Topic 3 Employing Software Engineering

Business IT Project

Business IT Project
Topic 3:
Employing Software Engineering

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.2

Scope and Coverage

This topic will cover:
Appropriate development methods
Structure of a Design Specification
Content of a Design Specification

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.3

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this topic, students will be able to:
Choose a suitable Software Engineering approach
for the design of your computing artefact.
Carry out the design for a computing artefact.

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Topic 3 Employing Software Engineering

Business IT Project

Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.4

Key Points
The content of this lecture is not meant to replicate
or replace concepts and techniques introduced in
other modules associated with this programme.
It is meant to compliment concepts and techniques
introduced in other modules associated with this
programme.
This lecture should help YOU decide how YOU will
document the design for YOUR project.

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.5

Appropriate Development
Methods

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.6

Different Methods
You have been introduced to several different
design methods throughout this course:
- Structured
- Object-oriented

Both of the above methods are appropriate for

student projects; however, they both have their
strengths and weaknesses for various types of
projects.

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Topic 3 Employing Software Engineering

Business IT Project

Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.7

Structured
A method that is best suited to database projects:
- Data flow diagrams and entity relationship
diagrams are the key diagrams to use in this type
of student project.
object oriented systems
- Cannot be used to model object-oriented
- Not good for modelling websites
- No integral project management approach

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.8

Object-Oriented
A method that can be used for most student
projects:
- UML notation can be used to design database
y
systems.
- Good for database design, website design and the
design of real-time systems

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.9

The Method for YOUR Project

YOU are responsible for choosing the method:
- Choose the project
- Choose the method

Make sure the method fits the project

project.
Justify why you have used your chosen method
rather than another method

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Topic 3 Employing Software Engineering

Business IT Project

Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.10

Structure of a Design
Specification
p

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.11

Key Points
Every text book, academic paper or Web site that you
look at will put forward a different structure for a design
specification.
The structures are not right or wrong they are
different.
They are different because of the context within which
they are to be used.
The structure presented here is the structure YOU are
required to use for YOUR project.
This argument also applies to the contents of a design
specification.

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.12

Structure
Structural Model

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Topic 3 Employing Software Engineering

Business IT Project

Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.13

Structural Model
This section presents:
- either a detailed class diagram for YOUR system
- or detailed data flow diagrams (DFD) and entity
relationship diagrams (ERD)

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.14

Content of a Design
Specification
p

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Important
The contents presented here are the contents YOU
are required to produce for YOUR project.

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Topic 3 Employing Software Engineering

Business IT Project

Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.16

Structural Model Class Diagram

This section presents a detailed class diagram for
YOUR system. At this stage in the project the class
diagram will be complete it should contain:
- Classes and the relationships between them
- Methods
- Attributes

The above must be modelled using UML notation

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Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.17

Structural Model DFD and ERD

This section presents a detailed DFD and ERD for YOUR
system. At this stage in the project the diagrams will be
complete.
The DFD will contain all system:
- Processes
- External Entities
- Data Stores

The ERD will contain:

-

Entities
Relationships
Attributes
Cardinality

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Important Points

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Topic 3 Employing Software Engineering

Business IT Project

Employing Software Engineering Topic 3 - 3.19

Part of this lecture provides an overview of the

structure and content of the Design Specification for
the Business IT Project.
Failure to adhere to this structure and content will
result in lost marks.
This Chapter of your report is not just a collection of
diagrams it is a collection of diagrams supported
by appropriate narrative.

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Topic 3 Employing Software Engineering

Any Questions?

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