Software Engineering - from Aud:

What is Software Engineering? What is a Software Engineer?

Software Engineering is the application of engineering concepts, techniques and methods to the development of software systems. A "Software Engineer" is a person who understands the fundamental concepts of computing, and who possesses the skills and abilities to apply these concepts to the creation of useful, cost-effective and high-quality software systems.

Elements of Software Engineering

• Project Planning (project scoping and justification)
• Requirements specification and validation using formal techniques
• Specifying a Software Architecture with respect to:
  • Scalability
  • Inter-operability
  • Performance
  • Configurability
  • Distribution (e.g., Three-tiered architectures)
  • Concurrency
• Choosing Software Architectures
  • Rules-based architecture
  • Object-based architecture
  • Component-based architecture
• Software Analysis and Design
  • Using CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) Technology
  • Using Modelling languages and software methodologies (e.g., Booch)
  • Group review process
• Buying vs. Building Software components
  • Evaluating vendor solutions
  • Systems integration
• Rapid Prototyping for Proof-of-concept
  • Programming languages used for Prototyping (e.g., Visual Basic)
• Human Factors Engineering
  • Designing effective human/computer interfaces
• Being a part of a Development Team
  • Oral communication
  • Technical writing
  • Project Management
  • Reviewing deliverables
• Applying Basic Principles of Computing
  • Digital Systems
  • Machine Organization
• Applying Computer Software Basics
  • State-of-the-art programming languages
  • Data Structures
  • Object-Oriented paradigm
  • Algorithm Design and Analysis
• Applying Fundamentals of Distributed Systems
  • Operating Systems
  • Networking
  • Client/Server
  • Databases
  • Data Communications
• Adhering to Computing Standards and Ethics
  • Government groups
  • Industry groups (e.g., OMG)
  • Testing standards
  • Documentation standards
  • Coding standards
  • Review process standards
• Quality Assurance
  • Quality metrics
  • Test verification and automation
  • Test coverage metrics
  • Risk management
  • Change control