Module

Suggested background reading:

There is no specific text to purchase for this module as the literature will be made available when you need it.

• Boehm, B. (1981) Software Engineering Economics, Prentice Hall
• Checkland,P. (1981) Systems Thinking, Systems Practice, Wiley
• De Marco,T. (1982) Controlling Software Projects: Management, Measurement Estimation
• DeMarco, T. and Lister, T. (2003) Waltzing with Bears: Managing Risks on Software Projects, Dorset House Publishing
• DeMarco, T. and Lister, T. (1999) Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams, Dorset House Publishing, .
• Galin, D. (2004) Software Quality Assurance: From theory to implementation, Pearson/Addison Wesley
• Hall,P. and Fernandez-Ramil,J. (2007) Managing the Software Enterprise, Thomson
• Pressman, R.S.(2004) Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach, (6th Ed), McGraw Hill
• Somerville,I. (2006) Software Engineering, (8th Ed.), Addison Wesley
• Stevens,R., Brook,P., Jackson,K., Arnold, S. (1998) Systems Engineering: Coping with Complexity, Prentice Hall 

Web-based material:

There is a wealth of comprehensive material on the web, including:

http://www.sei.cmu.edu (Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University)

http://www.lessons-from-history.com/
(See how businesses can learn from past projects)

Submission:

Written coursework should be submitted by following the standard CMP practice. Students are advised to refer to the Guidelines and Hints on Written Work in CMP.

Deadlines:

If coursework is handed in after the deadline day or an agreed extension:

Saturdays and Sundays will NOT be taken into account for the purposes of calculation of marks deducted.

All extension requests will be managed through the LTS Hub. A request for an extension to a deadline for the submission of work for assessment should be submitted by the student to the appropriate Learning and Teaching Service Hub, prior to the deadline, on a University Extension Request Form accompanied by appropriate evidence. Extension requests will be considered by the appropriate Learning and Teaching Service Manager in those instances where (a) acceptable extenuating circumstances exist and (b) the request is submitted before the deadline. All other cases will be considered by a Coursework Coordinator in CMP.

For more details, including how to apply for an extension due to extenuating circumstances download Submission for Work Assessment (PDF, 39KB)
 

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the copying or close paraphrasing of published or unpublished work, including    the work of another student; without due acknowledgement. Plagiarism is regarded a serious offence by the University, and all cases will be investigated. Possible consequences of plagiarism include deduction of marks and disciplinary action, as detailed by UEA's Policy on Plagiarism and Collusion.

Module specific:

• To introduce both systems and computer-based systems and to examine their respective engineering disciplines;
• To investigate the nature of both systems and computer-based systems failure and how the systems approach may be used to better understand such failures;
• To introduce students to the three main concepts of quality in CBSE and how each may be analysed and improved;
• To investigate the concept of risk and the levels of risk inherent in the domain of CBSE projects;
• To examine the concept of metrification, and the rationale for, and use of, product and process metrics in CBSE;
• To examine testing strategies in CBSE;
• To investigate the need for, and the main principles of, project management in large-scale CBSE projects;
• To examine the need for, and explore the concept of, software process improvement as a means of effecting continual improvement to the CBSE process;
• To assess the importance of adopting a configuration management approach to CBSE projects;
• To investigate the need for, and levels of, software maintenance;
• To explore the concept of peopleware in CBSE projects.
• To understand how the above topic areas are likely to impact not only on each other but on the overall CBSE domain.
• To explore factors affecting an industrial environment and to discuss them in a reflective way.
• To use case studies to reflect upon a range of industrial factors and hence to improve skills of arguing a point of view on any industrial case.

Transferable skills:

• Written Communication: Students have to write a paper for inclusion in the unit's mock conference.
• Oral Communication: Students are encouraged to participate in seminar discussions, and have to present their coursework paper at the unit's mock conference.
• Gain experience of identifying and interpreting factors which affect the industrial environment and thereby be a more immediately useful employee, even from first employment.

On completion of the unit students should be able to:

• Describe the importance of examining systems from a holistic viewpoint rather than concentrating purely on the software component.
• Describe, with the use of examples, some of the common failures associated with computer-based systems.
• Describe the role of project management and risk management in the system development process.
• Explain the relationship between metrics, quality, and reliability, and whole life cycle testing.
• Explain the importance of, and issues surrounding, testing, configuration management, and maintenance.
• Explain the meaning and relevance of software process maturity models.
• Explain the importance of peopleware considerations to successful systems development.
• Have a clear understanding of the factors which affect an industrial environment
• Have acquired skills to help with the identification and interpreting of factors which affect the development, manufacture, distribution, marketing and sales of products
• Have acquired skills at arguing and industrial case from different viewpoints

Total hours: 36

Lectures:   24 hours (with provisional weekly schedule)

1. Systems engineering:  Investigating systems engineering as a discipline. The systems approach.
2. Computer-based systems engineering (CBSE). The CBSE functions: process, quality, and project. Systems failure: the nature of systems failure; the use of the systems approach to understand systems failure. Outsourcing external speaker.
3. Project management exercise and external speaker.
4. Quality: Quality control; Quality assurance; Total quality management; Quality documents; Audits; Validation and verification; software quality characteristics
5. Risk assessment: what is risk: systems engineering risks; the 5 fundamental risk factors in CBSE; risk management.
   Metrification: the need for measurement in software and systems engineering; measuring the unmeasurable; GQM framework; classification of software measures; components of software measures; scope of software metrics; cost and effort estimation; metrification models; data collection; the human issues with metrification. 
6. Spare / Reading Time.
7. Process improvement: the software process; a 'defined' process; immature and mature organisations; the capability maturity model; ISO9000 series of standards; Bootstrap; SPICE;
8. Configuration management: the nature of systems changes; what is configuration management; configuration control; configuration audits and reviews. Maintenance: motivations for maintenance; types of maintenance activity; reducing the maintenance problem; image of maintenance; organising maintenance activities.
9. Testing: Testers, verification, validation, organising for testing.
10. Peopleware: The project manager's point of view, "quality is the key", improving productivity, making work fun! 
11. Coursework presentations.
12. Coursework presentations.

Seminars: 12 hours (with provisional weekly schedule)

1. Understanding the inherent nature of software, and themes from Brooks' "No silver bullet" paper.
2. Globally distributed software development
3. THERAC 25 - examining a systems failure.
4. Risk - investigating the London ambulance systems debacle.
5. Metrification exercises.
6. Spare/reading Time
7. Software product Line
8. Looking at departmentalisation in software maintenance
9. Comparison of traditional engineering and systems engineering
10. People issues
11. Coursework presentations

Laboratory work: 0 hours

This module is assessed by both coursework and examination. The coursework consists of two elements. Firstly, students are expected to write a 3,000 word paper on a selected topic within the computer-based systems engineering remit which they will then be expected to formally present in a conference attended and marked by both faculty and their peers. This piece is worth 30% and is calculated by a mark allocated for both your paper and presentation. Secondly, a further 10% is allocated for seminar attendance and participation. The coursework is given out in week 3 and is to be submitted in week 12.

The teaching comprises a programme of lectures (24 hours) and seminars(12 hours). Students will be required to read considerable additional material (provided during lectures) both in preparation for subsequent seminars and as a means of supporting lecture material.

Setting of coursework

Coursework will be set in week 3. A copy of the coursework will be handed to students during the week 3 lecture but will also be made available on Blackboard for students to download and print; a number of networked printers are available for CMP students.

Submission

The written report should be submitted during week 11. The presentations will take place in weeks 11 and 12 during scheduled lecture and seminar slots.