Flashcards
1.2.3 and 2.2.2 Software Development
Cards in this deck (12)
- 1What is Brook's law?It is the fact that adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.
- 2What should a feasibility study make sure happens?That the proposed project is legal
It is technically achievable
That it is financially viable - 3What is requirements elicitation?Requirements elicitation is the practice of collecting the requirements of a system from users, customers and other stakeholders in a way that is comprehensive and covers absolutely everything in detail.
- 4What documents are usually produced during the process of systems development? (4 things)Requirements specification - see elicitation above
System Design - algorithms, GUI layouts etc
Technical Documentation - Describing the code produced, the modules and the functionality. Software development tools often used to automatically do this. Allow for easy upkeep.
User Documentation - Helps the people using the system understand how to use it. - 5Please summarize the waterfall cycle1. Split into stages – at the end of each stage (gate) the process flows onto the next stage
2. As many stages as is needed – but generally for an exam this is restricted to :
Feasibility
Analysis
Design
Implementation
Test
Maintain - 6What are the drawbacks of the waterfall methodology?With this system you cannot go back and alter previous stages which can e very problematic if things need changing. The main issue is that after talking to the user at the beginning you don’t involve him again until the testing stage, by which time a huge amount of time and money have been invested in producing what could be the wrong thing.
- 7Describe the agile methodology
- 8What are the drawbacks for an agile methodology? (name 3)1. Staffing communication between the user/client and the developer are significant. Many users are not used to helping with development, many developers have a reputation for not being communicative and both of these issues have to be addressed.
2. Time commitment on both sides are significant, ongoing and not easy to provide a measurable figure of at the beginning of the project .
3. User/client time has a direct impact on the outcome of the project. If a user is either not available (ie rerouted to other tasks) or not interested (ie does not actively want the project to succeed) then the development will suffer.
4. Clients like to know exactly what something will cost and exactly what will be delivered on what date. Agile does not permit this. This is difficult concept to get accepted.
5. Terminology – there is LOTS of this and everyone (users and developers) has to speak the same language so they all have to learn it first. - 9What are the benefits of an agile methodology?1. Communication between the developers and the users is ongoing and detailed. This means there is space for little secrecy and so Agile projects are renowned for their “transparency and honesty.”
2. Collaborative efforts between the developers and the users is essential.
3. Pay-as-you-go costing. A project team has to be charged out at an agreed rate (usually daily rate) until the client agrees that the project is complete. This makes the finances straightforward in calculation. - 10What is RAD dependent upon?RAD is Rapid Application Development and depends upon a number prototypes being made so you can get the look and feel. This is good for the customer as they can see what the program they are paying for looks like and can ask for any changes they want to be made.
- 11A diagram explaining RAD is on the other side of this card
- 12What are the drawbacks of RAD?(Give 2)1. The size of the project and the size of the team is crucial: small is beautiful, large is likely to be disastrous
2. Like Agile Methodologies, user involvement is ongoing, time consuming and essential
3. Often will produce inefficient code – for a small system this is not a big deal (this goes back to point 1 of the drawbacks)
4. Lack of documentation – if the system is a long term product then there will be little developmental documentation to which future staff can refer. Depending on how IT departments are structured and general staff turnover this is either a big deal or irrelevant.
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- AS - Level Computer Science Flashcards on 1.2.3 and 2.2.2 Software Development, created by James Middleton on 07/12/2015.
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- James Middleton
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