J. Barrie Thompson

The use, limitations and customization of structured systems development methods in the United Kingdom

Abstract Established structured systems development methods are getting larger, but often only implicitly support customization for particular projects. This paper examines the consequences of this situation, and makes reference to a survey carried out in the first half of 1994 into the use of methods and their customization. The results of this survey suggest that structured methods are not as widely used as they might be. Most departments customize their methods, but gain knowledge of this process through experience. Structured method users do not have more confidence in their method than in-house method users. It is argued that this may be the result of poor support for the customization process.

Software engineering practice and educationan international view

A framework for professionalism produced by the International Federation for Information Processing is used to identify progress and challenges with regard to practice and education in Software Engineering. Finally recommendations are made with respect to opportunities that could be relevant in East and Southern Europe

A further exploration of teaching ethics in the software engineering curriculum

The importance of teaching topics related to ethics within software engineering programs is highlighted especially in the light of the guiding principles for the Software Engineering volume of the Computing Curricula 2001 and the requirements of professional bodies when accrediting programs. A new work that extends the original investigation is outlined. The work centers on the why, what and how questions concerned with current ethics education in software engineering programs. Details of innovative strategies that are being employed to support the teaching of ethics in professional programs are also provided.

Iterative design and testing within the software development life cycle

The activity of testing begins during system development and spans all subsequent phases. Some system development lifecycles describe testing which is performed after the coding phase, but this may cause the software to be delivered without sufficient testing. In this paper, we present a software system development lifecycle model, called the Test design Stages Processed model (TSP model), in which we emphasize that iterative test design stages should be incorporated at each phase of the software development lifecycle. When a phase is completed, testing of the phase should also be completed at that time. Within this paper we have added unit, integration and system testing processes into BoochÕs micro–design process to generate a new designs and test model. This shows the process of iterative and incremental software development. Comparing this with our model, we explain how the TSP model can be used for developing and testing an object-oriented software system.

Software engineering 2004: ACM/IEEE-CS guidelines for undergraduate programs in software engineering

This paper is an overview of Software Engineering 2004, the software engineering volume of the computing curricula 2001 project. We briefly describe the contents of the volume, the process used in developing the volumes guidelines, and how we expect the volume to be used in practice.

Why Better Industrial/Academic Links Are Needed If There is to Be an Effective Software Engineering Workforce

The case is made that to address the current problems of a graduate and skills shortage industry and academia need to work together to present a positive image of what are challenging and exciting disciplines and ensure that there is an effective workforce. Elements of a four year research project concerned with investigating and analyzing industry/academic links is reported which has provided insights into the challenges and problems that exist today. The project has involved: running a series of international workshops to identify and evaluate a of range industry/academic interactions, a literature review centered on CSEE&T conference proceedings, and a series of activities that have enabled an investigation of roles played by government, professional bodies, industry and industrial bodies and how they interact with academia. A number of fundamental problems are identified that currently hinder co-operation. Finally suggestions are made with regard to improving the current situation.

Introducing and Developing Professional Standards in the Information Systems Curriculum

In light of growing concerns in the public and recent mandates from business program accrediting bodies and curricular task forces, the importance of teaching ethical topics in information systems programs is discussed. Innovative strategies used for teaching the application of ethical criteria to common situations are reviewed. Results of a survey of information systems faculty members in the US are presented and are compared to previous studies that related primarily to computer science and software engineering programs. Insight is provided into the topics, techniques, degree of coverage, and assessment techniques currently used when teaching ethics in computing-related programs. Key concerns and future work is also outlined.

Reflections on software engineering 2004, the ACM/IEEE-CS guidelines for undergraduate programs in software engineering

This paper is a collection of reflections on some of the curricular decisions made in “Software Engineering 2004,” the Software Engineering volume of the Computing Curricula 2001 project. We briefly describe the contents of the Volume and the process used in developing the Volumes guidelines. We then look in more detail at the rationale behind some of the more controversial decisions made. We conclude with how we expect the Volume to be used in practice.

PisoSIA® a stakeholder approach to assist change in information systems development projects and aid process improvement

PISO® (Process Improvement for Strategic Objectives) is a method that engages system users in the redesign of their own work-based information systems. PisoSIA® (stakeholder identification and analysis) is an enhancement to the original method that helps in the identification of a systems stakeholders, analyses the impact they have on the system and also considers the effect of change upon those stakeholders. Overviews of the original and enhanced methods are provided and research investigations centred on four case studies are reported. Each of the case studies made use of the original PISO® method and two made use of the enhanced pisoSIA® method. These case studies demonstrate the worth of the enhanced approach. The stakeholder identification and subsequent analysis provides an effective complement to the original method and can clearly aid in change management within information system redesign.

Achieving a World-Wide Software Engineering Profession: A Report on the CSEET 2001 Workshop

The prime aim of the workshop was to provide a forum to consider the global dimensions of a Software Engineering profession and determine the relevance and usefulness of an initiative concerning the harmonization of professional standards which had been produced under the auspices of the International Federation of Information Processing. In particular the workshop addressed: the current situation with regard to certification and/or licensing in different countries, the drivers and constraints regarding Software Engineering Professionalism, the extent to which world-wide Software Engineering Professionalism is achievable (particularly in the light of IFIPs proposals regarding harmonization), and possible strategy(ies) that would assist in achieving such world-wide Software Engineering Professionalism. A pre workshop survey was carried out at the conference and the results of this are reported. The two staged operation and results of the workshop are then detailed. Initial position statements are summarised and the conclusions from the four separate subgroups that operated within each of the two stages are reported. Finally the major points from a general discussion on what the future goals and strategies for achieving a recognised profession should be are presented followed by the overall conclusion of the workshop participants.