Chapter 4

What was introduced as more people participated in a software project?

Better coordination.

What is the central task in the "Simplest" Process Model?

Coding.

What is an entry criterion?

It is a condition that allows the performer of an activity to start.

What is the highest level of CMM?

Level 5, the optimizing level.

What is an example of a company that has several organizations within it that have attained CMM Level 5?

Lockheed Martin.

What are the resources required for initiating an activity that define the entry criteria?

Required artifacts, required people, required tools, and required definition of the activity to be performed.

Who is one of the earliest people to write about the Waterfall model?

Royce is one of the earliest people to write about the Waterfall model.

What is the topic that some software professionals consider an integral part of project management?

Software process models

What is the purpose of the plan stage in the waterfall model?

The plan stage in the waterfall model specifies the requirements that must be completed.

What are the three traditional software process models?

Waterfall, Incremental, Spiral.

What did the testing effort often reflect in the early days of software engineering?

What the programmer understood the problem to be.

What must be defined in a clear description of exit criteria?

A clear description of what must be included in each completed artifact must be defined.

What does a process model define?

A process model defines a set of tasks that need to be performed, the input to and output from each task, the preconditions and postconditions for each task, and the sequence and flow of these tasks.

What is the "Simplest" Process Model?

A process model that programmers naturally gravitate towards when left alone. It is the code-and-fix model, which depicts the tasks involved in the code-compile-unit test cycle.

What is the chief programming team approach?

A process model where the programming team is the central focus of the software development process.

What is the definition of completed state in the context of requirement specifications?

All specifications have been reviewed by the customers and other stakeholders.

What are some conditions that may be included as part of the exit criteria?

All the artifacts are reviewed, all or some prespecified percentage of the errors are corrected, people in the downstream activities have concurred and accepted the artifacts, and that the person who is to participate in the next downstream activity is freed from the current activity.

What must be done with all the requirements during the Elaboration phase in RUP?

All the requirements must be gathered, analyzed, understood, documented, and agreed to by all parties during the elaboration phase.

What must be completed before the end of the final phase of software development?

All transitional activities, such as data migration and usage process modifications, must be completed before the end of the final phase of software development.

What must be assessed in the construction phase?

An assessment of whether the software product quality goal is met needs to be performed.

What is the Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI)?

An extension of the CMM that includes additional areas of focus, such as project management and system engineering.

What major processes related to software construction does an organization at Level 3 have mastered?

An organization at Level 3 has mastered the major processes related to construction of software along with additional project management-related processes.

What is required for an organization to move up to Level 4?

An organization must focus its effort on quantitative and quality management in addition to all the key processes of Levels 2 and 3.

What must an organization do to elevate from Level 2 to Level 3?

An organization must master seven more key processes, including organization process focus, training program, software product engineering, peer reviews, organization process definition, integrated software management, and intergroup coordination.

What is the importance of prototyping during the Elaboration phase in RUP?

Any prototyping of requirements must be completed, as well as the architecture and most of the design.

Why is the CMM model considered by many as too time-consuming and expensive to use?

Because of the time required for ascending from one level to the next higher level.

Why was the testing of the code often incomplete in the early days of software engineering?

Because the problem statement was often incomplete or unclear.

What happens when a defect is detected in compilation or in the unit testing in the "Simplest" Process Model?

Debugging is performed, and the code is modified to reflect the defect correction and recompiled.

What are the three key processes included in Level 5 of CMM?

Defect prevention, technology change management, and process change management.

Why is it important to define and explain the task itself before beginning a project?

Different individuals may perform the task differently, which can cause erratic results.

What is the purpose of entry and exit criteria in software engineering?

Entry criteria must be met before an activity can start, and exit criteria must be met before the activity can be considered complete and before the next activity may start.

What are exit criteria, and why are they important?

Exit criteria are the specified conditions that must be met before an activity can be considered complete.

What must be done if the software product is for external sale?

If the software product is for external sale, the sales organization must be educated, and the marketing material must be created and be available for distribution.

What are some benefits of having a defined process for software development projects?

Improved understanding of tasks, better defined responsibilities, easier measurement and control of project progress.

How was unit testing performed in the early days of software engineering?

Informally by the author of the code.

What is the purpose of defining entry criteria for each step or activity in a process?

It brings the high-level definition of the process down to an executable level and allows each part of the organization to tailor the process by specifying slightly different entry criteria for each task.

What is the importance of spelling out the tool to be used and identifying and training the people who will use it?

It ensures that the task is performed correctly and consistently.

What is the significance of identifying and training people who are pegged to use the tools required for a task?

It ensures that they are equipped with the necessary skills to use the tools effectively.

What is the criticism of the Waterfall model?

It has limited interaction with users at only the requirements phase and at the delivery of the software.

What is the importance of specifying tools required for a task?

It helps to spell out the rationale and expectations of using any tool for the task.

What is the Chief Programmer Team Approach?

It is a software development approach where a small team of highly skilled programmers work together to develop software.

What is the Rational Unified Process (RUP)?

It is a software development process that provides incremental and iterative development.

What is debugging?

It is defect analysis and resolution.

Why is it important to clearly specify the exit criteria ahead of time?

It is important to clearly specify the exit criteria ahead of time to ensure that the artifacts are complete and available for the next activity.

Why is it important to follow a systematic process in software engineering?

It is important to follow a systematic process in software engineering to avoid inconsistency, poor end products, and total project failure.

What is the purpose of exit criteria?

It is to ensure that an activity can be considered complete and before the next activity may start.

What is the CMM model used for?

It is used for assessing the maturity of an organization's software development processes.

Has the popularity of the CMM model waned or increased over time?

Its early popularity has waned considerably.

What is the significance of identifying major test scenarios during the Elaboration phase in RUP?

Major test scenarios are identified during this phase, and plans for implementation, testing, and integration are completed.

What is the purpose of metrics and measurement at Level 4?

Metrics and measurement are used to control and improve the software development process at Level 4.

What happened as software projects increased in complexity?

More tasks, such as design and integration, were introduced.

Do all organizations that use the CMM framework request a formal assessment?

No, some use it just for self-improvement and never request any formal assessment.

What are the two key processes added in Levels 2 and 3 of CMM?

Quantitative process management and software quality management.

What is the mechanism behind modifying, improving, and inventing software engineering development and support processes?

Software engineering development and support processes continue to be modified, improved, and invented through countless studies, experiments, and implementations.

What is the Capability Maturity Model (CMM)?

The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a framework used to help a software organization define its level of maturity in software development.

What is the concept behind the Capability Maturity Model (CMM)?

The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is based on the concept of continual improvements.

How many levels of maturity does the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) present?

The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) presents five levels of maturity.

What is the Software Engineering Institute (SEI)?

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a research and development center funded by the U.S.

Which country leads the world in the number of CMM-assessed organizations?

The United States.

What is the Waterfall Model?

The Waterfall model is a linear and sequential software development process model that is sometimes referred to as the classic software life cycle model.

What is the purpose of the Waterfall model?

The Waterfall model served as a tool for managing software projects and represented the software life cycle as the software went through different and distinct stages of development.

What must be completed in the construction phase?

The coding of the design must be completed.

What is the core purpose of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI)?

The core purpose of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is to help others make measured improvements on their software engineering capabilities.

What are the different tasks involved in software development and support?

The different tasks involved in software development and support include requirements, designing, coding, unit testing, release, support, and maintenance.

What is the document-driven approach in the waterfall model?

The document-driven approach in the waterfall model refers to the heavy amount of documents that are generated with requirements, design, and test.

What is the difference between the elaboration phase and the construction phase in software engineering?

The elaboration phase is focused on planning, acquiring resources, and establishing project control, while the construction phase is focused on completing the implementation of the software within estimated cost and achieving a releasable version of the code.

What is the difficulty in defining entry and exit criteria when activities overlap in a concurrent manner?

The entry and exit criteria must then be defined with much more granularity.

What are the four general topical areas covered by the major processes in CMMI?

The four general topical areas covered by the major processes in CMMI are process management, project management, engineering, and support.

What are the four main tasks that must be completed before the software can be packaged for release in the waterfall model?

The four main tasks that must be completed before the software can be packaged for release in the waterfall model are requirements, design, implementation, and test.

What is the goal of a software process model?

The goal of a software process model is to provide guidance for systematically coordinating and controlling the tasks that must be performed and the personnel who perform the tasks in order to achieve the end product and the project objectives.

What is the importance of clearly specifying exit criteria in software engineering?

The importance of clearly specifying exit criteria in software engineering is to ensure that the exit criteria are clearly defined ahead of time and that the team is freed from the current activity.

What are the key objectives of the final phase of software development?

The key objectives of the final phase of software development are to establish the final software product for general release, establish user readiness and acceptance of the software, establish support readiness, and gain concurrence for release and deployment.

What is the transition phase?

The last phase before the release of the software to general users, where all the fixes and components are integrated, and the non-code artifacts, such as manuals and educational materials, are also integrated into the complete product.

What determines the level of maturity of a software organization in the Capability Maturity Model (CMM)?

The level of maturity of a software organization in the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is determined by its practice of different sets of key software development process activities.

What is the purpose of exit criteria in software engineering?

The main purpose of exit criteria is to describe the artifacts that must be available for the next activity.

What is the origin of the name "Waterfall" in the Waterfall model?

The name of the Waterfall model is derived from the process it represents: tasks occur sequentially one after another, with the output from one task dropping into the next task.

What is the primary objective of the Construction phase in RUP?

The objectives of the construction phase are to complete the implementation in a timely manner within the estimated cost and achieve the version of the code that is releasable to a restricted set of Alpha sets.

What are the key project management-related processes that an organization at Level 2 is expected to have mastered?

The organizations must master 6 processes: requirements management, software project tracking and oversight, software quality assurance, software project planning, subcontract management, and software configuration management.

What is the primary objective of the Transition phase in RUP?

The primary objective of the Transition phase is to establish the final software product for general release, establish user readiness and acceptance of the software., establish support readiness, and gain concurrence for release and deployment. Also, establish the complete product and integrate all the non-code artifacts, such as manuals and educational materials.

What is the purpose of the Inception phase in RUP?

The primary objectives of the Inception phase are to establish the scope and clarify the goals of the software project, establish critical use cases and major scenarios that will drive the architecture and design, establish some architecture and early design alternatives, and estimate the schedule.

What is the primary objective of the Elaboration phase in RUP?

The primary objectives of this phase include establishing all the major and critical requirements for the system, demonstrating the baseline design, establishing the implementation, test, and integration platforms and methodologies, establishing the major test scenarios, establishing the measurement and metrics for the agreed-on goals, and organizing and setting up all the needed resources for implementation, testing, and integration.

What is the purpose of a clear metric and measurement system in software engineering?

The purpose of a clear metric and measurement system is to establish a way to measure the success of the software project and ensure that resources for measurement are acquired.

What is the purpose of completing all Alpha and Beta tests during the final phase of software development?

The purpose of completing all Alpha and Beta tests during the final phase of software development is to ensure that all discovered defects are fixed and integrated into the final release.

What is the recommended approach for testing software during the construction phase?

The recommended approach for testing software during the construction phase is to test all major requirements.

What is the entry criteria for a design task in relation to requirement specifications?

The requirement specifications must attain the completed state.

What is the significance of software development processes in the software industry?

The software industry has embraced the importance of software development processes for years.

What must the software support group do during the final phase of software development?

The software support group must be trained and stand ready to service users during the final phase of software development.

What became better defined as software engineers gained more experience?

The tasks in the process, the relationship among them, and the flow of these tasks.

What is SEI's Ca?

The text does not provide enough information to answer this question.

What is the understanding about software development models today?

There is no one process model that will fit all software projects.

Why is just listing artifacts not enough for entry criteria?

These artifacts must be in a condition that they are usable by the activity.

What is the meaning of ready state for people required to perform a task?

They are available and can be applied to the task before the commencement of the task.

What is the purpose of metrics and measurements in CMM?

They are used to manage attributes such as quality, productivity, or efficiency.

What is the purpose of all the key processes at Level 5 of CMM?

They contribute to an organization poised for changes and improvements.

What is the purpose of adapting and modifying software development models?

To fit different situations.

What is the purpose of software development models?

To solve different concerns and improve the relationship among tasks.

Why is it important to modify and refine a standard process?

To tailor it to the specific needs and requirements of a particular project or organization.

How long does it usually take to ascend from one level to the next higher level in the CMM model?

Usually on the order of one or two years, rarely in months or days.

Are the levels in the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) sequential and accumulative?

Yes