What is software?

• Computer programs and associated documentation

• 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
– Bespoke (custom) - developed for a single customer
according to their specification
Software Engineering, COMP201 Slide 1
 What is software engineering?
Software engineering is an engineering discipline
which is concerned with all aspects of software
production
Software engineers should
– adopt a systematic and organised approach to their work
– use appropriate tools and techniques depending on
• the problem to be solved,
• the development constraints and
• the resources available
Software Engineering, COMP201 Slide 2
 Software myths
1. “If we get behind schedule, we can just add more people”
• 􀂃 Fact: Adding people to a late project makes it even later
• 􀂃 Someone has to teach the new people
2. “A general statement of objectives is enough to start
programming”
• 􀂃 Fact: Incomplete requirements are a major cause for project
failures.
3. “Changes in requirements are easy to deal with because software is
flexible”
• 􀂃 Fact: Changes are hard and expensive
• 􀂃 Especially during coding and after software deployment
Software Engineering, COMP201 Slide 3
4. “Once we get the program running, we are done”
•􀂃 Fact: Most effort comes after the software is delivered for the
first time.
•􀂃 Bug fixes, feature enhancements, etc.

5. “The only product is the running program”

•􀂃 Fact: Need the entire configuration
•􀂃 Documentation of system requirements, design, programming,
and usage

Software Engineering, COMP201 Slide 4

 Software crises
The various software crises are:
1. over-budget.
2. Not delivering product on time.
3. Product is of poor quality.
4. Software product is not meeting the customer
requirements.

Software Engineering, COMP201 Slide 5

 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 usable
• Maintainability
– Software must evolve to meet changing needs
• Dependability
– Software must be trustworthy
• Efficiency
– Software should not make wasteful use of system resources
• Usability
– Software must be Software
usable by the users for which itSlidewas
Engineering, COMP201 6
designed