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CORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
INSTITIÚID TEICNEOLAÍOCHTA CHORCAÍ
Autumn Examinations 2010/
Module Title: Software Engineering
Module Code: COMP 7018
School: Computing and Mathematics
Programme Title: Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Software Development – Stage 3 Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Software Development and Computer Networking – Stage 3
Programme Code: KSDEV_8_Y KDNET_8_Y
External Examiner(s): Mr. Anthony O’Leary Internal Examiner(s): Mr. John O’Brien
Instructions: Answer Question 1 and THREE other questions.
Duration: 2 Hours
Sitting: Autumn 2011
Requirements for this examination:
Note to Candidates: Please check the Programme Title and the Module Title to ensure that you have received the correct examination paper. If in doubt please contact an Invigilator.
Q1. (a) Consider the following statement: “Software is engineered; it is not manufactured in the classical sense.” Do you agree/disagree? State your reasons. [6 Marks] (b) In a classic book, “ How to Solve It”, George Polya, 1945, outlined the essence of problem-solving as: (i) Understand the problem; (ii) Plan a solution; (iii)Carry out the plan; (iv) Examine the results for accuracy.
Explain, in detail, how Polya’s commonsense steps are applicable to software engineering practice. [12 Marks] (c) The construction activity on software projects encompasses a set of coding and testing tasks that lead to operational software that is ready for delivery to the customer or end- user. Identify, and elaborate on, the collection of fundamental principles and concepts that are applicable to software coding and testing. Use the following headings to structure your presentation: (i) Preparation principles; (ii) Programming principles; (iii)Validation principles; (iv) Testing principles. [12 Marks]
Q2. (a) What does the term “process pattern” refer to when used in the context of discussing the software process? [3 Marks] (b) It is claimed that the best software process is the one that is close to the people who will do the work. Watts Humphrey, 1997, offers the Personal Software Process, PSP , as one such process. Identify, and elaborate on, the five framework activities defined for the PSP model. [10 Marks] (c) Proponents of agile development take great care to emphasise the importance of “people factors”, as illustrated by the following quote from Cockburn and Highsmith: “Agile development focuses on the talents and skills of individuals, molding the process to specific people and teams.” Identify, and elaborate briefly on, the key individual and team traits that must exist if an agile team is to be effective. [7 Marks]
Q5. (a) Differentiate between verification and validation as used in the context of software testing. [4 Marks] (b) Explain how a strategy for software testing may be viewed/represented as a spiral. Support your presentation with suitable illustration(s). [6 Marks] (c) Identify, and elaborate on, the guidelines that, according to Tom Gilb, 1995, lead to a successful software testing strategy. [10 Marks]
Q6. (a) Elaborate on each of the following major causes of maintenance problems for software systems: (i) Unstructured code; (ii) Maintenance programmers having insufficient knowledge of the system or application domain; (iii)Documentation that is absent, out-of-date, or insufficient; (iv) Software maintenance, as a career option, has a bad image. [12 Marks] (b) Software Models part of reality. As reality changes, the software has to change. Identify, and describe briefly, three approaches to reducing the maintenance effort required for a software system. [6 Marks] (c) In the context of software maintenance, what do the following expressions refer to: (i) Design recovery; (ii) Revamping. [2 Marks]
End of Exam!
