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Cork Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Software Development and
Computer Networking – Stage 3
(NFQ – Level 8)
March 2005
Software Development
(Time: 3 Hours)
Instructions Answer any 5 questions. All questions carry equal marks.
Examiner: Ms. Mary Davin Dr. D. Chambers Mr. P. O’Connor Mr. E. A. Parslow
Q1 (a) What is Software Engineering and why is it so important? [2]
(b) There are four fundamental activities common to all software processes. Give a brief overview of what is involved in each of these activities. [4]
(c) What are the attributes of good software? [2]
(d) The software product development industry has evolved to become one of the most important industries of our times. What gives a successful IT company a competitive advantage in a software economy? [2]
(e) Explain what is meant by the following terms when applied to a software process: i. Agility ii. Iteration [4]
(f) Identify the factors that can be used to determine the applicability of agile methods. [3]
(g) Differentiate between a project that is schedule driven and one that is scope driven. Which is the norm? [3]
Q2 (a) What is the purpose of using design patterns when designing software? [2]
(b) Give an overview of the following design patterns. In your answer give a description of the pattern, a UML diagram to illustrate the pattern and an example of it in use. i. Abstraction Occurrence pattern ii. General Hierarchy pattern [6]
(c) Give an overview of the following three types of reuse [3] i. Implementation inheritance ii. Interface inheritance iii. Delegation
(d) What is the purpose of software modelling? [2]
(e) Give an overview of the major causes of software failure [3]
(f) Give a brief description of a failed software engineering project you investigated during the year. In your answer identify the purpose of the project and the reasons why it failed. [4]
Q4 (a) When costing a software project there is not a simple relationship between the development cost and the price charged to the customer. Broader organisational, economic, political and business considerations influence the price charged. What factors could influence the cost? [2]
(b) Outline two different metrics that can be used as productivity measures of programmers. In your answer identify a weakness of each measure. [4]
(c) Give a brief overview of each of the following estimation techniques for costing a software project [5] i. Algorithmic cost modelling ii. Expert judgement iii. Estimation by analogy iv. Parkinson's Law v. Pricing to win
(d) COCOMO 2 is a 3 level model that allows increasingly detailed estimates to be prepared as development progresses. Give an overview of these three levels [3]
(e) What are the objectives of the Critical Path analysis method? [2]
(f) Using the following network diagram representing the different activities that need to be carried out to complete a project and the durations of each activity calculate: [4] i. How long the project will take to complete? ii. What is the critical Path?
Start A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
4 EN
END
Q5 (a) What distinguishes software management from other types of management? [2]
(b) Give a brief description of each of the following software project plans: [5] i. Quality plan ii. Validation plan iii. Configuration management plan iv. Maintenance plan v. Staff development plan
(c) Differentiate between a project milestone and project deliverable. [2]
(d) Use a model to describe the project scheduling process. [4]
(e) Describe the different activities carried in a risk management process. [4]
(f) Identify the problems associated with scheduling a project. [3]
Q6 (a) What is the purpose of software testing? [2]
(b) What are the difficulties associated with OO testing? [2]
(c) How are the completion criteria of our testing objectives determined? [2]
(d) User acceptance testing is a critical phase of any project and requires significant participation by end users. To be of real use, an Acceptance Test plan should be developed in order to plan precisely, and in detail, the means by which acceptance will be achieved. What is an acceptance test and how are acceptance tests defined? [4]
(e) Differentiate between the following: [6] i. Verification and validation ii. Software inspections and software testing iii. White box testing and black box testing
(f) Give an overview of the basis path white box testing technique. [4]
Q7 (a) What is the purpose of requirements engineering? [2]
