Engineering processes in managing software system development

Abstract

The Project enviroment and human activities in developing a large scale software system are the key factors which determine the success of a project. Sequential life cycle management divides the entire development into separate phases. It is proposed that the development of each phase should proceed according to an engineering process which defines the step-by-step procedures that all software practitioners must follow.The software engineering methodologies such as top-down development, pseudo coding, design walk through, structured programming and code reading, are effectively utilized in the engineering processes. Also, incorporated in the processes are methods in project review, intergroup communication, and group spirit enhancement.This approach has been applied to the development of an information and production control system for processing Landsat data, with five steps in the detailed design phase, and seven steps in the coding and unit testing phase. Specifically, the detailed design phase includes the requirement study, requirement review, top-down design, design walk through and design documentation. The coding and unit testing phase includes the design study, study review, top-down coding, code reading, top-down testing, test evaluation and coding, and unit testing documentation. The application of these engineering processes in software system development reduces management complexities and increases productivity accordingly.