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Software engineering, the software process and their support

Software engineering, the software process and their support

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© The Institution of Electrical Engineers
Published

Computers are being applied more and more widely, penetrating ever deeper into the very fabric of society. Mankind is becoming increasingly dependent on the availability of software and its continuing validity. To achieve this consistently and reliably, in an operational domain that is forever changing, requires disciplined execution of the software development and evolution process and its effective management. That is the goal of advanced software engineering [1]. This paper summarises basic concepts of software engineering and of the software development process. This leads to a principle of uncertainty, analysis of its implications for the software development process, an overview of computer-assisted software engineering (CASE) and brief comments on the societal relevance of these topics. For researchers in the field and practitioners familiar with individual concepts, issues and specific solutions, the paper provides a unifying framework, a basis for conceptual advance. Those without a significant practical software engineering background and experienced graduate students will extend general familiarity with fresh insights, new concepts and additional detail. Undergraduate and graduate students without significant experience may treat the paper as an introductory text.

Inspec keywords: software engineering; reliability; social aspects of automation; software tools

Other keywords: advanced software engineering; computer-assisted software engineering; software development; uncertainty; operational domain; validity; evolution process; disciplined execution; societal relevance; CASE

Subjects: Software engineering techniques; Programming support; Software management; Economic, social and political aspects of computing

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