SENG403-22S2 (C) Semester Two 2022

Software Process and Product Quality

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 18 July 2022
End Date: Sunday, 13 November 2022
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 31 July 2022
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 2 October 2022

Description

This course introduces software quality key concepts, practices, methodologies and techniques present through the software lifecycle.

2022 Covid-19 Update: Please refer to the course page on AKO | Learn for all information about your course, including lectures, labs, tutorials and assessments.

This course will discuss concepts for systematically establishing, defining and managing software quality from technical, organisational and management perspectives. Topics covered in the course include the following:

● Quality basics and introduction - An introduction to the basic concepts of quality, its relation to Software Engineering, the current obstacles and solutions for ensuring quality of software systems.
● Quality models and standards - A review of quality standards, conventions and models used in the industry.
● Managing quality in software projects - An overview of the quality management knowledge and techniques, including planning and control activities.
● Quality in software processes - An in-depth review of the challenges faced by organizations developing software products, and how those are managed through software process improvement initiatives.
● Product quality - A description of the quality approach focused on the quality attributes of a software product, the models, standards and validation and verification practices.
● Introduction to measurement - An overview to the need of measure, its basic concepts, the standards and methodologies related with metrics and measurement.
● Sustainable software engineering - An introduction to Green Software Engineering concepts and practices related with the environmental, social and individual sustainability perspectives.
● Tools and techniques - A review of quality tools and techniques useful during management and assurance processes.

Learning Outcomes

  • LO1 – Demonstrate advanced knowledge of quality concepts. Describe, discuss, and apply the principles of SQA.
  • LO2 – Apply analysis skills to abstract and devise quality problems that affect process, product and people (the P’s) in the software engineering context, paying special attention to the communities’ realities (including Māori communities) and people’s norms and origins.
  • LO3 – Hypothesize specific improvements to make the three P’s more effective, efficient and reliable.
  • LO4 – Evaluate complex and integral systems in order to recognize failures.
  • LO5 – Implement and justify quality management systems in a controlled and organized manner, allowing a continuous improvement.
  • LO6 – Compare and evaluate available solutions and apply the most suitable strategy to improve quality aspects of the P’s.
  • LO7 – Demonstrate and apply advanced SQA techniques and tools proficiently.
  • LO8 – Plan and evaluate, in the form of an experience report, an organizational process or product in terms of quality attributes.
  • LO9 – Write, compose and explain SQA outcomes (assessments, audit reports, plans), supported by an oral synthesis to demonstrate effective communication skills both in report writing and presentation.
  • LO10 – Apply Green Software principles and practices to software development with the aim to reduce the environmental impact of software.

Prerequisites

SENG301 and approval by Head of Department

Timetable Note

Please note that the course activity times advertised here are currently in draft form, to be finalised on Monday 31 January 2022 for S1 and whole year courses, and Monday 27 June 2022 for S2 courses. Please do hold off enquiries about these times till those finalisation dates.

Course Coordinator

Miguel Morales

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Assignment One 30%
Assignment Two 30%
Final Exam 40%


2022 Covid-19 Update: Please refer to the course page on AKO | Learn for all information about your course, including lectures, labs, tutorials and assessments.

In the case of an emergency that affects the whole course, the Course Coordinator may change the nature, weighting and timing of assessments, e.g., tests and examination may be replaced with assignments of the same weight or different weight at a different time and/or date (which, under certain circumstances, may be outside the prescribed course dates). The 'Special consideration' process will also be used for unforeseen circumstances that adversely affect the academic performance of students individually.

Additional Course Outline Information

Grade moderation

The Computer Science department's grading policy states that in order to pass a course you must meet two requirements:
1. You must achieve an average grade of at least 50% over all assessment items.
2. You must achieve an average mark of at least 45% on invigilated assessment items.

If you satisfy both these criteria, your grade will be determined by the following University-wide scale for converting marks to grades: an average mark of 50% is sufficient for a C- grade, an average mark of 55% earns a C grade, 60% earns a C+ grade and so forth. However if you do not satisfy both the passing criteria you will be given either a D or E grade depending on marks. Marks are sometimes scaled to achieve consistency between courses from year to year.

Students may apply for special consideration if their performance in an assessment is affected by extenuating circumstances beyond their control.

Applications for special consideration should be submitted via the Examinations Office website within five days of the assessment.

Where an extension may be granted for an assessment, this will be decided by direct application to the Department and an application to the Examinations Office may not be required.

Special consideration is not available for items worth less than 10% of the course.

Students prevented by extenuating circumstances from completing the course after the final date for withdrawing, may apply for special consideration for late discontinuation of the course. Applications must be submitted to the Examinations Office within five days of the end of the main examination period for the semester.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,051.00

International fee $5,000.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Computer Science and Software Engineering .

All SENG403 Occurrences

  • SENG403-22S2 (C) Semester Two 2022