Introduction to Software Engineering

Question 1

What is software engineering?

Answer 1

The application of scientific principles to the design and creation of software

Question 2

What are the responsibilities of a software engineer?

Answer 2

• designing, building, and maintaining software systems
• writing and testing code
• consulting with stakeholders, third-party vendors, and other team members

Question 3

What is the difference between a software engineer and a software developer?

Answer 3

Software engineers build systems while software developers implement specific functionalities

Question 4

Insider’s opinion:
What is software engineering?

Answer 4

• Using programming languages and engineering principles to build products
• Building and improving software
• A creative process of designing, envisioning, implementing, and then supporting and maintaining software through the full lifecycle

Question 5

Insider’s opinion:
What is the difference between a software engineer and a software developer?

Answer 5

• Software engineer is a broader term than developer; development is one part of the process whereas engineering involves the full lifecycle
• Software engineers are responsible for system design and architecture wheras software developers are more focused on building code
• Titles can mean different things based on your country or even the company you are working for

Question 6

What is the software development lifecycle (SDLC)?

Answer 6

Systematic process used to develop high-quality software

Question 8

What is the goal of SDLC?

Answer 8

To produce software that meets requirements

Question 9

What does the SDLC consist of?

Answer 9

Defined phases with their own processes and deliverables

Question 10

When was the SDLC conceived of?

Answer 10

In the mid-1960s

Question 11

What drove the formulation of the SDLC?

Answer 11

The need for a systematic approach to the development process in order to account for the growing complexity of software

Question 12

What did the SDLC initially use?

Answer 12

The Waterfall Methodology

Question 13

What are the advantages of the SDLC?

Answer 13

• It improves efficiency and reduces risks
• Team members know what they should be working on and when
• It facilitates communication among stakeholders
• Team members know when development can move to the next phase
• SDLC allows the team members to adapt to changing requirements

Question 14

What are the 6 phases of the SDLC?

Answer 14

1. Planning
2. Design
3. Development
4. Testing
5. Deployment
6. Maintenance

Question 15

Why are the tasks in the SDLC considered discrete?

Answer 15

The tasks in a previous phase do not overlap with tasks in the next phase

Question 16

What happens in Phase 1 of the SDLC?

Answer 16

Requirements are gathered, analysed, documented, and prioritised

Question 17

What factors need to be considered when planning a software solution?

Answer 17

• Users of the solution
• The overall purpose of the solution
• Data inputs and outputs
• Legal and regulatory compliance
• Risk identification
• Quality assurance requirements
• Resourcing
• Project scheduling

Question 18

What does a project team often do when stakeholders are struggling to define requirements?

Answer 18

They produce prototypes during the planning stage

Question 19

What is a prototype used for?

Answer 19

Testing design ideas

Question 20

Prototyping only occurs in Phase 1 of the SDLC (True or False)

Answer 20

False, it can occur at various phases of the cycle

Question 21

What happens after requirements have been gathered?

Answer 21

They are combined into a document called the software requirements specification (or SRS document)

Question 22

What is used to develop software architecture in the design phase?

Answer 22

The requirements gathered from the SRS

Question 23

What document is created during the design phase?

Answer 23

The design document

Question 24

In which phase do developers make use of the design document?

Answer 24

The development phase

Question 25

What do project planners use a design document for?

Answer 25

They use it to determine and assign coding tasks

Question 26

What phase comes after the development phase?

Answer 26

The testing phase

Question 27

What happens during the testing phase?

Answer 27

Code is tested to ensure stability, security, and that it meets requirements from the SRS

Question 28

What are some common levels of testing?

Answer 28

* Unit testing * Integration testing * System testing * Acceptance testing

Question 29

What happens after the testing phase?

Answer 29

The deployment phase

Question 30

What happens during the deployment phase?

Answer 30

The application is released into the production environment and is made available to users

Question 31

What phase comes after the deployment phase?

Answer 31

The maintenance phase

Question 32

Why is the maintenance phase necessary?

Answer 32

It helps to identify any other bugs, user interface issues, and any othe requirements that may not have been listed in the SRS document.

Question 33

Write the requirements, and develop the software requirements specification (SRS)

Answer 33

Planning

Question 34

Document software architecture needs, and design the architecture

Answer 34

Design

Question 35

Assign tasks to developers. Write the code that powers the software

Answer 35

Development

Question 36

Test the application to ensure it is stable and meets the requirements

Answer 36

Testing

Question 37

Prepare the production environment, and deploy the software into production

Answer 37

Deployment

Question 38

Fix bugs reported by users, and make code enhancements

Answer 38

Maintenance

Question 39

Common software engineering processes

Answer 39

* Requirements gathering * Design * Coding for quality * Testing * Releases * Documenting

Question 40

What does the SRS encompass?

Answer 40

The process of collecting and documenting the set of requirements that the software needs to adhere to

Question 41

What are the four broad categories of software requirements?

Answer 41

1. Functional 2. External and user interface 3. System features 4. Non-functional

Question 42

What is software design?

Answer 42

The process of transforming the requirements into a structure that is implementable using code

Question 43

The software design process translates the requirements into a language...

Answer 43

the developers can use to write the code

Question 44

What does a technical lead do in the design phase?

Answer 44

They break down the requirements into sets of related components with clearly defined behaviours, boundaries and interactions. These components define the system architecture.

Question 45

What does code quality refer to?

Answer 45

The characteristics of the code including attributes such as maintainability, readability, and security.

Question 46

What are coding practices used when coding for quality?

Answer 46

* Following common coding standards * Using linters to detect erros * Commenting in the code to make it easy to understand and modify

Question 47

What is software testing?

Answer 47

The process of verifying that the software matches established requirements and is free of bugs

Question 48

Properly tested software ensures...

Answer 48

reliability, security, performance, and efficiency

Question 49

What is unit testing used for?

Answer 49

Testing the smallest component of code that can be isolated from the rest of the system

Question 50

When does integration testing occur?

Answer 50

After the components are integrated into the larger product (following on from unit testing)

Question 51

When does system testing take place?

Answer 51

After the larger product is deemed completed (following on from integration testing)

Question 52

Who is testing during user acceptance testing?

Answer 52

The intended end user

Question 53

What are the three categorie of testing?

Answer 53

1. Functional 2. Non-functional 3. Regression

Question 54

When the newest version of a software is distributed, it is referred to as a...

Answer 54

release

Question 55

What is an alpha release?

Answer 55

The first functioning version of a system that is released to a select group of stakeholders

Question 56

What is a beta release?

Answer 56

A limited release given to stakeholders outside the developing organisation with the intention of seeing how the system performs in real conditions

Question 57

Is a beta release expected to meet all functional requirements?

Answer 57

Yes

Question 58

What does GA stand for?

Answer 58

General Availability

Question 59

When is a stable version released?

Answer 59

After changes to the beta release are agreed upon, made, and tested

Question 60

Who should be provided software documentation?

Answer 60

Both non-technical end-users and technical users

Question 61

Who is system documentation geared towards?

Answer 61

The technical user

Question 62

Who is user documentation for?

Answer 62

The non-technical end-users to assist them in the use of the product

Question 63

How is user documentation generally provided?

Answer 63

In the form of user guides, instructional videos, and manuals

Question 64

What does requirement gathering entail?

Answer 64

Collecting and documenting the set of requirements that the software needs to adhere to

Question 65

What does design entail?

Answer 65

Transforming requirements into a structure that developers can use

Question 66

What does coding for quality entail?

Answer 66

Following a set of coding practices during development

Question 67

What does testing entail?

Answer 67

Verifying that the software matches established requirements and is free of bugs

Question 68

What are the three types of releases?

Answer 68

Alpha, Beta, General Availability

Question 69

What does documenting require?

Answer 69

Text or video that explains the software to technical and non-technical users

Question 70

What are the steps to gathering requirements?

Answer 70

1. Identifying stakeholders 2. Establishing goals and objectives 3. Eliciting requirements from the stakeholders 4. Documenting the requirements 5. Analysing and confirming the requriements 6. Prioritising

Question 71

Who are the stakeholders in requirement gathering?

Answer 71

Key personnel from the organisation that requested the software product

Question 72

What is the difference between objectives and goals?

Answer 72

Goals are broad, long-term achievable outcomes while objectives are actionable, measurable actions that achieve the goal

Question 73

What three steps are accomlished iteratively?

Answer 73

Eliciting, documenting, and confirming requirements

Question 74

How is elicitation accomplished?

Answer 74

Through surveys, questionnaires, and interviews

Question 75

As the requirements emerge, they should be...

Answer 75

documented and checked to ensure they align with the goals and objectives

Question 76

In order to confirm the requirements, they should be...

Answer 76

analysed to ensure consistency, clarity, and completeness

Question 77

What happens to requirements after they have been confirmed?

Answer 77

They are prioritised

Question 78

What three documents come as a result of the requirements gathering process?

Answer 78

1. software requirements specification 2. user requirements specification 3. system requirementes specification

Question 79

What does the user requirements specification (URS) describe?

Answer 79

It describes the business need and expectations of the end-users from the software system

Question 80

What does the system requirements specification describe?

Answer 80

It clearly outlines the requirements of an entire system, and it is broader in scope than the software requirements specification (SRS)