Software Engineering BSCS

Assignment # 1 Software Process Model Case Studies (Due Date: 18-04-2012)

Case Study 1
1 A hospital named XYZ requires a laboratory management system and has contacted your firm. You have 20 programmers, out of which 15 are busy with other projects for the time being. The hospital intends to acquire laboratory equipment, which they want to interface with the computer system. The annual evaluation of the hospital is due soon, in which computerization initiatives are appreciated. The owner of a video store has contacted you to develop a system to keep track of videos and rentals. He feels that with the growing number of customers, such a system will greatly help in managing accounts and providing better customer service. Question List the process model that you think will be most appropriate for the above situations. Also list your reasons for choosing the process mode. Note: If the information is not directly available, make and educated assumption and justify your assumption.

Case Study 2
An Educational Institute requires a library management system and has contacted your firm. You have 25 programmers, out of which 18 are busy with other projects for the time being. The Institute intends to acquire library books and other equipment, which they want to interface with the computer system. The annual evaluation of the Institute is due soon, in which computerization initiatives are appreciated. Questions: 1 List the process model that you think will be most appropriate for the following situation. Also list your reasons for choosing the process model and any assumptions that you make. 2. List three reasons not to choose Spiral Model 3 .List three reasons not to choose RAD Model Note: If the information is not directly available, make and educated assumption and justify your assumption. i)

BY : Mazhar Javed Awan (mazharjaved786@gmail.com)

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Software Engineering BSCS

Case Study 3
SmartPakSoft, a major retailer of CDs, DVDs, books etc., has a 110% price guarantee if a competitor beats their price on a given item, they match it and add a 10% discount. Obviously, they want to stay aware of their competitors prices so they dont have to fork out an extra 10% too often. Currently, they do this by checking for newspaper ads and visiting competitor shops. The Internet has added a whole new dimension: they have to keep aware of Internet ads and dot-com retailers prices. It also brings opportunity: if they can find the prices automatically through the Internet, they can reduce the costs of this time-consuming manual price research. So they have commissioned their software development department to create automated price scanning software that surfs the web and finds comparative prices of items. Obviously, the software cannot do this with 100% reliability, because of the need for arbitrary text scanning, so the solution will involve A.I. techniques and be human-assisted (i.e. some of the computer results will have to be cross-verified by people). Moreover, there will also be some manual entry or updates. There is a team of 20 software engineers working on this project. They promised delivery in 6 months, though there was significant uncertainty as to how well the product would work. They spent the first month gathering requirements and documenting them as a comprehensive set of use cases, and researching and obtaining training on the A.I. techniques needed. They created an architecture that includes a Data Collection module (this does the browsing), a Data Analysis module (this does the AI work), an Application module (this provides the user interfaces), and a Database module (this stores the price information). All the interfaces between modules were clearly defined and documented early on in the project, and are configuration-managed: there is a defined process for changing the interfaces. These interfaces defined, among other things, the exact parameters that the Data Analysis team would generate that would be used by the Application and Database modules, including a % confidence level for each price, %variation from previously known price, a spread index of the prices across competitors, and so on. The architecture uses design patterns extensively to ensure that each module can be modified without affecting other modules. 5 teams were formed: one for each of the modules, and a Testing Team responsible for integrating the modules. A project plan was created at the very beginning that listed all the activities to be done for the entire 6 months on a weekby-week basis and who would do it. There is a weekly meeting where progress is tracked, and issues between teams identified and resolved. There were more requirements changes than expected, both because the Data Analysis team kept finding new exciting algorithms to implement (and which needed interface changes to put in new parameters, and added new functionality in terms of additional tables and screens), as well as because the users kept thinking of new sources from which to obtain data. All the requirements changes were carefully managed and controlled, and re-planning done each time. All the code was hand-written in Java. All code was rigorously inspected and unit tested, and integration commenced in the 7th month, two months behind the original schedule, mostly because of the requirements changes. There were several unexpected problems during integration, mostly relating to misunderstandings between teams on what some of the parameters represented and how they were to be used. Testing proceeded relatively smoothly, and the project was released 8 months after it started. However, it was not too successful: the users found the tool rather cumbersome to use, and couldnt understand all the different parameters. The AI algorithms worked very well in some cases, and not so well in others, and because users didnt trust it, they just hand-verified everything anyway, irrespective of the confidence levels and so on. Because of this, many of the fancier interfaces and functionality remained pretty much unused. And one rather complex algorithm that the Data Analysis team had put a lot of energy into turned out to be close to useless. Currently, the team is reworking some of this functionality for the next release. What has really upset management is that they learned that a competitor implemented a similar tool, using 6 developers, in 4 months, and their users find the tool great, though it is rather less smart than SmartPakSofts tool!

BY : Mazhar Javed Awan (mazharjaved786@gmail.com)

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Software Engineering BSCS

QUESTIONS
1. What lifecycle model was followed in this particular case? Explain your answer. 2. What life cycle model should have been followed and why? Explain your answer. Note: If the information is not directly available, make and educated assumption and justify your assumption.

Case Study 4
SAMMI Corporation was established as forest products importer in 1954 but has expanded its business to become a dynamic trading company in Korea. Our Cargo Setups adjacent to all terminals are functioning 24/7 providing safe and speedy dispatch and delivery of cargo consignments to our clients. Their Cargo Volume is increasing more rapidly than the expansions of their bus operations, and they are opening more and more pick up points in main cities to facilitate their clients more effectively. SAMMI secure and speedy Cargo Service is available in all of their setups where buses are being operated. Cargo service detail is given below: 1. The Consignor is required to clearly declare the goods being handed over to the company for cargo and get it indicated in the cargo booking slip. 2. The Consignor is liable to provide complete information about the consignees name (cargo should be booked in the name of an adult person holding ID Card / Driving License / Passport or Company) and contact number. Company shall not be responsible for mishandling of the cargo due to wrong or inadequate information provided by the Consignor. 3. The consignor is requested to read the booking slip after booking of his consignments carefully for details. 4. The Consignor should also provide the packing list of the cargo at the time of booking the consignment. 5. The goods should be packed properly. Company shall not be responsible for any damage caused due to inadequate packing. 6. The articles / goods / envelope, parcels may be opened in the presence of the Consignor as a precautionary measure. 7. Any tax, if payable will be paid by the consignor separately as per rate fixed by the Government. 8. Cargo Service is not available for cash, jewelry, Chemicals, liquor, liquid, paste, inflammables, explosives, gas cylinders (even empty). 9. Company shall not be responsible for any damage / loss to any of the goods (as mentioned at Sr. # 8 above) if somebody booked those goods without declaring it. 10. Cartons / Boxes in big volume and size (that cant be put in the luggage carrier of the bus) are not entitled for cargo booking. Cargo tariff will be settled on the spot regarding bulky consignments having lesser weight. 11. The company shall not be responsible for the goods not received by the consignee within three full days. 12. The company shall not be liable for the goods not delivered in time due to any problem during journey. 13. The goods shall be transported from companys setup to setup only. 14. The company does not take any responsibility for leakage, shortage, breakage and spoilage by sun, rain water and weather. 15. The company will send the goods at the earliest possible opportunity in the one lot or in part according to its convenience. 16. The company does not take any responsibility for loss or damage in transit due to accident en route or floods etc. and any other consequences there from. 17. The company shall not be responsible for any damage to any perishable item due to inevitable delay. 18. The Consignor must furnish such information and documents to the company as are necessary to meet the requirement of custom, Police before the cargo can be delivered to the consignee. The Consignor is liable to the company for any damage occasioned by the absence, insufficiency or irregularity of any such information or documents. BY : Mazhar Javed Awan (mazharjaved786@gmail.com) Page 3

Software Engineering BSCS

19. The Consignor is responsible for the correctness of the particulars and statements relating to the Cargo, which he / she insert in the consignment note. 20. Passports, I.D. Cards, Air-Tickets etc. are booked at the Consignors risk and company will not be responsible for any loss in this regard. 21. The company is not liable for any damage directly or indirectly arising out of compliance with laws, government regulations / order or requirements or for any reason beyond companys control. 22. Extra tariff will be charged for consignments booked for / from shuttle service point / cargo collection points. 23. The consignee is required to produce valid identification, e.g. National Identity Cards, Driving License or Passport for receiving the goods. Authority letter shall be produced by the recipient if the consignment is booked in the name of a company etc. Visiting card is not acceptable in lieu of authority letter / personal identification. No consignment shall be handed over without sufficient identification. 24. In case the consignee receives the consignment after 3-days on its arrival, demurrage @ 10% of cargo charges of that consignment per day of delay shall be charged by the Terminal Manager / Cargo Incharge. 25. If the cargo consignment (or a part thereof) is lost due to negligence / mistake of the company, Consignor shall be compensated in terms of weight (Rs. 250/- per Kg for electronics, Rs. 20 per Kg for eatables (Fruit / Vegetables etc) while Rs.100/- per Kg for all other types of cargo) and not in terms of value of the lost portion of the consignment. There will be no compensation about the value of mail or documents etc. and these will be treated as goods as per their weight. Now SAMMI Daewoo executives want to automate the cargo shipment with in close deadline. They hired software house for the development of SAMMI Cargo Service software. You have selected as a project manager and answer the following questions:

Question
a) Which software process model you should select for the given scenario in the development SAMMI Cargo Shipment software. b) Give strong argument in the favor of your selected software process model to prove it a right decision.

Instructions:
1- This is an individual assignment. You will submit your work individually 2- Write your name at the start of the assignment. 3- Do not copy and paste any thing from the internet. Your work must be original. 4- Please note that you must do your own work. If anyone found copying from another student, no marks will be given to him/ her. 5- Deadline for this assignment is 08-04-2012. This deadline will not be extended. 6. Assignment should be in hard form.

BY : Mazhar Javed Awan (mazharjaved786@gmail.com)

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