FIT2101 is a core unit for the new Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) degree being introduced in 2016

Introduced for course architecture programs. Effective semester 1, 2016

07/12/2017 - Updating prerequisites to include the new programming unit.

13/06/2018: Admin - updating Reasons for change on behalf of CE: -- increasing time available for demonstrators to explain workshop exercises and give feedback on project work. This will also allow time for students to work on their group projects in class. Some existing lecture content is being moved online to facilitate self-study, including example videos -- lectures last year were not well-attended so evidently a majority of students prefer accessing this material online anyway. Note that Scheduling has already taken this change into account for the 2018 offering so existing room bookings will not need to be modified.

20/9/2019: Admin - updating exam duration to include additional 10 minutes as per University requirement.

01/10/2020 Admin: Update to include new assessment and teaching approach fields as per Handbook requirements.

07/09/2021 Revamping of Engineering First Common Year, from ENG1003 to ENG1103, ENG1060 to ENG1104. Effective semester 1, 2022

09/09/2021: Admin - fixing prereqs to add back the existing prereq of ENG1003 and ENG1060.

The unit is a level 2 core unit in the Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours). It is one of the units in the suite of software engineering core units.

The unit focuses on the software engineering process and issues pertaining to the management of the process. The knowledge attained is essential for students undertaking software engineering projects in later years. The unit serves as a prerequisite unit of FIT3170 Software engineering practice.

This unit teaches students lightweight (Agile) process models. It is envisaged that many Computer Science students may take it as a service course, and Agile processes are a good fit for the kinds of entrepreneurial or research-oriented projects that these students are likely to pursue after graduation. Software Engineering majors will learn and follow heavyweight process models in successor units.

At the completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. describe the nature and purpose of a software engineering process, including the historical evolution of the concept, and describe the major features of the most common process models;
2. document a software process in a project management plan, including process model, team organisation, risk management, and time management;
3. identify relevant risks for a small-to-medium size software project, analyse their impact and likelihood, identify appropriate mitigations, and document these in a risk matrix.;
4. elicit functional and non-functional requirements for a small-to-medium size software project from stakeholders through interview and/or document analysis techniques, capture these using appropriate methods for the given process model (including user stories and use cases), and analyse these requirements for completeness including test-ability;
5. apply a lightweight process to the development of a small software project in small groups, including the use of software engineering tools such as revision control and issue tracking systems, analyse their strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations for improving the process based on experience and observation.

029999

A disciplined process is vital to the success of any major software development project. In this unit, students learn essential skills for managing software development efforts and for working within coordinated teams. Students will learn how to decide upon and document their team's structure and their process model. They will be expected to follow the process model they have documented, and to evaluate its effectiveness.

There are many factors that can potentially cause a software project to fail. This unit will equip students with techniques to identify and manage these risks, and will take a risk-focused approach to project organisation.

On-campus

Active learning: the majority of the work students undertake throughout the semester will be a self-managed project. This means that students will be putting the principles behind project management into action rather than treating them as a body of knowledge to be memorized. This will help students contextualize their learning well enough to be able to retrieve and apply it in subsequent units or workplace practice.

Lectures: The history of the software engineering process will be presented in lectures to help students understand the context and hence the importance of software development methodologies. Some lectures will also present specific techniques (such as planning poker for task estimation) which will be reinforced in subsequent problem classes, giving students an opportunity to explore these techniques in a low-stakes environment before deciding how to apply them in their project.

Examination (2 hours and 10 minutes): 40%; In-semester assessment: 60%

1. Inception: 15% - ULO ?
2. Agile project: Iteration I: 10% - ULO ?
3. Agile project: Iteration II: 10% - ULO ?
4. Agile project: Iteration III: 15% - ULO ?
5. Retrospective report: 10% - ULO ?
6. Exam: 40% - ULO ?

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

(b.) Additional requirements (all students):

A minimum of 8 hours of personal study in order to satisfy the reading, workshop tasks, assignments, private study, and revision.

(ENG1003 and ENG1060) or (ENG1103 and ENG1104) or one of FIT1045, FIT1053, FIT1048 or FIT1051