Principles of Software Engineering – COMP 1821

1st Tutorial Exercise – The 5Ps of Software Engineering

Exercise 1.
Tutor led discussion regarding the 5 Ps and their importance in SE
20 minutes.

Exercise 2
Instructions:
1. Read the AroundLondon Book Stores case study provided carefully (05 min).
2. Dissect the situation for systems development you see here in terms of the 5 Ps
introduced in the first lecture (30 mins). Write the main ideas for each of the 5 PS
3. Discuss your findings (class discussion (30 mins).
4. Save your work in a dedicated folder.

The 5 Ps:
Problem (the reasons behind the development of a system):
The current situation summary:
-20 bookstore/warehouse across London.
-Customers: students and staffs
-How to find: just walk in the store in the campus
The problems of ALBS:
-NO linked Catalog. NO online catalog, but physical book catalog. Different catalog
for different university campus depending on the program provided.
-Customers cannot find/buy/borrow a book ONLINE
-NO electronic books
-NO online service for customers (currently customer can only speak to the staff in
the store)
-NO real reason/suggestion/review for buying a book
-Attract more potential customers (from different campuses)
-COST (but this problem has not been mentioned in the case study)
…
Process (the approach we take to development, in terms of activities their sequence and their
interrelationships):
Software Engineering Process we will take in order to the develop:
Name 1 process: WaterFall
Stage Output Directly make
the product?
stage 1: Requirements A document: requirement document NO
which describes the functionalities
(understanding
requirements)

stage 2: Analysis A document: an analysis document NO

which describes clearly the problems
and solution choices. The best
solution/technology is selected with
relevant judgements.
stage 3: Design A document: a design document which NO
describes the internal and external
structure of the system based on the
selected technology (at stage 2)
stage 4: Coding The product: which is built on the YES
source code of the system (the build)
(Implementation)

stage 5: Integration/Testing The error-free product YES

stage 6: Maintenance The minor enhancement of the product NO
(error fixes)
Project (It is the structures and resources we use to make the development happen. A project has
goals, it has resources, and it provides the framework within which management can be exercised):
Goal(s):
-effective, error-free, work-like-expected, user-friendly, EXCELLENT system
-finish in 8 months
-budget: 50.000 pounds
Stakeholders (people involved):
-Board of Directors: CEO of ALBS and CEO of technology company
-Project managers: manager of ALBS and the manager of technology company
-Customers: students and staffs
Resource(s): (what they must have in order to do the project)
For ALBS: money
For technology company: their profile (previous project), number of people (software
engineers), relevant skills (very important resources)
Product (the deliverable of the project - hardware, software, documentation etc.):
The product name: a website/web application for selling/borrowing online books
Product deliverables (components):
1. The complete operatable web app
2. Documents: user manual, technical document (internal structure of the
system, will be read by software engineers for maintenance)
3. Source code
4. Data for the web app to operate (database): books, catalog, existing
customers,….

People (those who have some interest in the development and in the shape that the final
system takes):
Already mentioned in project
Stakeholders (people involved):
-Board of Directors: CEO of ALBS and CEO of technology company
-Project managers: manager of ALBS and the manager of technology company
-Customers: students and staffs