Software Engineering Tutorial for Beginners
What is Software Engineering?
Software engineering is defined as a process of analyzing user requirements and then designing, building, and testing software application which will satisfy those requirements.
Let’s look at the various definitions of software engineering:
- IEEE, in its standard 610.12-1990, defines software engineering as the application of a systematic, disciplined, which is a computable approach for the development, operation, and maintenance of software.
- Fritz Bauer defined it as ‘the establishment and used standard engineering principles. It helps you to obtain, economically, software which is reliable and works efficiently on the real machines.
- Boehm defines software engineering, which involves, ‘the practical application of scientific knowledge to the creative design and building of computer programs. It also includes associated documentation needed for developing, operating, and maintaining them.
Why Software Engineering is Popular?
Here are important reasons behind the popularity of software engineering:
- Large software – In our real life, it is quite more comfortable to build a wall than a house or building. In the same manner, as the size of the software becomes large, software engineering helps you to build software.
- Scalability- If the software development process were based on scientific and engineering concepts, it is easier to re-create new software to scale an existing one.
- Adaptability: Whenever the software process was based on scientific and engineering, it is easy to re-create new software with the help of software engineering.
- Cost- Hardware industry has shown its skills and huge manufacturing has lower the cost of the computer and electronic hardware.
- Dynamic Nature- Always growing and adapting nature of the software. It depends on the environment in which the user works.
- Quality Management: Offers better method of software development to provide quality software products.
How Software Engineering with Other Disciplines
Here, how software engineering related to other disciplines:
- Computer Science: Gives the scientific foundation for the software as electrical engineering mainly depends on physics.
- Management Science: Software engineering is labor-intensive work which demands both technical and managerial control. Therefore, it is widely used in management science.
- Economics: In this sector, software engineering helps you in resource estimation and cost control. Computing system must be developed, and data should be maintained regularly within a given budget.
- System Engineering: Most software is a component of a much larger system. For example, the software in an Industry monitoring system or the flight software on an airplane. Software engineering methods should be applied to the study of this type of systems.
Challenges of Software Engineering
Here are some critical challenges faced by software engineers:
- In safety-critical areas such as space, aviation, nuclear power plants, etc. the cost of software failure can be massive because lives are at risk.
- Increased market demands for fast turnaround time.
- Dealing with the increased complexity of software need for new applications.
- The diversity of software systems should be communicating with each other.
Attributes for Software Products
The characteristics of any software product include features which are displayed by the product when it is installed and put in use.
They are not the services which are provided by the product. Instead, they have related to the products dynamic behavior and the use made of the product.
Examples of these attributes are:
Efficiency, reliability, robustness, maintainability, etc.
However, the relative importance of these characteristics varies from one software system to another.
| Product Characteristics | Description |
| Maintainability | The software should evolve to meet the changing demands of the clients. |
| Dependability | Dependability includes various characteristics. Dependable software should never cause any physical or economic damage at the time of system failure. |
| Efficiency | The software application should overuse system resources like memory and processor cycle. |
| Usability | The software application should have specific UI and documentation. |
Optimizing the above attribute is very challenging. For example, offering a better UI can reduce system efficiency.
Characteristics of Good Software
Any software should be judged by what it offers and what are the methods which help you to use it.
Every software must satisfy the following attributes:
- Operational
- Transitional
- Maintenance
Here are some important characteristics of good software developed by software professionals
Operational
This characteristic let us know about how well software works in the operations which can be measured on:
- Budget
- Efficiency
- Usability
- Dependability
- Correctness
- Functionality
- Safety
- Security
Transitional
This is an essential aspect when the software is moved from one platform to another:
- Interoperability
- Reusability
- Portability
- Adaptability
Maintenance
This aspect talks about how well software has the capabilities to adapt itself in the quickly changing environment:
- Flexibility
- Maintainability
- Modularity
- Scalability
What Does A Software Engineer Do?
Here, are important roles played by software engineer:
- He or she should be a good programmer and should be well-versed in data structures and algorithms.
- Should be fluent in more than one programming language.
- Should be familiar with various design approaches.
- Responsible for defining the feasibility of software operations through problem definition, evaluation, analysis, and solution development.
- Documenting and demonstrating solutions by developing flowcharts, diagrams, documentation, diagrams, layouts, code comments, etc.
- Developing solutions by following software development standards.
- Improves operations by completing systems analysis work and make a recommendation for inefficient procedures and policies.
- Obtaining and licensing software after gaining relevant data from vendors.
- Testing and approving products
- Providing relevant data through the collection, analysis, and summarizing of service and development issues
Best practices for Software Engineers
Here are some best practices for software engineers:
- Software engineers should act in such a way that it is beneficial to the client as well as the employer.
- Ensure software products and related modifications which should meet the highest professional standards.
- Need to maintain integrity and independence in their professional approach.
- Promote an ethical approach for software development and maintenance.
- Software engineers shall be supportive of their colleagues.
