Software Requirements Engineering Principles and Practices

Software Requirements and Their Types

Software requirements are statements that describe what a system should do and how it should behave. They act as a foundation for designing, developing, and testing software.

Functional Requirements (FR)

Functional requirements define what the system must do by describing specific functions or tasks.

  • Examples:
    • “The system shall allow users to log in using a username and password.”
    • “The system shall generate monthly sales reports.”

Non-Functional Requirements

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Software Engineer Responsibilities, Processes & Quality

Role of a Software Engineer

A software engineer is a professional who applies engineering principles, systematic methods, and tools to design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain software systems efficiently and reliably. The role covers the entire software development life cycle and focuses on producing high-quality software that satisfies user and business requirements. A software engineer is not only a programmer but also a planner, designer, tester, and maintainer of software systems.

Requirement

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Software Design Principles and Coding Best Practices

Software Design and Coding Best Practices for Developers

1. Basic Principles of Software Design

Basic principles of software design help create software that is simple, maintainable, and easy to understand. The major principles are:

  • Abstraction – Show only important details and hide unnecessary information. It helps reduce complexity.
  • Modularity – Break the system into small modules so each module handles one purpose.
  • Information Hiding – Keep internal details of a module hidden to protect data
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Software Engineering Concepts, SDLC Phases and Models

1. Define Software Engineering and Why It Is Needed (5 Marks)

Definition

Software Engineering is the systematic, disciplined, and quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software. It applies engineering principles to produce reliable, efficient, and high-quality software.

Why It Is Needed

  • Increasing complexity: Modern software is large and complex. Software engineering ensures proper structure and manageable development.
  • Quality assurance: Ensures software is reliable,
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Software Engineering Processes and Requirements Modeling

Generic Software Framework and Process Flows

A generic software framework consists of five core framework activities: communication, planning, modeling, construction, and deployment. These are supported by umbrella activities, including project tracking and controlling, risk management, quality assurance, and technical reviews.

The process flow describes how these activities are organized. Common flows include:

  • Linear flow: Sequential execution of activities.
  • Iterative process flow: Repeating activities
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Software Engineering: SDLC, SRS, and Project Estimation

1. Software Requirements Engineering and SRS

Definition: Requirements Engineering (RE) is the systematic process of eliciting, analyzing, specifying, validating, and managing software requirements.

Software Requirements Specification (SRS): A formal document stating what the system shall do (functional requirements) and the constraints or quality expectations (non-functional requirements).

The RE Process Model

Stakeholders → Elicitation → Analysis/Negotiation → Specification (SRS) → Validation

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