Jim Briggs, 8 December 1998

The real exam will be:

• Closed examination.
• Duration 1 hr 30 min.
• Candidates should attempt 3 questions out of the 5.
• Each question is worth 20 marks and the maximum mark is 60.

These questions serve to illustrate the style used on the real paper.

1. This question is about requirements analysis.
1. [6 marks] What can be identified as the starting and finishing points of the requirements phase of the software life cycle?
2. [6 marks] Why is it important that the product of the requirements phase be readable by the customer? What are the trade-offs involved in improving readability?
3. [8 marks] With reference to Davis's five hypotheses, or otherwise, support the assertion that requirements are important.
2. This question is about requirements specification.
1. [10 marks] Explain what is meant when a software requirements document is said to be:
1. complete;
2. verifiable;
3. modifiable;
4. annotated;
5. traceable.
2. [4 marks] Why is it not appropriate to include project management and product assurance plans in a software requirements document?
3. [6 marks] Explain how a software requirements document can be used as the control of the evolution of a system.
3. This question is about the software life cycle.
1. [8 marks] What are the five major stages of the basic waterfall model of the software life-cycle and what does each involve?
2. [6 marks] Discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of the waterfall model compared with the exploratory programming model. For what types of application is each model most appropriate?
3. [6 marks] It has been said (by Davis) that there is a symmetry between the earlier and later stages of the development life-cycle. Explain what is meant by this, and show the symmetry that can exist.

The real exam will have questions that cover the following aspects of the course:

• The characteristics of well-structured software.
• Program evolution and maintenance.
• Software requirements analysis and specification, including documents produced.
• Aspects of the CORE methodology covered in the lecture.
• Software validation and verification.
• Software project management.

• Use terminology correctly. Identify the key points in your answer. Be concise; don’t waffle.
• If you are asked to apply your knowledge to a particular problem, consider the problem carefully. There are likely to be aspects of it that are intended to provoke particular responses from you.
• If asked to draw on your experience or expertise, remember to indicate those aspects that are relevant to the question.
• While an encyclopaedic knowledge of Sommerville and Davis’s textbooks will help you, to obtain a first-class mark (grade A) you will almost certainly need to demonstrate how you can apply that knowledge.