Software Development

Define Software Development

The process of designing, developing, testing, and maintaining software

Name the types of approaches to Software Development

• Agile / Iterative

• Waterfall / staged / incremental

Name 3 key characteristics of Agile / Iterative Software Development

• Cyclical process

• Incremental progress

• Feedback integration

Define Cyclical progress as a key characteristic of Agile / Iterative Software Development

Team repeats the same phases of plan, design, implementation and testing in each iteration

Define Incremental Progress as a key characteristic of Agile / Iterative Software Development

New functionality is added and existing features are improved in each new iteration / sprints

Define Feedback integration as a key characteristic of Agile / Iterative Software Development

User and stakeholder feedback is incorporated after each cycle to inform the next one

Name 3 benefits of Agile / Iterative Software Development

• Early risk reduction

• Flexibility

• Continuous Improvement

Define Early Risk Reduction as a benefit of Agile / Iterative Software Development

Problems and bugs are identified and fixed early in the process - reduces the risk of major issues surfacing later

Define Flexibility as a benefit of Agile / Iterative Software Development

Allows for changes to be made as the project progresses

Define Continuous Improvement as a benefit of Agile / Iterative Software Development

The product evolves over time with ongoing

enhancements and feature additions

Name 3 disadvantages of Agile / Iterative Software Development

• Less documentation

• Challenges in large organisations

• Need for senior programmers

Define Less documentation as a disadvantage of Agile / Iterative Software Development

Agile Development prioritizes working on projects rather than paperwork

Define Challenges in Large Organizations as a disadvantage of Agile / Iterative Software Development

Busy schedule of clients can make communication difficult

Define Need for senior programmers Organizations as a disadvantage of Agile / Iterative Software Development

May require experienced programmers to make critical decisions

Name 3 key characteristics of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

• Sequential approach

• Document driven

• Quality Control

Define Sequential Approach as a key characteristic of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

Each phase of the project is completed before moving on to the next one

Define Document Driven as a key characteristic of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

Dependant on documentation to ensure that the project team is working towards a clear set of goals

Define Quality Control as a key characteristic of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

Quality control and testing at each phase of the project - ensures that the final product meets the requirements and expectations of

the stakeholders

Name 3 benefits of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

• Clear Milestones

• Properly documented

• Individual processing

Define Clear Milestones as a benefit of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

The project team is working towards a clear set of goals

Define Properly Documented as a benefit of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

Processes, actions, and results are very well documented

Define Individual Processing as a benefit of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

Phases are processed one at a time

Name 3 disadvantages of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

• No feedback

• Hard to handle changes

• Limited flexibility

Define No Feedback as a disadvantage of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

No built in way to correct errors in earlier stages

Define Hard To Handle Changes as a disadvantage of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

Difficult to change anything once the requirements phase is finished

Define Hard To Limited Flexibility as a disadvantage of Waterfall / staged / incremental Software Development

Not suitable for projects where requirements change

Define Client

Individual paying for the project

Define User

Target Audience

State the stages of Software Development

1. Investigate

2. Plan

3. Design

4. Create

5. Evaluate

6. Document

List 3 processes during the investigate stage

• Identifying and analysing the problem to be solved

• Gathering information

• Specifying requirements

Name the types of requirements that need to be specified during the investigate stage

• User

• Client

• Software

• Hardware

List 3 processes during the plan stage

• Understanding the problem

• Creation of a workflow

• Division of labour within the team

Name 3 processes during the design stage

• Figuring out how the software should work using either the top down or modular design

• Prototyping

• User Centred Design

Define Top-Down Design

Breaking down a big problem into smaller, manageable parts

Define Modular Design

Organising a program into separate sections called modules

Name out the characteristics of a module

• Works on its own

• Can be reused in other projects

• Makes debugging easier

Define Prototype

A simplified version of a system or feature.

Name 3 benefits of Protoypes

• Identify problems early

• Improve communication

• Test Ideas Before Building the Real System

Name the types of Protoypes

• Low fidelity

• High fidelity

List 2 characteristics of Low fidelity prototyping

• Simple and fast

• Useful for exploring ideas quickly

List 2 characteristics of high fidelity prototyping

• More detailed

• Testing realistic user experience many times

Name 3 examples of Prototyping

• Wireframe

• Pseudocode

• Flowchart

Define User Centred Design (UCD)

Focuses on the needs, abilities, and experiences of the people who will use the software

Name 3 benefits of Define User Centred Design (UCD)

• More accessible software

• Reduces frustration for users

• Saves time and cost

Name 3 processes during the create stage

• User experience

• User Interface

• Universal Design

Define User Experience (UX)

How a person feels when using a product

List 3 characteristics of User Experience (UX)

• Speed and performance

• Accessibility

• Reducing user effort

Define User Interface (UI)

The visual and interactive parts of a software system

List 3 characteristics of User Interface (UI)

• Layout

• Appearence

• Interaction

Define Universal Design (UD)

To make systems accessible, usable, and inclusive for as many people as possible without needing special adaptations.

Name key characteristics of Universal Design (UD)

• Flexibility

• Clear communications

• Easy to understand

Define the process of the Create Stage

Programmers create the system based on all the work that has been carried out at the previous stages

Define the process of the evaluate stage

Software is tested to make sure it does what it is supposed to do

Name the different types of testing

• Manual Testing

• Automation Testing

• Functional Testing

• Non Functional Testing

• Unit testing

• Integration testing

• System testing

Define Manual Testing

Testing the software manually with trying each function individually

Name the different types of Manual Testing

• White box / glass box / structural testing

• Black box testing

• Grey box testing

Define White Box / Glass Box / Structural testing

Testing the internal structure and workings of a Software Application

Define Black Box Testing

Testing of application without knowing the internal code or structure

Define Automation Testing

Tester uses suitable Software or Automation Tools to test the software

Define Functional Testing

System is tested against the functional requirements and specifications

Define Non-Functional testing

Verifies whether the behavior of the system is as per the requirement or not

Define Unit Testing

Errors are detected individually from every component or unit by individual testing

Name an example of a unit test

If privacy setting work correctly

Define Integration Testing

Checks how different modules or components of the software work together

Define System Testing

Testing the software as a system

Name an example of a system test

Verifying both functional and non functional requirements