Software Development Life Cycle – MODIFIED WATERFALL

Many engineers recommend modified versions of the waterfall model. In the traditional waterfall model, the different stages of development are not allowed to overlap. One common type of modification allows some of the stages to overlap, which results in reduced documentation requirements and a reduced cost of returning to earlier stages to make changes. Another common modification is to incorporate prototyping into the requirements phases.

Overlapping stages, such as the requirements stage and the design stage, allow the development team to integrate feedback from the design phase into the requirements; but overlapping stages can make it difficult to know when you are finished with a given stage, as the line between stages becomes blurred. This makes progress harder track. Without distinct stages, problems can cause you to defer important decisions until later in the process when they are more expensive to correct.

Software Development Life Cycle – PROTOTYPING

One of the main problems with the waterfall model is that the requirements often are not completely understood in the early development stages. When you reach the future stages, you may discover that you need to adjust the requirements.

Prototyping can be useful in determining how a design meets a set of requirements. You can build a prototype, adjust the requirements, and revise the prototype several times, gaining an understanding of the project’s overall goals. In addition to clarifying the requirements, a prototype also defines many areas of the design at the same time.

The pure waterfall model allows for prototyping in later stages, but not in the early requirements stages.

Some drawbacks of prototyping:

Software Development Life Cycle – SPIRAL

The spiral model is an iterative model that attempts to combine advantages of the top-down and bottom-up models of software design. The goal is to reduce, as much as possible, an application’s time-to-market; in the traditional waterfall model, since each step must be completed before the next one starts, the time-to-market can be much longer.

The system requirements are defined in as much detail as possible. This usually involves interviewing a number of users representing all the external or internal users and other aspects of the existing system.

Software Development Life

Kovair's Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) provides a complete and total support for all SDLC activities and helps overcome the complexities in the total development process from initiation, analysis, design, implementation and maintenance to disposal. It also provides a structured and standardized process for all phases of any software development effort, thereby ensuring that all functional user requirements, and strategic goals and objectives are met.

Software national

With a national unemployment rate of 9.6 percent, many people assume employers have their pick of applicants for any job, McCombs said. Not so. Within every down job market exist bright spots, which in Chicago means tech jobs, particularly for software engineers.

The continued growth of the Internet and mobile technology is fueling the increased demand for IT professionals, McCombs said. Computer application software engineers will be the fastest growing job category over the next eight years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projects a 32 percent increase in the number of computer software engineers between 2008 and 2018. The total work force is expected to grow 8 percent during the same period.

Software engineers hard to find

If you're looking for a career on the cutting edge, think about becoming a software engineer.

Skilled software engineers and Web developers are in such short supply in the Chicago area that Adam McCombs, chief executive of technology firm JumpForward, says finding qualified job candidates is "the bane of my existence."

Software Engineering: Art or Engineering.

The argument for treating software engineering as an art form is similar. Writing software could be considered art but only in the hands of truly brilliant software developers  and only when those truly brilliant software developers are in the zone, building something amazing. Everyone else is just writing code. Much like how no one would consider multiplication tables artistic, anyone who considers churning out code without intention or understanding of what is written as art is kidding themselves. Looking at software engineering from the perspective of eurhythmics lets us state this more as a fact than an opinion

Solid Modeling: Which Program is Best?

Parametric solid modeling programs such as UG, ProE, Ideas, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Inventor, Alibre and others are here to stay. But, which one is the right one for your organization?

Parametric CAD programs began in the late '80s with Pro Engineer. They map component surfaces in such a way as to preserve the shape of the solid and allow "slicing", "milling", "boring", "extruding" and other manufacturing-type operations to be performed during the CAD drawing/design phase. They have revolutionized drafting into more of a design profession.

Project Management

Software engineering projects are frequently part of larger, more comprehensive projects that include equipment (hardware), facilities, personnel, and procedures, as well as software. Examples include aircraft systems, accounting systems, radar systems, inventory control systems, and railroad switching systems. These system engineering projects are typically managed by one or more system project managers (sometimes called program managers) who manage projects composed of engineers, experts in the field of the application, scientific specialists, programmers, support personnel, and others. If the software to be delivered is a “stand-alone” software system (a system that does not involve development of other nonsoftware components) the software engineering project manager may be called thesystem project manager.

Top-Down/ Bottom-Up Design

Top-down design directs designers to start with a top-level description of a system and then refine this view step by step. With each refinement, the system is decomposed into lower-level and smaller modules. Top-down decomposition requires identifying the major higher-level system requirements and functions, and then breaking them down in successive steps until function-specific modules can be designed. Thus, top-down design is a level-oriented design approach.

A Survey of Major Software Design Methodologies

A methodology can be simply defined as a set of procedure that one follows from the beginning to the completion of the software development process. The nature of the methodology is dependent on a number of factors, including the software development en vironment, the organization's practices, the nature or type of the software being developed, the requirements of the users, the qualification and training of the software development team, the available hardware and software resources, the availability o f existing design modules, and even the budget and the time schedule. Since the 1970s, there have been a proliferation of software design methodologies. Different methodologies have been developed to resolve different types of problems. In describing these problems, it is often possible or necessary to group problems with similar characteristics together. This is called the problem domain. Many of these methodologies have evolved from the specific milieu where the software was developed. By this it is meant that specific methodologies are often developed (to be applied) to resolve certain "classes" of problems, also called domain of application, for which it is well-suited. Even though the design mechanics are different in each methodology .

Make older programs run in this version of Windows

Most programs written for Windows Vista also work in this version of Windows, but some older programs might run poorly or not at all. If a program written for an earlier version of Windows doesn't run correctly, you can try changing the compatibility settings for the program, either manually or by using the Program Compatibility troubleshooter.
      If you cannot install a program, insert the installation disc for the program and, using the troubleshooter, browse to the program's setup file, usually called Install.exe, or something similar. The troubleshooter is not designed to work on programs that have an file name extension.

Socio-cultural competencies

The GSEEM Master programme prepares future software engineers to work in distributed professional environments where collaborators are distant in their geographical location, in their personal and organizational culture, and in their professional practices.

Global software engineering combines technical engineering expertise with socio-cultural competences. This combination provides the future generation of global software professionals with the skills necessary to build innovative software in a global environment and to successfully manage global software projects.

This European Master programme will give you this expertise!

We will teach you to become acquainted with global issues that become important in the software engineering profession. You will learn to interact with global collaborators in an effective way, recognizing and understanding cultural differences and turning them in an advantage. You will be able to manage and participate in large distributed projects developing software systems in the most challenging software engineering areas. You will be able to share and communicate the right professional knowledge across geographical and sociological boundaries.

During your studies you will collaborate with students from different European countries, learning from each other and enjoying studying together. Part of your study will take place in a different European country, providing you with a great experience and enriching your professional curriculum. The different institutions participating in this European Master programme are specialised in different aspects of engineering large software systems. Using these specialities, a multidisciplinary approach is offered to give you a holistic perspective and understanding. This prepars you to serve as a future manager of IT software projects, or a chief architect or a main analyst of software systems, or a project leader in a global distributed environment.

Staffing Software

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   Our business solutions can provide you with all the software you need to manage the operations of your staffing firm in the most integrated and affordable way possible. Many software solutions require that their users change the way they do business and adapt to a new system. Akken Staffing gives you a superior alternative. Our customizable system accommodates you and may be tailored to meet your needs. Our clients report that its ease and efficiency empowers their employees to make more placements, communicate better, and provide improved overall service.

What is Software Engineering

Software Engineering deals with the engineering problems, opportunities and needs associated with the development and utilization of computer software. The discipline also addresses the design of computers, computer science and the integration of software into computer systems, as well as the applications of software systems. The software industry is growing rapidly and of increasing importance to our economy and standard of living. Software engineering is finding its way into many industries, including telecommunications, power generation, biomedical and industrial product companies.

The software engineering sector is continually advancing. New opportunities and challenges include the development of more powerful software and computers. The array of software engineering applications is growing, and ranges from special-effects software for the movie industry, through to the software controlling devices such as digital cameras and robots, to the software that drives businesses and the financial sector.

The software industry has grown dramatically over recent years and has significantly impacted the global economy. Many companies are involved in the software engineering industry across the region, province and country.

What types of careers do Software Engineers find

Software engineers find careers with companies that develop and design software systems, and in industries that utilize and apply software.

Examples of careers involving Software Engineers are varied. Many opportunities exist in the software industry where Software Engineers develop productivity, database, business-solution and other software. Software Engineers also serve as software consultants and produce software designs that are customized to meet the needs of users. In addition, Software Engineers find careers in industries where software is applied. For instance, software systems are used extensively in medical applications, transportation systems, and the financial system to automate important tasks. Engineers, scientists and business researchers use software to compile and evaluate information in data warehouses and to identify critical facts or trends. The banking, insurance, telecommunications and other service-oriented industries use software to automate and personalize service to their customers.

Other firms and agencies that employ software engineers include power plants, consumer goods and industrial equipment manufacturers, telecommunication and computer industries, and biomedical engineering companies. Software engineering opportunities also arise in fields such as:

• Electronics, mechatronics and robotics
• Wireless transmission systems
• Video, image and speech signal processing
• Control and automation of industrial machinery and processes

Software engineering graduates will have the expertise to work productively as engineers and to manage effectively the work of others. Graduates may also choose to pursue graduate studies or start their own business.

With the emerging need for more powerful and higher-quality software systems, the demand for software engineers continues to grow. Rapid advances in technology will likely accelerate this growth in software engineering opportunities

Program Description

The software engineering program provides graduates with the knowledge and skills required to carry out engineering work for a wide range of software and computer companies and for the many industries that use software products.

Developed in consultation with industry, the Software Engineering curriculum provides a solid grounding in fundamentals, with significant content in engineering sciences and engineering design.

In the first year, you study mathematics, sciences, computing and technical communications. These courses represent the foundation of most engineering programs. In the second year, you cover basic engineering courses like electronics, digital systems, and introductory software design. In third and fourth year, you study a range of applied and advanced software engineering courses including computer architecture, operating systems, algorithm design, data management systems, programming languages, computer networks and security, and computer control.

State-of-the-art laboratories and facilities are being developed to support the program, including laboratories for electronics and microprocessors. Our laptop computer approach to education allows laptop computers to be used for many laboratories and tutorials in software engineering.

Complementary studies including collaborative leadership, economics, and ethics and law for professionals, promote a broader understanding of the needs of society and technology's impact on it. Students gain technical expertise along with the understanding of business and humanities required for an integrated approach to the software and computer industry.

Master of Software Engineering

Most people who now function in the U.S. as serious software engineers have degrees in computer science, not in software engineering. In large part this is because computer degrees have been widely available for more than 30 years and software engineering degrees have not. Positions that require development of large software systems often list “Software Engineer” as the position title. Graduates of computer science, computer engineering, and software engineering programs are good candidates for those positions, with the amount of software engineering study in the programs determining the suitability of that graduate for such a position.

Most IT professionals who have computing degrees come from CS or IS programs. It is far too soon for someone who wants to work as a software engineer or as an information technology practitioner to be afraid that they won’t have a chance if they don’t graduate from a degree program in one of the new disciplines. In general, a CS degree from a respected program is the most flexible of degrees and can open doors into the professional worlds of CS, SE, IT, and sometimes CE. A degree from a respected IS program allows entry to both IS and IT careers.

Media attention to outsourcing, offshoring, and job migration has caused many to be concerned about the future of computing-related careers. It is beyond the scope of this web site to address these issues.

Master of Software Engineering

Both computer science and software engineering curricula typically require a foundation in programming fundamentals and basic computer science theory. They diverge in their focus beyond these core elements. Computer science programs tend to keep the core small and then expect students to choose among more advanced courses (such as systems, networking, database, artificial intelligence, theory, etc.). In contrast, SE programs generally expect students to focus on a range of topics that are essential to the SE agenda (problem modeling and analysis, software design, software verification and validation, software quality, software process, software management, etc.). While both CS and SE programs typically require students to experience team project activity, SE programs tend to involve the students in significantly more of it, as effective team processes are essential to effective SE practices. In addition, a key requirement specified by the SE curriculum guidelines is that SE students should learn how to build software that is genuinely useful and usable by the customer and satisfies all the requirements defined for it.

Master of Software Engineering

This program provides a sound education in the theory and practice of software engineering, enabling graduates to work confidently with software engineering applications in industry and commerce.

The program is open to candidates engaged in full-time study and also to candidates employed in industry or commerce who wish to study on a part-time basis.

This program consists of course work only.

Graduates of the program will be prepared for occupations such as technical and management functions in business, industry, government, and education; consulting and design in the field of information processing systems, and teaching of software engineering.