INTRODUCTION – SDLC – The Software Development Lifecycle
You will get a complete introductory module for the entire area of software engineering. It will begin with the first class on the basics of software engineering, SDLC (the software development lifecycle), what is fundamentally required to construct superior software, and the whole process of writing good requirements. Lesson two will take you to a deeper understanding of different methodologies of software development and what career paths fields have to offer within the industry with a personal touch from seasoned professionals.
Furthermore, you’ll come to understand how different dimensions of roles within a software developing team come together to achieve an enterprise-level software project. This module should hopefully cover some ground about the thorough understanding of the field and prepare you for many types of diverse opportunities offered by software engineering.
Learning Objectives:
- Define software engineering and explain responsibilities of a software engineer.
- Identify some of the key advantages of applying the software development lifecycle (SDLC) when developing enterprise software.
- Define the phases of SDLC.
Analyze common software engineering processes required for building high-quality software. - Explain the requirements gathering process.
- Differentiate among User Requirement Specification, Software Requirement Specification, and System Requirement Specification document.
- Describe and connect the waterfall, V-shape model, and agile methods of software development.
- Differentiate functional, non-functional, and regression testing.
- Describe the different types of documents.
- Compare and contrast commonly found roles and responsibilities on a project in software engineering.
PRACTICE QUIZ: OVERVIEW OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
1. Which of the following best describes the primary responsibilities of a software engineer?
- Designing, building, and maintaining software systems (CORRECT)
- Writing test cases based on requirements
- Writing documentation
- Designing the user experience
Correct: Absolutely. The responsibilities of software engineers are focused on the design, development, and maintenance of a given software system to satisfy its functional and non-functional requirements, ensuring also the quality and performance during its life cycle.
2. Which of the following best describes a key advantage for a business to follow the SDLC?
- It defines the roles of the development team.
- The SDLC offers an overview of the process, so stakeholders know where they fit into that process. (CORRECT)
- It tells the QA team what test cases to write.
- It allows for creativity because of its adhoc approach to software development.
Correct: Correct! The software development life cycle gives an overview of the entire process so that participants understand their roles and responsibilities at each stage, ensuring that there is smooth collaboration and alignment through the entire life cycle of development.
3. Which of the following best describes an activity that happens in the planning phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC)?
- Software architecture is designed.
- User requirements are written. (CORRECT)
- Bugs are identified.
- The coding process begins.
Correct: You are correct! The requirement for a user is normally written during the planning phase of the SDLC. The involvement in this phase is concerned with gathering and documenting the needs and expectations of the end-users, which will guide the software design and software development.
4. Which of the following best describes an alpha release?
- It is the first functioning version of a system released to a select group of stakeholders. (CORRECT)
- It is the most stable release.
- It is intended for all users.
- It meets all functional requirements.
Correct: Right on schedule! The alpha release is that the first working copies of the system available to a small selected group of stakeholders, primarily to encourage testing and feedback before opening it to wider exposure.
5. Which statement best describes the User Requirements Specification (URS)?
- It contains policy and regulation requirements.
- It contains functional, external interface, and non-functional requirements.
- It can be combined with the Software Requirements Specification to form the System Requirements Specification (SysRS).
- It primarily contains use cases. (CORRECT)
Correct: Correct! The URS primarily contains use cases.
PRACTICE QUIZ: THE SOFTWARE BUILDING PROCESS AND ASSOCIATED ROLES
1. Which of the following best describes the Waterfall approach to the software development lifecycle (SDLC)?
- It is an iterative approach to the SDLC.
- The last stage is called the “feedback stage” rather than the “maintenance stage.”
- It is a sequential approach to the SDLC. (CORRECT)
- Tests are written during the validation phase.
Correct: The waterfall method, within the context of SDLC, is a linear and step by step approach.
2. In semantic numbering, what does the 9 in the version number 9.1.33.6 represent?
- The “9” position indicates patches or minor bug fixes.
- The “9” position indicates changes that are less significant than a patch.
- The “9” position indicates major changes to the software such as a new release. (CORRECT)
- The “9” position indicates that minor changes were made to a piece of software.
Correct: 9: A major upgrade or the introduction of a new software release is denoted by version 9.1.33.6.
3. Which of the following best describes non-functional testing?
- It tests application attributes like performance and security. (CORRECT)
- The goal of non-functional testing is to make sure the application is usable and accessible.
- It is only concerned with inputs and corresponding outputs of the system under test.
- It consists of black-box testing rather than white-box testing.
Correct: Correct! Evaluation of attributes like performance, security, scalability, and availability are included in non-functional tests.
4. Which role is primarily responsible for facilitating communication among team members and stakeholders?
- Scrum-master (CORRECT)
- Information developer
- Software architect
- Product manager
Correct: Yes, that’s right! The Scrum Master facilitates communication between the team and the stakeholders.
5. Which of the following describes a difference between process documentation compared to product documentation?
- Process documentation is intended for the quality assurance team whereas product documentation is intended for the system administrators.
- Process documentation provides technical documentation to the developers whereas product documentation explains standard operating procedures.
- Process documentation explains how to execute procedures whereas product documentation explains how to use the software. (CORRECT)
- Process documentation is in a written format whereas product documentation is in video format.
Correct: Correct! Procedure documentation describes how to follow a procedure, while product documentation would be how to use the software.
QUIZ: THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE
1. Which of the following is the best description of software engineering?
- The application of scientific principles to the organization of a software system.
- The set of all activities related to software development.
- Any activity related to software development.
- The application of scientific principles to the design and creation of software. (CORRECT)
Correct: Software engineering refers to the application of principles, techniques, and systematic methods of engineering to software design, development, maintenance, and testing.
2. Which of the following best describes a key advantage for a business to follow the SDLC?
- It gives development teams a process to follow to improve efficiency and reduce risks. (CORRECT)
- It helps technical writers develop accurate documentation.
- It defines all the roles of the development team.
- It allows for creativity because of its ad-hoc approach to software development.
Correct: Correct! The SDLC gives development teams an organized system to follow, thus promoting efficiency and reducing risks.
3. Which of the following best describes an activity that happens in the maintenance phase of the SDLC?
- The coding process begins.
- Fixing minor user interface issues. (CORRECT)
- Code is thoroughly tested.
- The system requirements specification is written.
Correct: True! Maintenance phase most often uncovers small flaws that are fixed afterward.
4. Which of the following best describes a beta release?
- It is the most stable release.
- It is intended for all users.
- It is the first functioning version of a system released to a select group of stakeholders.
- It meets all functional requirements. (CORRECT)
Correct: Indeed this beta release meets all functional requirements.
5. Which statement best describes the Software Requirements Specification (SRS)?
- It primarily contains use cases.
- It can be combined with the System Requirements Specification (SysRS) to form the User Requirements Specification (URS).
- It is combined with the User Requirements Specification (URS) to form the System Requirements Specification (SysRS).
- It contains functional, external interface, and non-functional requirements. (CORRECT)
Correct: That’s right! The Software Requirements Specification (SRS) contains functional, external interface, and nonfunctional requirements.
6. Which of the following is an iterative approach to the software development lifecycle (SDLC)?
- Waterfall
- Agile (CORRECT)
- V-shape
- Verification
Correct: Correct! Agile is an iterative approach to the SDLC.
7. Which of the following best describes functional testing?
- Its goal is to make sure the application is usable and accessible. (CORRECT)
- It is concerned with confirming that a recent change to the application is not adversely affecting existing functionality.
- It tests application attributes like performance and security.
- It tests application attributes like scalability and availability.
Correct: Indeed, the aim of functional testing is to ensure that the application works according to its specified functionality requirements and behaves as one might expect. Other forms of testing typically address usability and accessibility, such as usability testing and accessibility testing.
8. Which best describes black-box testing?
- It is used to verify internal structure, design, and coding.
- It is equivalent to regression testing.
- It is used to test inputs and outputs. (CORRECT)
- It is equivalent to non-functional testing.
Correct: That’s accurate! Black-box testing is essentially all about the testing of inputs and outputs from the software, and ignores anything related to what is going on inside or the structure of code.
9. Which role is primarily responsible for designing the software’s interface?
- Product owner
- Stakeholder
- UX designer (CORRECT)
- Software architect
Correct: The Ux designer is primarily tasked with designing the interface of the software such that it is user-friendly and intuitive to meet all the end users’ needs and requirements as best as possible.
10. Which of the following is a type of documentation that describes the expected features and functionality of the software system?
- Design documentation
- User documentation
- Requirements (CORRECT)
- Technical documentation
Correct: Correct! Requirements elucidate on the expected features and functionalities of the software system, thus projecting what the system needs to provide or carry out and how it should behave.
CONCLUSION – SDLC – The Software Development Lifecycle
The module is a thorough introduction to the world of software engineering. Beginning with Lesson One, you get basics on the software development life cycle-the SDLC, the main components of a good software product, and how to write specifications more effectively which would lay a ground to Lesson Two that goes into deeper details of various other software development methodologies, job prospects, and the views of established consultants.
It further gives you a clear view of how functional roles collabo rate in software development towards creating an enterprise-grade software application. By this all-in-one overview, you will have just the right amount of the knowledge and insight to take on your career in software engineering.