 25 50 75 100

Specification Design Development Integration and testing

It erative development

0 25 50 75 100

Specification Iterative development System testing

Component-based software eng

ineering

0 25 50 75 100

Specification Development Integration and testing

Development and evolution costs for long-lifetimeems

syst
0 10 200 30 400

System development System evolution

Product development costs

0 25 50 75 100

Specification Development System testing

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 that 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
 Toolsto 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 acceptable.
 Maintainability
 Software must evolve to meet changing needs;
 Dependability
 Software must be trustworthy;
 Efficiency
 Software should not make wasteful use of system
resources;
 Acceptability
 Software must accepted by the users for which it was
designed. This means it must be understandable,
usable and compatible with other systems.
What are the key challenges facing
software engineering?
 Heterogeneity, delivery and trust.
 Heterogeneity
 Developing techniques for building software that
can cope with heterogeneous platforms and
execution environments;
 Delivery
 Developing techniques that lead to faster
delivery of software;
 Trust
 Developing techniques that demonstrate that
software can be trusted by its users.
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).
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
 PUBLIC
 Software engineers shall act consistently with the
public interest.
 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.
 PRODUCT
 Softwareengineers 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.
 MANAGEMENT
 Softwareengineering managers and leaders shall
subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to
the management of software development and
maintenance.
 PROFESSION
 Software engineers shall advance the integrity
and reputation of the profession consistent with
the public interest.
Code of ethics - principles

 COLLEAGUES
 Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive
of their colleagues.
 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.
Key points
 Software engineering is an engineering discipline
that is concerned with all aspects of software
production.
 Software products consist of developed programs
and associated documentation. Essential product
attributes are maintainability, dependability,
efficiency and usability.
 The software process consists of activities that
are involved in developing software products. Basic
activities are software specification, development,
validation and evolution.
 Methods are organised ways of producing software.
They include suggestions for the process to be
followed, the notations to be used, rules governing
the system descriptions which are produced and
Key points
 CASE tools are software systems which are designed to
support routine activities in the software process such as
editing design diagrams, checking diagram consistency
and keeping track of program tests which have been run.
 Software engineers have responsibilities to the
engineering profession and society. They should not
simply be concerned with technical issues.
 Professional societies publish codes of conduct which set
out the standards of behaviour expected of their
members.