Software Engineering

SPRING 20: Assignment 1

INSTRUCTIONS:
Deadline Date: 27th March 2020 till 5 pm (SOFT COPY)
 This is group Assignment. Divide questions among all the members of group. Only one
member of group will submit the assignment after collecting answers from all the
participants.
 Viva/Quiz may be conducted for evaluation in next class
 SUBMIT SOFT SOLUTION ON REQUIRE MEDIUM (LATE PENALTY 25% PER
DAY)
 ATTACH THIS TITLE PAGE AFTER FILLING TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT (10
MARKS)
 Do not copy material from internet, use your own words to answer the given questions, your
assignment should be plagiarism free. In case of plagiarism, straight Zero would be
rewarded.
 Justify your answers where needed. Explain briefly and concisely
 This is individual assignment

FOR ONLINE SUBMISSION NAMING CONVENTION:

*FILES WITH WRONG NAME OR EXTENSION WILL BE DELETED Use the following
pattern for naming the file (you can use the roll no. and name of group leader in naming
assignment:
(A1_SEC_4digitROLLNO_FIRSTNAME.DOC/PDF) eg A1_B_2346_HARIS.pdf

Group Participant’s Roll Name of question and parts attempted e.g: 3.1.a, 1.2. 4.2.a
Number

1)

2)

3)

4)
DATE_____________________ Class &
Section_______________________________

Question 1:
1.1 Software development is a creative process not a manufacturing process. Discuss the
characteristics of manufacturing that apply to software development and explain which
characteristics of software development are more like a creative endeavor.
1.2 Briefly explain the difference between product, project and process. Give relevant examples.
1.3 When is the Waterfall Model an appropriate software life cycle model to use? 
1.4 Discuss the prototype model. What is the effect of designing a prototype on the
overall cost of software project?
1.5 Differentiate between rapid throwaway and evolutionary prototyping with example.
1.6 For Waterfall process model, V model and Prototyping process model: Describe how a model
handles a significant change in the requirements late in development.
1.7 Name the participants in software development. Also describe their roles and relationships.

Question 2:
2.1 What major shortcoming of the Waterfall Model does the Spiral Model address? 
2.2 How does the Spiral Model address the need of accurately determining the software requirements?
Justify
2.3 How does the Spiral Model handle the need for risk management? justify
2.4 How many spirals does the Spiral Model contain?  
2.5 Describe the sort of products that would be an ideal application for spiral model and for
what sort of products, spiral model would be inappropriate.
Question 3:
3.1 You are a software manager in a company that develops critical control software for
aircraft. Comment on the advantages and disadvantages of the following development
strategies:
a) Collect the requirements for such a system from software engineers and external
stakeholders (such as the regulatory certification authority) and develop the system
using a plan-driven approach
b) Develop a prototype using a scripting language such as Ruby or Python, evaluate this
prototype with software engineers and other stakeholders, and then review the system
requirements. Re-develop the final system using Java.
3.2 You are a software engineering consultant and have been called in by the vice-president of
a corporation that manufactures tires and sells them via its large chain of retail outlets. She
wants your organization to build a product that will monitor the company’s stock, starting
with the purchasing of the raw materials and keeping track of the tires as they are
manufactured, distributed to the individual stores, and sold to customers. What criteria
would you use in selecting a life-cycle model for the project?
3.3 Your development of the stock control product for the tire company is so successful that
your organization decides that it must be re-implemented as a package to be sold to a
variety of different organizations that manufacture and sell products via their own retailers.
The new product must therefore be portable and easily adapted to new hardware and/or
operating systems. How would the criteria you use in selecting a life-cycle model for this
project differ from those in your answer to Problem 3.2?
3.4 Giving reasons for your answer based on the type of system being developed, suggest the
most appropriate generic software process model that might be used as a basis for
managing the development of the following systems:
a)     A system to control anti-lock braking in a car
b)     A virtual reality system to support software maintenance
c)     A university accounting system that replaces an existing system
d)     An interactive travel planning system that helps users plan journey with the
lowest environment impact
3.5 Many organizations buy commercial software, thinking it is cheaper than developing and
maintaining software in-house.
a. Explain the terms COTS software and Subcontractors, with
justified example.
b. Describe the pros and cons of using COTS software.
c. What happens if the COTS products are no longer supported by their vendors?
d. What must the customer, user, and developer anticipate when designing a
product that uses COTS software in a large system?
Question 4:
In the light of legal and ethical implications of using: (i)COTS
software and (ii)Subcontractor, answer the following questions
4.1. Who is responsible for fixing the problem when the major system fails as a result of a fault
in COTS software?
4.2. Who is liable when such a failure causes harm to users;
a) Directly (as when the automatic brakes fail in a car)
b) Indirectly (as when the worng information is supplied to another system).
4.3. What checks and balances are needed to ensure quality of COTS software before it is
integrated into a larger system?