CSE4002 - Software Engineering Studio Project

CAPSTONE Project for Bachelor of Software Engineering Students at Monash University.

Aim

To give final year Bachelor of Software Enginnering students the opportunity to apply the skills which they have learned so far in the course to the development of real world systems. Students will undertake a large project and work in groups on a software project for a client. The client may be internal to Monash or from the industry or research organisation. In general, projects involve all aspects of the system development lifecycle. Groups are responsible for their own project management, with guidance from a supervisor. Some projects will warrant students working in pairs.

Objectives

On completion of this subject students will have knowledge of :

all stages in the process of developing a SE project
the roles and responsibilities of clients, system users and developers in a SE project;

have an understanding of:

the way in which computer systems are designed, developed and implemented
the levels of abstraction at which a system can be described
the role of tools, techniques and methods in the development of a software system
the processes and components of a quality system

have the skills to:

plan and manage the full range of activities in an SE project
work productively in a team and individually
communicate effectively with clients and system users
developing and delivering on time a computer system that meets the specified requirements

and have developed attitudes, which allow them to:

work productively in a team and have an enquiring mind
adopt a systematic and professional approach to the production of quality computer systems
recognise the applicability and limitation of using particular approaches to certain problem areas
appreciate their social, ethical and professional obligations in designing, maintaining or advising on software systems.

In meeting the above objectives, emphasis will be placed on the quality of the product. This entails the use of proper techniques and tools that enhance product quality including appropriate analysis and design tools, quality reviews, appropriate software testing and a high level of user involvement. The quality of the product is not judged solely on the merits of the software but also is dependent on packaging. This means producing all necessary documentation. The documentation must be well written and professionally presented. Further, it must be produced at the appropriate point in the development of the product. The development of products will be oriented to computer solutions. However manual operations and/or organisational issues must be adequately addressed. In addition to the products produced by the project the process by which these products are produced is an important aspect of the subject. These processes relate to how/when/why certain actions are undertaken by the group. It is important for the group to observe their process with the aim of improving it. For example, the meeting process (group meetings, supervisor meetings and client meetings etc) - the products of these meetings relate to minutes, action lists and information for further work. The process relates to how you identified and recorded information, how you involved all people present, why you took a certain approach to an interview and whether it was successful. It relates to the group reviewing not just the products but also reviewing the process by which the product is produced.