HW6: Chapter 2

2.1 Suggest the most appropriate generic software process model that might be used as a basis for managing the development of the following systems. Explain your answer according to the type of system being developed:

A system to control antilock braking in a car

The Waterfall Model - Of course, this type of system is extremely safety-critical. Hence it requires deep safety/security analysis at the specification and design stage. The specification must be detailed and complete for analysis to prevent issues sticking around until the implementation stage where they are the most expensive to correct. The more rigidly structured phases of the Waterfall Model wouldn’t allow room for quick changes but would ensure that safety issues are accounted for prior to moving onto the next step.

A virtual reality system to support software maintenance

Incremental Development - I would pinpoint incremental development as the most appropriate software process model for this system. This process is the most catered towards frequent maintenance as it interleaves specification, development, and validation activities to encourage feedback for maintenance and new versions. With the growing virtual reality market, this is a must. Further, the cost of change is lower as there is less documentation to reconfigure when maintaining the software.

A university accounting system that replaces an existing system

Integration and configuration - Because this university accounting system replaces an existing system, I assume a lot of software reuse would occur in the transition. Hence, the Integration and Configuration process would be most appropriate as it would allow the university to, presumably, save money by reusing parts of the old system. Since the old system is already configured to the requirements of the same university, many parts of it could be adapted to fit with the new requirements.

An interactive travel planning system that helps users plan journeys with the lowest environmental impact

Incremental Development - Since a planning system is not extremely safety/security-critical and is not necessarily based on reuse, I believe Incremental Development would be the most effective way to go here. This kind of interactive system will rely heavily on customer feedback and experience. This will prompt frequent updates and the need to deploy updates quickly (without consulting heavy documentation like with The Waterfall Model) through an agile-like process.

• 2021 11
• 2020 22