T-76.4115/5115 Software Development Project I/II

Course Overview 8.9.2009

Jari Vanhanen

Ohjelmistoliiketoiminnan ja –tuotannon laboratorio

Software Business and Engineering Institute

Contents

Introduction motivation educational goals

Project topics origin legal issues selection

Support to the projects software development process mentoring experience exchange sessions hw/sw infrastructure evaluation

Motivation - Software Development Scenario 1

Small software Developed alone As a passionate hobby For the own needs of the developer No major consequences of bugs No schedule pressure No limitations on effort usage Software will be maintained by nobody or the developer himself

Motivation - Software Development Scenario 2 Large software system Developed by a team Developers’ daily work Used by many different users Software is done for a paying customer Every work hour costs money Management wants to follow the project Strict schedule and budget Bugs may cause serious consequences Maintained by others

What needs attention in this scenario?

Motivation - Software Development Scenario 2 Large software system (complexity, architectural design) Developed by a team (communication, coordination, team spirit) Developers’ daily work (motivation) Used by many different users (understanding real needs) Software is done for a paying customer (accountability) Every work hour costs money (efficiency, prioritization) Management wants to follow the project (visibility, risks) Strict schedule and budget (predictability) Bugs may cause serious consequences (quality, proof of quality) Maintained by others (maintainability, documentation, training)

Course = Project Work

Groups of 7-9 students Real customers with real topics Duration about 5 months Required effort 27h/study point

e.g. 6p = 162h >10h/week

Course Versions

T-76.4115 size

8p , for substituting old T-76.115 6p, default 5p, enough for certain study modules

role developer or SE expert

T-76.5115 size

6 or 8p, depending on study module role

SE expert T-76.4115 must have been already passed

Project Stakeholders

Project group students, who develop the software

Customer 1 or several persons from the customer organization provides the topic and requirements for the system to be built often can also help with technical issues takes the responsibility of the system after the project

Mentor course personnel observes and helps with the working methods ensures the fulfillment of the educational goals

Goals of the Different Stakeholders

Customer

•getting software that solves their problems

•getting experiences of technologies and working methods

•learning the customer role in an IT-project

Mentor

•ensuring the fullfillment of educational goals

•checking the compliance to the mandatory work practices

•supporting the group

•ensuring that the project succeeds as well as possible

Project group

•learning about software engineering and related topics

•good grade from the course

•fame from producing great software

Project

Roles in the Project Group

Software engineering (SE) experts 3 per group T-76.5115/4115 students responsibility of a SE area

project manager QA manager architect

Developers 4-6 per group T-76.4115 students participate in

programming low level design testing and other QA tasks

assistant to some SE expert

SE Expert Roles

Project manager planning and coordinating the project monitoring and controlling the project motivating the team

“QA manager” requirements engineering customer relationship planning and controlling QA active participation to performing QA

Architect architectural design supervising the developers active participation to development

An expert takes responsibility, but everyone may participate in

all kind of tasks.

The group may tune the responsibilities of each role, and switch roles between members.

Prerequisites

T-76.5115 (Project II) T-76.4115 (mandatory) all SoberIT’s SE courses

T-76.4115 (Project I) T-76.601 Introduction to Software

Engineering (mandatory) T-76.611 Software Development Methods good programming skills

Try to get experience of all SE areas to your group!

Educational Goals (1/3)

Getting hands-on experience of a real, whole software project requirements engineering, design, programming, QA project management

Learning to apply good SE practices and tools try something new and analyze experiences understand the limits of practices and tools enlarge your SE toolkit

Learning state-of-the-art technologies project topics often require using and studying the latest technologies

Educational Goals (2/3)

Learning various general academic skills management skills social skills presentation skills writing skills networking internationalization business thinking project work in general

The selected role affects what you learn.

Educational Goals (3/3)

After this course you should understand the challenges involved in commercial sw development be able to select good practices and tools for your future projects have learned many things applicable practically anywhere

Use this opportunity to learn something new about software engineering!

In “real” projects you are often too busy to do that …

Contents

Introduction motivation educational goals

Project topics origin legal issues selection

Support to the projects software development process mentoring experience exchange sessions hw/sw infrastructure evaluation

Project Topics

Proposals collected from TKK and industry

Lots of alternatives

Software development projects secondary goals may include e.g. technology reviews

Project scope flexible

Project Topics – Legal Issues

Intellectual property rights (IPR) open source, or customer gets IPRs

Non-disclosure agreement (NDA) some companies require this

Public documentation except code and technical specs if NDA required, customer must

review materials before publication

Participation fee for industrial customers

commitment course costs

Contracts prepared by TKK lawyers

TKK <-> companies TKK <-> students

Registration and Forming of the Groups

Register to the course by We 9.9. 13:00 (Tomorrow!)

Teacher selects the SE experts on We 9.9. 13:00 2-3 more chosen than really needed last ones without a trio are assigned to developers

SE experts form trios register a trio by e-mail to the teacher immediately after Fr 11.9. 13:00, teacher forms trios of the remaining SE experts

SE expert trios recruite developers send e-mail to the teacher immediately when you recruite someone after Fr 18.9. 13:00 teacher assigns the remaining developers into groups

Optimal group composition:

seniors and juniors, common work times possible, similar interests regarding topics and technologies, broad coverage of SE courses passed

Project Topics – Selection Process

Customers present themselves and the topics Tu 15.9. 17:00-19

no contacting before that

SE expert trios apply for topics contact 2-4 customers “sell” your group to the customer

short CV of the group having good developers may help

Ensure that the customer is committed to the project understands the domain appreciates the educational context provides needed infrastructure doesn’t expect skills that the group

doesn’t have or cannot acquire quickly

Say “yes” quickly get confirmation from the customer say no to other customers immediately inform the teacher

If all the customers say “no” contact new customers

If you are not sure, try another customer.

Project Topics – Selection Recommendations

What do you want to learn? domain technology getting to know a certain customer’s organization

Too easy a topic? boring no ”bonus” points in the evaluation

Too demanding a topic? unsatisfied customer fulfilling customer’s goals may take too much focus away from other

educational goals of the course

Project Topics – Proposals

Contents

Introduction motivation educational goals

Project topics origin legal issues selection

Support to the projects software development process mentoring experience exchange sessions hw/sw infrastructure evaluation

Software Process – Framework

Process framework provided iterative and incremental

phasing and schedule fixed enforces certain good and educational work practices and documents allows lots of freedom (and responsibility) for customization

Software Process – Special Challenges (1/2)

Project is done for an external customer understanding the true (and changing) needs-> requirements engineering during the whole project-> managing customer’s expectations

Physical distribution if no common workplace and time for project stakeholders-> special care for communication and project visibility

Temporal distribution only one of several on-going ”projects” for all participants long duration, but only 10-15h of effort a week-> you can’t keep everything in your head-> documentation overhead

Software Process – Special Challenges (2/2)

New team and organization no existing development culture (process) all members do not know each other-> process must be planned from scratch and communicated to everyone-> team spirit

Software will be maintained by other people after the delivery the group is not responsible for the system -> involving the customer’s technical people early-> knowledge transfer via training and documentation-> high code quality

… new technologies, inexperienced managers or developers, multicultural teams, …

Software Process - Iterations

Software Process – Project Control Variables

Quality ”fixed” high quality recommended some alleviations to carefully selected quality aspects are allowed if that is

what the customer really wants (prototype projects)

Calendar time fixed project schedule defined by the course major control points such as iteration demos

Effort fixed 27h/credit/person

Scope flexible adjusted depending on the groups’ skills and knowledge of the problem domain

Software Process – Details

Lecture on the software process framework on Tu 22.9. 16-19

Every student in any role should read all process framework materials in the beginning of the project

http://www.soberit.hut.fi/T-76.4115/09-10/instructions/process.html

Mentoring (1/2)

Purpose help the project succeed ensure enough focus on the educational goals

Meetings with the mentor in 3 iteration demos in 3 mentor meetings in 1-2 process reviews in some work sessions (customer meetings, code review etc.)

invitation from the group

Other forms of participation continuously observing the project

status reports, meeting memos, irc, … answering project related questions by e-mail evaluating the group in the end of iterations

points and comments

Mentoring (2/2)

Help the mentor help you! keep him up-to-date prepare for the mentor meetings invite him to some work sessions

increases visibility to work practices

Every project will face problems identify and solve them quickly ask help when needed

Mentor’s rough effort allocation per group ~1h for each meeting (*~9) ~4h for reading, grading and feedback in the end of each iteration (*3) ~3h/iteration (*3) for

observing the project answering e-mails preparing for mentor meeting

~30h TOTAL

Experience Exchange Sessions (EES)

Discussion on problems and good practices related to a certain SE theme project management, RE, QA, architecture&development

Participants 1-2 students per group, those who are responsible of the EES’s theme teacher and some guest experts

Content students should propose topics 24h before each session

practical problems and/or innovative solutions from your project teacher prepares an agenda

each topic is introduced shortly by one proposer before discussion

Sending 2 proposals and participating to EES gives 0,5p to the group an essay is an alternative for English speaking students

8 sessions: 3 for PMs, 3 for QA managers, and 2 for architects

Evaluation – General

Both the results and working methods are evaluated

Several evaluators customer

based on all available information mentor ensures the objectivity of customers’ evaluation

mentor based on all available information mentor adjust his scale in evaluation meetings with other mentors

group members may evaluate personal contribution of other group members

Evaluation – Course Grade

Points are given both during and after the project in the end of each iteration

Scale from points to grades is published in the end of the course

Filling the course feedback form by the given DL is mandatory

Evaluation – Iterations (Customer)

Focus on iteration’s results but working methods are

considered, too

Manage customer’s expectations in iteration planning

Evaluation – Iterations (Mentor)

Focus on work practices Conformance to the mandatory

practices (educational goals) plan and usage

Intelligent process customization use of any other good work practices continuous process improvement

Visibility to work practice show them to the mentor avoid unnecessary documentation e.g.

invite the mentor to some work sessions

Scale 8 fulfills some requirements

with distinction and at most a couple of minor complaints

7 meets requirements and at most some minor complaints

6 at most a couple of major or some minor complaints

4-5 some major or lots of minor complaints

2-3 several major complaints 0-1 virtually no results

Evaluation – Project’s Results

Customer compares to the original/updated

project goals

Mentor compares to typical course

projects +/- a few points based on

project’s difficultymanage customer’s expectations in the beginning and during the project

Evaluation – Personal Contribution

Each group member may evaluate each other's contribution raises and deductions of +/-1 grade, but the sum must be 0

Proposals can be sent privately to the mentor however, open discussion within the group is recommended

Mentor may change personal grades by +/-1 based on proposals

If the group gets enough points for grade 5, deductions are discarded.

Infrastructure

Hardware several computer classes at TKK Maarintalo has some group work rooms (http://www.tkk.fi/atk/luokat/)

Software Microsoft MSDN AA

licenses for students own computers accounts sent to all registered students info: msdn (at) soberit.hut.fi

Magic Draw Personal Edition UML tool licenses for students own computers

TKK wiki, CVS, subversion, …

Customer must provide other necessary hardware/software

Personnel

Other parties several teachers and researchers from

SoberIT computer administrators from SoberIT Accenture

Teachers email t764115#soberit.hut.fi

More Materials

Course homepage(s) https://noppa.tkk.fi/noppa/kurssi/t-76.4115/etusivu http://soberit.hut.fi/T-76.4115/

Course Instructions http://www.soberit.hut.fi/T-76.4115/

Projects from the previous years (since 1995) http://www.soberit.hut.fi/T-76.4115/09-10/projects/index.html

Newsgroup for students http://news.tky.fi/thread.php?group=opinnot.tik.ohjelmatyo

Your Feedback

We continuously want to improve the course!

Inform us immediately, if you see ambiguities in our instructions you have any suggestions for improving the on-going

course

Give feedback in the project final report

Fill the course feedback form after the course

Next Seven Days

Register immediately to the course Form a group

SE Experts form a trio (here, today?) recruit max. 3 developers

Developers try to get recruited into a SE expert trio

Read the topic proposals choose some favorites

Come to the topic presentation lecture next Tuesday 17:00 Introduce your group to some interesting customers (group’s CV)