Software Engineering

1
Software Engineering

• It really is Engineering

2
A Little History

• Interested in sciences
• Started out as a Geology student at University of
  Cincinnati
• Climbing Rocks is more fun than studying them
• Came to Utah for the rocks

3
A Little History

• Worked as a Manufacturing Supervisor for Black
  Diamond Equipment
• Mechanical Engineering Program at the U
• Landed a Job at Boeing
• Worked as a Manufacturing Engineer (ME)
• Switched to Computer Science
• Graduated from Westminster College

4
Influences

• Career and Education Experiences
• As an ME and as a Project Manager
• As Software Developer
• As an Engineering Major turned Computer Science
  Major
• People experiences
• Good and Bad

5
Science versus Engineering

• Noticed Boeing Engineers dont often mess up.
• Plenty of process in place to minimize chance for
  failure
• If you want to build good solutions, use the
  accepted facts born from science to ENGINEER good
  solutions

6
Science versus Engineering

• Engineering
• The application of scientific principals towards
  practical ends.
• Science
• Systematic knowledge of the physical or material
  world gained through observation and
  experimentation

7
Responsibilities of Both

• What are the responsibilities of both
• Science To add to the body of knowledge
• Engineering To deliver to someone something that
  meets the requirements given
• To whom is each responsible
• Scientists Typically other Scientists
• Engineers The public (your customers)

8
What Method is Right

• It depends (this is always a good answer)
• If Engineering is the practical application of
  scientific methods
• then the right method is the practical one.
• The important part is that you actually have a
  method

9
What Method is Right

• Factors to consider
• The level of expertise of your team
• Size and scope of solution
• What are the requirements
• Are the early requirements sensible?
• Sometimes even technology is a factor
• Good software engineers should know how to assess
  these things

10
Valuable Skills (from a managers perspective)

• Being and Engineer
• Be pragmatic not a Code Gun
• Take Requirements Gathering Seriously
• This is the toughest part
• Dont under estimate this please

11
Valuable Skills (from a managers perspective)

• Be a Designer of a solution, not a Programmer of
  one
• "If you make a general statement, a programmer
  says, 'Yes, but...' while a designer says, 'Yes,
  and...'
• Design for your Customer and your Teammates
• Meeting customer needs with squirrelly design is
  not ok

12
Important Professional Traits

• Be smart and open minded enough to question your
  design and methods
• If it feels like this then rethink your
  methodology

Building a tower from the top down
13
Further Reading

• Professional Software Development
• Steve McConnell
• Design Patterns
• Gamma, Helm, Johnson, Vlissides (GOF)
• Applying UML And Patterns
• Larman
• The IDesign Method
• Juval Lowey