Keep in mind this was a question presented in a Software Engineering course. Con
ID: 2247202 • Letter: K
Question
Keep in mind this was a question presented in a Software Engineering course.
Consider two projects, one developing a large software system for university student activities, and the other constructing a plant for mixing and packaging gallons of paint.
What are significant differences in the two situations? Consider both the project and its products. In particular, think about modifiability and replicability of each.
Write a short list (which may be in essay or list or table form) of differences or ask questions if you cannot come to definite conclusions.
Explanation / Answer
The first project is a typical case of software engineering because you have to design and create a software and not something physical using machines etc. The second project whereas involves using machines to attain a physical objective of mixing and packaging paint.
The software system is modifiable to the extent that if a new university comes up with similar requirement the software can easily be customized a little to suit their needs.
The mixing and packaging system is a little less modifiable as even if there is a change in paints used there is a change in paint density and hence the need to change machines accordingly.
In mixing and packaging system designers working independently also arrive at similar designs for this system thus making it easy for replicating the project setup. In case of the software system different designers write completely different designs and different codes to attain same functionality hence making it difficult to replicate.
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