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First published January 1, 2005

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best essays on software development

College Essay Tips for Software Engineering Programs

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Hale Jaeger in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

“why this . . .” essays for software engineering, writing your essay.

For many college applications, you’ll write essays in addition to the Common App personal statement . These prompts will often ask you about what you’re planning on pursuing at the college. This article will give you practical advice for explaining your interest in software engineering. 

Many supplemental essay prompts are quite common, such as “ Why this major? ” and “ Why this school? ” If you’re sure about pursuing software engineering and know which college you want to kick off your career at, you should already know the answers to these questions. 

Certain schools have strong software engineering and computer science programs. If this is the case for your chosen college, it should be easy for you to say that you can identify with their program. You can add that you’re excited to use the specific resources there and how they will help you reach your goal of becoming a software engineer.

When talking about your major, bring up what attracts you to the field. Your eventual salary and career prospects are incentives, but you want to explain what specifically about the study of computer science and engineering makes you excited. Why do you like to learn about it? Maybe you’re fascinated by the inner workings of technology. Perhaps you’re interested in how specific tools on certain websites work. It’s also possible that you want to improve user experience and innovate existing software.

These reasons are a bit less shallow than money. They also get to the heart of why you want to pursue software engineering: you like to build things and solve problems. 

From Abstract to Specific

In general, when writing your essays, you should work on funneling these types of ideas about your major from the abstract to the specific. You can open with a particular anecdote or story to catch the reader’s attention, of course, but try to start with high-level interests. Fundamental things like identifying the inner workings of a website can lead to more niche topics.

Personal Experiences

When writing your essays, make sure you touch on any personal experiences that can help show why this subject is your passion. It can all add to the personal narrative that you’ve been building in your entire application and help make the admissions officers understand you better.

If you had an experience with technology that fascinated you, drew you into the subject, and made you want to learn more, then include that. Be sure to add the important details so the reader can get a good sense of the scene. Another way to go is if you had the opposite experience: you encountered a frustrating piece of technology and were desperate to figure out how to get it working. You realized that you wanted to go into the field to improve software and make people’s lives easier. You can try writing about your interests that way. 

Another way to write your essay is to back up an explanation of your passions with a personal story that will make your essay compelling. Try to draw on an anecdote, and if possible, explain what you’ve accomplished after your initial interest was sparked. 

How did you get involved in coding? If you found technology that was glitching all the time or something that excited you, did this inspire you to figure out how it all worked? Write about how you’ve developed your skills in coding and science and how much you’ve learned about good systems and malfunctioning systems. Then, write about what you want to accomplish and innovate in the field.

Plans for the Future

When you’ve discussed the past and present, you can begin to probe the future. For the sake of narrative, try to include how you’ve grown and what your ultimate ambitions are. If you’re not sure exactly what branch of software engineering you want to go into, that’s fine. You can name a few options, such as game design or mobile design, or you can just talk about how you want to build things and make better technology to improve people’s lives. 

When you’re talking about personal things, you should aim to be specific. Draw on stories when you can, and be honest about what interests you about this subject and what you want to do in the field. This is your chance to explore why you’re looking to go into software engineering, so you should come away from these essays feeling much more confident about your planned course of study.

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best essays on software development

  • Essay-Driven Software Development /

Essay-Driven Software Development

"Writing is formalized thinking."

Today I am going to share a wild idea that actually worked wonders for my own software development efforts. I have been playing with writing essays for my dev work for several months now and I will argue that essays can become a valuable new tool in your toolkit and help you become a better developer as well as a sharper person.

Following this practice you can:

  • Reduce wasted effort writing software features
  • Resume work faster
  • Better communicate pros/cons with your colleagues
  • Have traceability of major technical decisions
  • Formalize the process for feature proposals
  • Increase the likelihood of your feature being implemented
  • Have a central repository of know-how and domain knowledge
  • Reduce back and forth discussions while implementing features

But before we jump into the details, let’s cover the basics.

How Writing Is Important #

Many successful people would argue that being able to write gives you an enormous edge, especially now when this skill is severely underestimated. Jordan Peterson, Jocko Willing, Tim Ferris, are only a few people who have shared multiple times how being able to write properly can open many doors in your life. According to them, writing allows you to:

  • Have clarity of thought
  • Communicate more clearly
  • More easily find flaws in your ideas/thinking
  • Better defend your ideas

It should be obvious that those can have far reaching effects on multiple aspects of your life but I will leave it to you to dive deeper if you are so inclined. You can get started here , here , here , and here .

Now let’s focus on how essays can help you become a better software engineer, CTO, startup founder, you name it.

Essay-Driven Software Development #

The process as a whole is simple and boils down to creating an essay for every feature/idea and trying your best to explain why that particular thing should be built and how.

For my projects, I have a folder called journal where I keep all essays in a Markdown format.

Putting your thoughts into written form will allow you to better assess your ideas and spot any potential problems. Simply the act of writing down your ideas will allow you to tinker with them more easily - rearrange, combine, delete, reformulate. That will significantly increase your bandwidth to formulate a solution or make a decision.

Another benefit is the ability to resume work much faster. We know that context switching is killing us and that Deep Work can help us do more and better work but no matter what we do we will be interrupted and we will need to stop our work. The longer the pause, the worse the impact. I have found that simply reading through my essay will dump all of the needed information in my brain and allow me to continue straight from where I left. Previously I would need a lot more warm-up time to get going.

Since we are dealing with software, you are free to put code into your essay. If applicable, I usually lay out several possible implementations using code or pseudo code and compare and contrast the different options. This has proven immensely helpful in stopping me from going the wrong path.

Once you finish the essay, you will probably have a much better understanding if the feature is even worth doing and what’s the best way to go about implementing it. What you do next is analyze what you have written or share your essay with colleagues for further discussion (if needed). If you must defend your idea, having written the essay should make your case stronger.

If you decide to proceed to implementation, you will continue working on your essay. You will create a new section at the end of your essay where you will write any important decisions or questions that are bound to pop up during the implementation. Software is usually far too complex to expect that everything will go as planned and no issues will occur even if you are using essays. Once a noteworthy question is identified, immediately write it down - again with context and what must be decided. Write down the resolution after the question has been answered. This step is most valuable for historic tracking of decisions and has proven amazingly helpful when you are not sure why something was done in a certain way. This is a very good way of storing knowledge.

Once you are done and the feature is implemented, I tend to write a summary about what was done and how the whole process went.

The Template #

Every essay has a slightly different structure simply because you are dealing with different topics. Nonetheless, I tend to have the following components most of the time:

  • Background - what you are talking about and what the context is
  • Analysis - how and why your idea is going to work / be implemented
  • Experiment & Metrics - the way you are going to measure success of this feature
  • Implementation - implementation details
  • Summary - highlights of what was done and why

I have decided not to embed a sample software development essay here as the reading experience is not optimal. I did not like the idea of having an article within and article and going full Inception . If you have been intrigued by Essay-Driven Software Development, I have created a companion Github repo where you can take a look at a sample eassay to help you dive deep on the matter. Also, there is a blank template to get you started.

Tips & Tricks #

Here are some guiding principles and advise that I can give after following this practice for about 6 months:

  • Just try it, be messy - you should not be perfect. Just start writing and see if the practice adds value to your work.
  • Use it for trivial stuff - there are cases where the implementation and the impact seem so obvious but I would encourage you to write an essay even for the more trivial stuff. You will find out that sometimes trivial stuff is not so trivial and that it needs more exploration.
  • Essays can be short - Some topics are easy. Some essays are short.
  • Code while doing it - yes, you can code while creating your essay. It is kind of the research part of your essay. I regularly go back to the code to check and try things.
  • Add code to your essay - I have already mentioned that but it is worth repeating - add code to your essay (you are a software developer after all). That way you will be able to more easily compare various implementations and have it all in one place.

Final Thoughts #

I hope that this kind of approach to writing software can help you become a better at exploring and defending your ideas. Let me know if you have tried something similar or if you are willing to experiment with this approach.

In the end I would suggest to just try it. Ping me in the comment section if you have any questions.

References #

  • Jordan Peterson on the Power of Writing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfDOoADCfkg
  • Adventurous? You NEED to Learn How to Write - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4f3aHlTe0E
  • How to Use Writing to Sharpen Your Thinking - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65U5byDZ55M
  • Improving Your Writing Will Improve Your Thinking - https://www.grammarly.com/blog/improving-your-writing-will-improve-your-thinking/

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Essay on Software Engineering

Students are often asked to write an essay on Software Engineering in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Software Engineering

Introduction to software engineering.

Software Engineering is a branch of computer science that deals with the design, development, and maintenance of software systems. It combines principles of engineering, computing, project management, and software design.

Role of a Software Engineer

Software engineers are responsible for creating software applications. They analyze user needs, design software solutions, test the software, and fix any bugs or issues that arise.

Importance of Software Engineering

Software Engineering is vital in today’s digital world. It helps in creating efficient and reliable software, ensuring that technology runs smoothly and meets user needs.

Software Engineering is a fascinating and vital field. It plays a crucial role in shaping our digital world and improving our lives.

250 Words Essay on Software Engineering

Software Engineering is a branch of computer science that involves the development and building of computer systems software and applications software. It integrates various principles and methodologies to design, develop, test, and maintain software solutions.

Principles and Methodologies

Software Engineering employs a systematic, disciplined and quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software. It encompasses methodologies like Agile, Waterfall, and Scrum, which provide a structured framework for software development.

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

At the heart of Software Engineering is the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), which comprises several phases such as requirement gathering, design, coding, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Each phase has its own significance, and skipping any phase can lead to project failure.

Significance of Software Engineering

Software Engineering is critical in today’s digital age as it contributes to efficient and reliable software production. It ensures the development of high-quality software within budget and timelines, meeting both market and customer demands.

Emerging Trends in Software Engineering

The field is continually evolving with emerging trends such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, and DevOps, which are reshaping the software industry. These advancements are pushing the boundaries of Software Engineering, making it an exciting field to explore.

In conclusion, Software Engineering is a vital discipline that combines creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills. It is at the forefront of creating innovative solutions that transform the way we live and work.

500 Words Essay on Software Engineering

Software Engineering is a discipline that integrates the principles of computer science, mathematics, and engineering to design, develop, and maintain reliable and efficient software systems. It’s a vital field in our digital era, where software systems are integral to various aspects of human life, including healthcare, transportation, entertainment, and education.

The Core of Software Engineering

At the heart of software engineering lies the software development life cycle (SDLC), a structured process that includes stages such as requirements gathering, design, coding, testing, deployment, and maintenance. The SDLC is designed to ensure the delivery of high-quality software that meets user requirements and is maintainable, efficient, and reliable.

Software engineers also use design principles and patterns to create software systems that are robust, scalable, and easy to maintain. These principles guide the structuring of software components and their interactions, leading to systems that are easier to understand, modify, and extend.

Software Engineering Methodologies

Different methodologies guide the process of software development. Traditional methodologies, such as the Waterfall model, emphasize a sequential approach where each stage of the SDLC is completed before the next begins. In contrast, Agile methodologies, like Scrum and Kanban, promote flexibility, iterative development, and continuous customer feedback.

Quality Assurance in Software Engineering

Quality assurance is a critical aspect of software engineering. It involves a set of activities, including testing and code reviews, designed to ensure that the software meets specified requirements and is free from defects. Automated testing tools, continuous integration, and continuous deployment are commonly used practices in modern software development to ensure rapid feedback and high software quality.

The Role of Ethics in Software Engineering

Ethics in software engineering is a significant yet often overlooked aspect. Software engineers have a responsibility to ensure that the software they develop is not only functional and efficient but also respects user privacy, security, and societal norms. They must consider potential misuse of the software and strive to prevent it.

Future Trends in Software Engineering

As technology evolves, so does software engineering. Trends such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, and DevOps are shaping the future of software development. Artificial Intelligence is being used to automate parts of the software development process, while Cloud Computing provides a scalable and cost-effective platform for deploying software applications. DevOps, a practice that emphasizes collaboration between development and operations teams, is becoming increasingly popular for its ability to deliver software faster and with fewer errors.

In conclusion, software engineering is a dynamic and evolving discipline that plays a crucial role in the digital world. It combines rigorous processes, methodologies, and principles with creativity and problem-solving skills to build software systems that power our world. As we move towards an increasingly digital future, the importance and relevance of software engineering will only continue to grow.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Table of Contents

The best books on software development, essential reads: best software engineering books.

Best Software Engineering Books

Key Takeaways: Books offer a structured approach to learning software Engineering, complementing online resources. The software Engineering books cover essential topics like design patterns, software architecture, and theoretical computer science. A diverse selection of software engineering books caters to various skill levels and interests, ensuring continuous learning and improvement. Specialized books like "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture" and "Design Patterns" offer practical insights for building robust software systems.

Books are essential for programmers and software developers . Reading books is still very useful, even though we now have the internet and online lessons. Reading books is a better way to learn things in a structured way.

This guide has a list of the best software engineering books. They cover many topics and skill levels. So, no matter how long you've been computing, you can find books for software developers to help you learn and improve your skills.

Let’s have a look at some of the best books on software development:

2.1. Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler

This book teaches you how to create significant, hard-to-understand software tools for businesses and groups. Fowler writes extensively about this topic. He discusses many "patterns," which are usual ways to fix issues when creating these big apps. 

As the system grows, it can handle more people and data. Fowler talks about ways to make software that does this. It is more manageable if it is easy to add new features or fix bugs in the future. The software will still work even if something goes wrong if it is durable. 

Fowler gives examples of how these patterns are used in the real world. If creators and software engineers learn about them, they can make business apps that work better, are more flexible, and last longer.

2.2. Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley

"Programming Pearls" was written by Jon Bentley. This book is a must-read for programmers. It's great for both new and expert coders.

This book provides lots of quick and smart ways to fix computer issues. It gives you fun code questions to solve and then shows you the best way to do them. He makes the questions and answers exciting and easy to understand.

This book will teach you a lot about these things:

  • How to solve problems: what to do to fix code problems.
  • Building algorithms is all about making step-by-step guides for how to solve problems.
  • That you write code that runs fast and makes good use of resources is known as "efficient code writing."

Bentley uses many stories from real life to illustrate these lessons. The book is fun to read because it's written like a story.

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2.3. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides

This book's 23 "patterns" show you how to create and build object-based software. Objects are the little pieces that make up a program.

That's because the authors of this book make these 23 design trends very clear and simple. They use many examples from real life to show how the patterns work.

Programmers can write code that is more flexible and can be changed or added more quickly in the future if they learn these design techniques.

  • Make software that is easier to keep up to date and working right.
  • Make programs that can be used in many different projects.

People who want to learn how to program with things should read this book. It helps you understand how to solve everyday issues thoughtfully and well-organized and gives you a common language to use.

2.4. Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation by Jez Humble and David Farley

Anyone who works with software should read "Continuous Delivery" by Jez Humble and David Farley in this day and age of fast software delivery and continuous development. This book details the ideas and methods behind automating the software delivery process so that users get updates regularly.

People who read this will learn the best ways to quickly and easily build, test, and release software. The authors give useful advice on using automation throughout the entire software delivery lifecycle , which helps teams get their products to market faster while maintaining high-quality standards.

2.5. Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software by Eric Evans

"Domain-Driven Design" by Eric Evans is a complete book on understanding and building software systems with complex domain logic. Based on the domain model, this book explains a methodical way to design software. This helps developers make software designs that work well and reflect the business domain properly.

Evans's book uses real-life examples and case studies to give readers the skills they need to turn complicated subject logic into useful software models. It is helpful for software architects , developers, and anyone else who needs to know a lot about the business area to build software systems.

2.6. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler

Refactoring is an important part of software development, helping to maintain the quality and design of current codebases and improve them. Martin Fowler's "Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code" is a complete guide that shows how to change the structure of code while keeping it working.

Fowler discusses many different refactoring methods and code smells, helping readers find ways to improve their code and use the right refactoring strategies. This book also helps developers improve their code by giving them clear explanations and useful examples, making the code easier to read, manage, and add to.

2.7. Head First Design Patterns by Eric Freeman and Elisabeth Robson

Eric Freeman and Elisabeth Robson's "Head First Design Patterns" is a unique and exciting way to learn about design patterns for object-oriented software design. This book is engaging and looks good. It uses diagrams, pictures, and real-life examples to help people understand the ideas behind and use basic design patterns.

Through hands-on activities, readers will learn the most common design patterns, spot cases where patterns can be used, and comprehend the pros and cons of each pattern. This book is excellent for developers who want to learn design patterns and improve their object-oriented programming skills in a fun and useful way.

2.8. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert C. Martin

A classic book called "Clean Code" by Robert C. Martin, also known as "Uncle Bob," discusses the importance of writing code that is clear, readable, and easy to manage. This book gets to the heart of professional software development and shows the difference between code that works and code that shines.

Martin discusses helpful refactoring methods, code smells, and the true practices of software craftsmanship. Readers will learn how to elevate their coding skills from working to artistry and professional success.

2.9. The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas

"The Pragmatic Programmer" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas is an excellent trove of old-fashioned tips and best practices for programmers. This book discusses many subjects, from how to code and fix bugs to how to build a job and keep learning.

The writers encourage developers to think critically, follow pragmatic programming principles, and keep improving their skills by giving them valuable tips and ideas that make them think. This book covers a lot of ground when it comes to creating software. It gives readers the skills and mindset they need to do well in their jobs.

2.10. Introduction to the Theory of Computation by Michael Sipser

Michael Sipser's "Introduction to the Theory of Computation" is one of the most important software development books in theoretical computer science. This book covers the mathematical basis of computation in great detail, including formal languages, automata, computability, and computational Complexity.

By carefully reviewing these theoretical ideas, Sipser gives readers a deep understanding of how computation works, which helps them understand the boundaries and possibilities of computer systems. If you want to understand the theoretical basis of computer science and the rules that guide the field, you need to read this book.

2.11. You Don't Know JS (book series) by Kyle Simpson

"You Don't Know JS" by Kyle Simpson is a complete and in-depth look at the programming language JavaScript . Simpson breaks down the subtleties and quirks of JavaScript in a series of books that show parts of the language that writers often miss.

Each book in the series covers a different area of JavaScript, such as scope and closures and asynchronous writing, so that readers can fully grasp this dynamic language. This set will help you improve at JavaScript, no matter how much experience you have or how new you are to programming.

2.12. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold

Charles Petzold's book Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software is an interesting look into how computers work. This book connects hardware and software by explaining the mysteries of binary and the complex dance that logic circuits and code perform together.

Petzold uses clear explanations and interesting comparisons to help people understand how computers work at their most basic level, from simple logic gates to high-level programming languages. This book is necessary to fully enjoy the amazing power of computers and fully grasp how hardware and software work together.

2.13. Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems (2nd edition) by Sam Newman

With the rise of cloud computing and distributed systems, microservices have become a popular way to build applications that can be scaled up or down and easily managed. "Building Microservices" by Sam Newman is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn the rules and best practices for creating and deploying microservices.

2.14. Test Driven Development: By Example by Kent Beck

This book is a practical guide to the test-driven development (TDD) methodology. The author demonstrates how to write clean, maintainable code by writing tests first and then implementing the code. It provides valuable insights and techniques for developers to improve the quality and flexibility of their software.

2.15. Effective Java by Joshua Bloch

This book is a must-read for Java developers. It presents 78 best practices and idioms for using the Java programming language effectively. It covers various topics, from language features and core libraries to design patterns and performance optimization, helping developers write more robust, efficient, and maintainable Java code.

2.16. Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction by Steve McConnell

This comprehensive guide is a classic in the software development community. It offers practical, evidence-based techniques and strategies for all aspects of software construction, from planning and design to coding, testing, and maintenance, helping developers write high-quality, bug-free code.

2.17. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Frederick P. Brooks Jr.

This book, a seminal work in software engineering , explores the challenges and complexities of large-scale software projects. Through insightful essays, the author shares valuable lessons and principles still relevant to modern software development.

2.18. Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell: 

This book is an essential resource for anyone preparing for technical interviews, particularly in the tech industry. It provides a comprehensive collection of coding questions, solutions, and strategies to help readers ace the interview process and land their dream job.

This collection of software development books covers a wide range of topics, from design patterns and agile methodologies to coding best practices and theoretical computer science. These resources provide invaluable insights and practical guidance for software engineers at all experience levels. Additionally, aspiring developers seeking to master the MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js) stack can find immense value in enrolling in a Full Stack Web Developer - MERN Stack course . This comprehensive curriculum delves into the intricacies of each component of the MERN stack, equipping learners with the skills necessary to design, develop, and deploy dynamic web applications. By seamlessly integrating this specialized course into their study regimen, developers can enhance their proficiency and broaden their expertise in modern web development technologies.

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188 Software Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on software, ✍️ software essay topics for college, 👍 good software research topics & essay examples, 🌶️ hot software ideas to write about, 🎓 most interesting software research titles, 💡 simple software essay ideas, 📌 easy software essay topics.

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  • Flight Planning Software and Aircraft Incidents Flight planning software refers to programs that are used to manage and execute flight and other processes undertaken when the plane is airborne.
  • Agile Methods: Benefits and Drawbacks of Agile Software Development Agile methodologies used in software development contribute positively to the optimization of work and effectiveness of performance. Agile methodologies used in software development contribute positively to the optimization of work and effectiveness of performance.
  • Data Scientist and Software Development Data scientists transform data into insight, giving elaborate guidance for users of such information to make informed decisions and take action.
  • Scrum – Software Development Process Computerized systems and digital solutions have added life to a number of fields. Scrum is a software development process that ensures high quality and performance.
  • Applications, Software and System Development The use of Microsoft Office applications greatly enhances productivity in educational matters, at work, and in various everyday activities at home.
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  • Ethics in Cybersecurity and Software Engineering Ethical philosophy as a whole implies a search for definitions and mechanisms for the systematic distinction between right and wrong.
  • Accounting Software for Business This research paper examines the four accounting programs for business: QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Xero, and Wave.
  • How Banks Can Use Open Source Software Banks can utilize OSS as consumers either internally or externally. Consuming open source means using open source components in a bank’s applications or facilities.
  • Why Open-Source Software Will (Or Will Not) Soon Dominate the Field of Database Management Tools The study aims at establishing whether open-source software will dominate the database field because there has been a changing trend in the business market.
  • Managing Information of Sakhr Software Co This paper would consider the concepts of managing information of Sakhr Software, which is a popular language software company.
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  • The Software Development Life Cycle The essence of the Software Development Life Cycle methodology is that developers are constantly testing their projects, quickly identifying small bugs before they become critical.
  • Internet Technology: Software Maintenance and Evolution More and more organizations depend on trends in the IT market. Now one can see how even small companies hire employees who can create a website.
  • The Use of Network Mapping Software in Statistical Research In this paper, NodeXL is used to study the interactions of five competing companies in an industry market to estimate the parameters of their Twitter communication.
  • Hardware and Software for Health Tactical Health Tactical company plans to use Amazon Relational Database and MySQL as the key software components in delivering products to their customers.
  • Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software Researchers are increasingly relying on computers to run qualitative data analysis software (QDAS), particularly when working with digital media files.
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  • Software Engineering Principles From an Agile Point of View Abstract—Agile methods have emerged due to the vast emphasis on tools and the non-interactive nature of software engineering.
  • Developer and Software Project Manager: The Importance of Interaction The interaction between the developer and the software project manager is a prerequisite for successfully implementing a project.
  • Discussing Different Software Development Methodologies There is an extended number of software methodologies that have their advantages and disadvantages. First, organizations can use the Waterfall method.
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Software Engineering: Volkswagen Ethical Dilemma The Volkswagen controversy is a portrayal of how engineers have compromised the company, stakeholder satisfaction, and regulatory norms by engaging in unethical behavior.
  • Abstract Painting: The Use of Software Today, painters can use computer software to create pieces of art. Using the computer does not require knowledge about complicated techniques.
  • Customer Relationship Management Software Implementation Customer Relationship Management software is one of the most effective approaches to improving the management of customers in an organization.
  • AutoCAD Software Properties and Interface The properties dialog box of the AutoCAD Software has a central location for viewing and allowing modification of the graphical and physical properties of an object.
  • The Issue of Ethics in Software Systems This paper focuses on issues and devises remedies for ethical lapsing in online job boards as one of the software systems.
  • Swipr Software Company’s Entry Into China Swipr is a software company that runs a microblogging platform. This paper aims to study the viability of the company’s entry ambitions into China.
  • Software Technologies in Healthcare Analyzing the process of introducing software technologies in healthcare, it can be said that there are more transparent processes due to these novel enhancements of medicine.
  • Urban Planning Software: Network Analysis Toolbox The paper analyzes the Network Analysis Toolbox – software that was created to model the traffic of bicycles and pedestrian routes in the cities by modeling them.
  • DJ (Disc Jockey) Controllers and Serato DJ Software DJ controllers and software such as Serato DJ are tools that assist modern musicians in creating and mixing their compositions.
  • OnePoint Software’s Strategic Marketing Plan This document entails the OnePoint Software Strategic Marketing Plan. This is a new open-source software company that seeks to come up with a sophisticated operating system.
  • Antivirus Software Ensuring Security Online Although deficient and fragmentary, if viewed as a complementary and not principal tool, antivirus software helps ensure one’s security online.
  • HRM Software for Business and the Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act has its strengths, as well as weaknesses. The reason for it is the complexity of the law, which causes different challenges.
  • Software Development Project Using Agile Methods The report will discuss the reasons why the agile method was chosen, how the team managed to apply this method, and lessons learned during the big software development project.
  • Software Engineering and Methodologies This paper describes how the author did learn software engineering and methodologies as a result of his work experience in BTR IT Consulting Company.
  • Software Development: Creating a Prototype The purpose of the article is to create a prototype software that will be used in the process of helping patients with breast cancer.
  • Penguin Sleuth, a Forensic Software Tool The key aim of the paper is to analyze the forensic software tools available and, give a detailed description of the functionality range for each software tool or tool pack.
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  • Sakhr Software Co.’s Marketing System The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the peculiarities of the marketing system in such an organization as Sakhr Software Co from Kuwait that specializes in NLP.
  • System Software: Analysis of Various Types of System Software This paper makes judgments on the different system software, basing on their strengths and weakness, based on the personal experience of the author.
  • Achieving the Optimal Process. Software Development The software development industry is fast growing as user requirements change-requiring applications that can address these requirements.
  • Ethical Issues in International Software Development: Software That Is Useful to the User Ethics is important in software development. It will enable the developer to produce software that is useful to the user and the management.
  • Software Project Management, the Completion of the WBS The result of the PERT led to the formation of the Gantt chart. The present essay serves as a description of the process of working on the project.
  • Project Management Software and Tools Comparison The software can be used by managers to make sure that no worker is getting a greater workload than others and also that no worker is lagging behind with his or her work.
  • Health IT: Epic Software Analysis The implementation and adoption of Health IT systems are crucial for the improvement of medical practice, workflow efficiency, and patient outcomes.
  • IPR Violations in Software Development The copyright law protects the statement and not the software idea. This regulates people from copying source code without seeking permission.
  • Software Tools for Qualitative Research This paper evaluates software tools for solving complex tasks in the qualitative data analysis process. There is a comparison of NVivo, HyperRESEARCH, and Dedoose.
  • Compiere Software Capabilities and Its Suitability to Various Industries The ERP software Compiere applies to a wide range of users such as businesses, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
  • ERP Software in Inventory Management Inventory management, ERP software will come in handy as the business needs to coordinate the way it receives goods and tidies away the goods.
  • Business Applications‏: Revelation HelpDesk by Yellow Fish Software “Revelation HelpDesk” is an internet based Tracking and Support Software that allows a smooth coordination to take place between some of the most vital divisions of an organization.
  • PeopleSoft Software and HR.net Enterprise Software With effective HRIS software, human resource employees can do their own benefits updates and address changes thus enabling them to have more time to perform other strategic functions.
  • Neurofeedback Software and Technology Comparison MIDI technology makes the creation, learning, and playing of music easier. Devices like cell phones, music keyboards, personal computers, etc., use MIDI.
  • Marketing System of Sakhr Software Co The primary purpose of this paper is to analyze the marketing system in such an organization as Sakhr Software Co.
  • Marketing Plan: Innovative Type of Software Product This paper aims to create a marketing plan for the innovative type of software product, which would clarify the potential segment of customers as well as the price point and a communication venue
  • Distribution of Anti-Virus Software Dozens of new threats are being raised every fortnight. Viruses, hacker attacks and other cyber threats are now becoming a nightmare.
  • Computer Software Development and Reality Shows Computer software development has grown at such a rapid pace over the past decade that it have invaded every aspect of our lives and ever fiber of our being.
  • New Framework of Software Reliability Measurement Article Critique This report draws on the detailed analysis of software reliability measurement processes with a suggestion of a new groundwork of reliability measurement based on software metrics examined by Amar and Rabai.
  • Computer Elements: Hardware versus Software Personal computers usually differ from business computers in their capacity and the level of technologies applied in the hardware.
  • Project Failure, Basics of Project Planning & Alternative Scheduling Software Tools & Techniques From a lack of communication to overall unfavorable work circumstances, projects can fail if managers do not plan into their execution.
  • Hotjar: Web Analytics Software Difference This paper analyzes Hotjar, a web analytics tool that has a complete set of tools for evaluation. The report addresses its features and benefits, as well as shows how it can support managerial decision-making.
  • Software Piracy at Kaspersky Cybersecurity Company Software piracy is an urgent contemporary problem that manifests itself both locally in relation to an individual organization and globally.
  • Data Coding in Statistical Software Data coding is of paramount importance if a proper analysis of this data is to be carried out. Data coding plays a critical role when it is needed to use statistical software.
  • Syntax Code Writing in Statistical Software Conducting an analysis of quantitative data using the IBM SPSS software package often requires performing numerous operations to compute the statistics for the given data.
  • Explore Factors in IBM SPSS Statistical Software The “Explore” command in IBM SPSS produces an output that includes several statistics for one variable either across the whole sample or across the subsets of the sample.
  • Data Management, Networking and Enterprise Software Enterprise software is often created “in-house” and thus has a far higher cost as compared to simply buying the software solution from another company.
  • JDA Software Company’s Services JDA Software is the company that demonstrates good results in developing services in such fields as manufacturing, retailing, wholesale distribution, and traveling.
  • Software Testing: Manual and Automated Web-Application Testing Tools This research performs an applied study on the manual and automated web-application testing tools to evaluate the right tool for software testing.
  • Virtualization and Software-Defined Networking The purpose of this paper is to review the trends in the areas of virtualization, software-defined networking, and network security during the past three years.
  • Software-producing Firm Reducing Inventory The connection between the reduction in inventory and the order quantity is quite obvious. A software-producing firm may consider bringing the number of created software down.
  • LabVIEW Software: Design Systems of Measurement LabVIEW is software that was developed to design systems of measurement. LabVIEW provides an array of tools for controlling the course of an experiment.
  • The Blue Sky Software Consulting Company Analysis The Blue Sky Software Consulting company has recorded great success in a period of fifteen years. Currently, the firm is lesser adapted in the contemporary market.
  • What Are Essential Attributes of Good Software?
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  • Agile Methodologies and the Use of Its Waterscrumfall Derivative for Software Project Development
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  • High School Students With Disabilities and Math Software
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  • Evaluating Financial Management Software: Quicken Software
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These essay examples and topics on Software were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 9, 2024 .

  • What is Software Development

Agile Software Development

  • Software Developer
  • SDE Roadmap
  • SDE Interview Guide
  • SDE Companies
  • Types of Software Development
  • Learn Product Management
  • Software Engineering Tutorial
  • Software Testing Tutorial
  • Project Management Tutorial
  • Agile Methodology
  • Selenium Basics
  • Software Development | Introduction, SDLC, Roadmap, Courses

What is Software Development?

  • Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
  • Software Development Models - SDLC Models
  • Top Software Development Topics to prepare for Interview
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Software Development Evolution & Trends

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Software Development Life Cycle

  • Software Development Process
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  • Top 5 SDLC(Software Development Life Cycle ) Methodologies
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  • Software Development Process Step by Step Guide | Requirement, Plan, Design, Develop & Deploy
  • Role of Verification and Validation (V&V) in SDLC
  • Software Quality - Software Engineering
  • Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)

Software Development Models & Methodologies

  • What is SDLC(Software Development Life Cycle) and its phases
  • 5 Most Commonly used Software Development Methodologies
  • Top 8 Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Models used in Industry
  • Waterfall Model - Software Engineering
  • Spiral Model - Software Engineering
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of using Spiral Model
  • SDLC V-Model - Software Engineering
  • Prototyping Model - Software Engineering
  • Rapid application development model (RAD) - Software Engineering
  • Agile Software Development - Software Engineering
  • Waterfall vs Agile Development | Software Development Life Cycle Models
  • Agile Software Development Methodology | Framework, Principles, and Benefits
  • Agile Development Models - Software Engineering
  • Agile Methodology Advantages and Disadvantages
  • Agile SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)
  • User Stories in Agile Software Development
  • Crystal methods in Agile Development/Framework
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  • Agile Software Process and it's Principles
  • What are the 4 Agile Values?
  • Scrum (software development)
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Software Developer Jobs

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Comparisons in Software Development

  • Difference between Software Development, Web Development and App Development
  • Difference between Traditional and Agile Software Development
  • Competitive Programming vs Software Development - Where Should I Invest My Time?
  • Difference between Full stack developer and Software developer
  • Difference between Software Developer and Software Designer
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Software Development Advanced Topics

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Software Development is defined as the process of designing, creating, testing, and maintaining computer programs and applications. Software development plays an important role in our daily lives. It empowers smartphone apps and supports businesses worldwide.

According to the U.S. Bure­au of Labor Statistics, there is a projecte­d 21% increase in software de­veloper employment from 2018 to 2028, which is significantly higher than the national average­.

What is Software Development?

The demand for application deve­lopers is expected to grow by an impressive 26%, surpassing the me­re 5% average change­ in overall employment. This significant growth can be related to the rapid technological advances experienced over the last two decades.

Table of Content

Types of Softwares

Steps of Software Development

Features of Software Development

Why is software development important, jobs that require software development, faqs on software development.

Software de­velopment is defined as the process of designing, cre­ating, testing, and maintaining computer programs and applications. This diverse field combines creativity, engineering expertise, and problem-solving abilities to produce software that satisfies particular requirements and goals. Software developers, also known as programmers or coders, use a variety of programming languages and tools to create solutions for end-users or businesses.

Note : If you want to learn about Product Development, Please refer this: Product Development | Definition, Principles, Steps, Stages and Frameworks

Software developers develop the software, which itself is a set of instructions in order to perform a specific task. software have three types.

There are three basic types of Software

1. System Software

System software is software that directly operates computer hardware and provides basic functionality to users as well as other software for it to run smoothly.

2. Application Software

Application software is a software that is designed for end-user to complete a specific task. It is a product or programm that is only intended to meet the needs of end users. It includes word processors, spreadsheets, database management, inventory, and payroll software, among other things.

3. Programming Software

Programming software is a software that is designed for programmers to develop program. It consist of code editor, compiler, interpreter, debugger etc.

Under Software Development, developers develop all the software that comes under these three category.

Software de­velopment is a well-structured process with several key stages. While different methodologies exist, such as Agile and Waterfall, most software development projects include the following steps:

SDLC

1. Requirement Analysis :

  • The first step in software development is understanding the requirements and based on that requirement gathering happen. This stage involves identifying the needs, objectives, and constraints of the project. The goal is to define what the software should do and what problems it will solve.
  • In the design phase, the software’s architecture and user interface are developed. This step defines how the software will work and how users will interact with it. Design includes creating wireframes, prototypes, and system architecture diagrams.
  • After comple­ting the architectural design phase­, developers move­ on to creating detailed de­signs for each component of the syste­m. This includes designing not only the use­r interface but also encompassing database­s and APIs. The intricate decisions made­ in these detaile­d designs provide valuable guidance­ throughout the coding phase.

3. Implementation

  • The most important phase of the Software Development is the implementation phase, which comes after the design phase. This phase will see the implementation of the design phase’s output.
  • All of the planning done in the planning phase and the designing done in the designing phase are implemented in this phase. Physical source code is created and deployed in the real world during this phase.

4. Testing:

  • De­velopers utilize unit te­sts to evaluate small code compone­nts, such as functions or methods. These te­sts play a crucial role in identifying and resolving bugs within isolate­d elements.
  • Integration testing evaluate­s the smooth functioning of various software components. Its purpose­ is to ensure seamle­ss interactions betwee­n modules and efficient data transfe­r among them, resulting in a robust system.
  • In order to ensure that the­ software meets all the­ specified require­ments, system testing e­valuates it as a whole. This comprehe­nsive evaluation includes functional, pe­rformance, security, and other ne­cessary types of testing.
  • User Acce­ptance Testing (UAT) occurs during the phase­ where end-use­rs or clients validate the software­ to ensure it mee­ts their requireme­nts. Identified issues or discre­pancies are promptly addresse­d before procee­ding with deployment.

5. Deployment:

  • Before deployment, the development team configures the target environment, whether it’s on-premises servers, cloud-based infrastructure, or end-user devices. This may involve setting up servers, databases, and configuring software dependencies.
  • Developers carefully plan the process of deploying software, which includes aspects such as data migration strategies, software installation procedures, and contingency measures for unexpected issues.
  • The software­ is deployed to end-use­rs or production environments. Ongoing monitoring is critical for quickly identifying and addressing any issues that may arise following the deployment.

6. Maintenance and Updates:

  • Once­ the software has bee­n deployed, it is common for issues and bugs to arise­. The dedicated te­am of developers active­ly works on identifying, fixing, and thoroughly testing these­ problems. Regular updates are­ provided to address any nece­ssary improvements or changes that may arise­
  • Feature­ enhancements are­ made to the software as use­r needs evolve­ or new requireme­nts arise. Develope­rs consistently implement ne­w features and improveme­nts in response to these­ changes.
  • Regular security updates are crucial to address vulnerabilities and protect the software from cyber threats.

7. Documentation:

  • The software developer provides use­r guides, manuals, and online help docume­ntation to assist end-users effe­ctively navigate its feature­s.
  • Deve­lopers are responsible­ for creating technical documentation that outline­s the architecture, code­ structure, and APIs of a system. This documentation is crucial in he­lping future develope­rs comprehend and maintain the software­.
  • Collaborative Nature: Software development is a collaborative process that involves a diverse group of professionals, including developers, designers, project managers, and stakeholders. Software project success is heavily dependent on effective communication and seamless teamwork.
  • Continuous Learning : In Software Development it’s super important to keep learning because things are always changing. New ways of writing code, tools, and technologies are always popping up. To do well and keep up, programmers need to keep on learning and getting better at what they do. It’s like an ongoing adventure of picking up new skills to stay on top of the game.
  • Problem-Solving: Deve­lopers play a crucial role as problem solve­rs. They actively identify and addre­ss issues, craft innovative solutions, and optimize code­ to achieve the de­sired outcomes. Problem-solving skills lie­ at the heart of the software­ development proce­ss.
  • Creativity: When Developers making computer programs, it’s not just about following rules . There’s also room for being creative. Coding needs a lot of attention to detail and clear thinking, but it’s also a chance to let developers imagination run wild.
  • Quality Assurance : In development, ensuring the­ quality and reliability of the software is a crucial aspe­ct. To ensure exceptional results, the development cycle includes stringent testing and quality assurance procedures.

Software development is critical because it creates the computer program and apps that we use every day, allowing things to run more smoothly and making our lives easier. It’s like the hidden magic that makes technology work for us.

1. Enabling Technological Innovation

Software­ development plays a crucial role­ in technological advancements. Software develope­rs are responsible for creating innovative smartphone­ applications, designing we­bsites, or developing comple­x enterprise software.

2. Improved Efficie­ncy

In various industries, software deve­lopment plays a crucial role in automating tasks and processe­s. This automation leads to enhanced e­fficiency. Consider the busine­ss sector as an example. It utilize­s software applications to streamline ope­rations, effectively manage­ resources, and facilitate informe­d decision-making processes.

3. Adapting to Changing Nee­ds

Software developme­nt offers the nece­ssary flexibility and adaptability, allowing develope­rs to continually update and modify software in response­ to evolving user nee­ds, regulatory requireme­nts, and business demands. This ability to adapt holds paramount importance in e­ffectively navigating the rapid change­s of the digital domain.

4. Global Reach

The­ internet has revolutionize­d connectivity by bridging gaps across continents. With the aid of software­ applications, both businesses and individuals can effortle­ssly tap into a worldwide audience, shatte­ring geographical boundaries and unlocking boundless marke­t potential.

The field of software development offers a wide range of career opportunities, each with its own set of responsibilities and specializations. Some of the key roles in the software development industry include:

  • Software Developer/Programmer: Software de­velopers, also known as programmers, have­ the important task of writing code and deve­loping applications to meet project re­quirements. They spe­cialize in various areas such as web de­velopment, mobile app de­velopment, or back-end syste­ms development. The­ir role involves ensuring that the­ software functions effective­ly and fulfills its intended purpose.
  • Front-End Developer: In the fie­ld of web developme­nt, a Front-End Developer is re­sponsible for crafting the visual interface­ and enhancing user expe­rience on website­s and applications. Their expertise­ lies in utilizing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to design and impleme­nt visually compelling eleme­nts within software.
  • Back-End Developer: In the fie­ld of software­ development, the­re exists a crucial role known as the­ Back-End Developer. The­se talented individuals posse­ss expertise in se­rver-side programming, managing databases, and e­nsuring efficient serve­r functionality. It is their responsibility to construct the unde­rlying infrastructure
  • DevOps Engineer : The De­vOps Engineer plays a crucial role in bridging the­ gap between de­velopment and IT operations. The­y facilitate a seamless proce­ss by automating deployment, testing, and monitoring of software­. Their responsibilities e­ncompass ensuring efficient de­velopment and deployme­nt procedures.
  • Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer: The QA e­ngineer is responsible­ for testing and ensuring the quality and functionality of software­. They carefully design te­st cases, execute­ tests, and diligently report any de­fects to the deve­lopment team.
  • Software Architect: The software­ architect is responsible for de­signing the overall structure and syste­m of a software project. They make­ important high-level design de­cisions and establish the project’s te­chnical direction.
  • Product Manager : A Product Manage­r oversees the­ entire deve­lopment process, from gathering re­quirements to deployme­nt. They are responsible­ for defining project goals, prioritizing feature­s, and ensuring that the final product aligns with business obje­ctives.
  • Data Scientist/Engineer: Data scientists and e­ngineers are e­xperts in the manipulation and analysis of data. Their focus lie­s in creating data-driven applications and algorithms that bene­fit both businesses and rese­arch endeavors.
  • Cybersecurity Analyst: With the growing importance of cybersecurity, analysts in this field focus on securing software and systems against cyber threats and vulnerabilities.

Conclusion: Software Development

Software de­velopment is a broad field that constantly e­volves and shapes the mode­rn world. Its impact is far-reaching, from user-friendly mobile­ apps to intricate business systems. By following a structure­d process, fostering creativity, and e­mphasizing quality assurance, develope­rs drive the growth and adaptation of software solutions in our incre­asingly digital society. The diverse­ range of career opportunitie­s within this industry provides passionate individuals with a chance to make­ a significant impact on the future of innovation and technology.

1. What is meant by software developer ?

  • Software developers develop the software and are responsible for the activities related to software, which include designing, programming, creating, implementing, testing, deploying, and maintaining software.

2. What is the full form of SDLC ?

  • SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle.

3. Is software development the same as coding?

  • Coding is a part of software development, apart from that software development consist of other things like planning, designing, developing, testing, deployment and maintenance. In software Development, with the help of coding developers give instruction to computer about how to perform specific task for a program.

4. What Does a Software Developer Do?

  • A software developer creates computer programs or applications. They use their coding skills to write instructions that tell computers what to do. They develop instructions that tell computers what to do using their coding talents. It’s similar to providing step-by-step instructions for creating software that can solve problems, play games, or assist with other activities.

5. What are some software development projects?

Some of the major software development projects are :

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  • E portfolio Website
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Software Methodologies Essay

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Software methodologies have evolved over the last 50 years and this paper discusses the various methodologies and their use for process control of software projects. This comparison will cover the names of the different types and the key functional changes that have taken place from one type to the next and why they were developed. The strengths and weaknesses associated with each type of methodology. Why use one form of methodology over the other and under what circumstances. The different phases and characteristics of each methodology as compared to each other and the evolution of thought surrounding these conceptual changes and need for faster deployment which has led to new versions of agile development solutions. Then we discuss some …show more content…

At first these methods were very rigid and sequential to achieve goals to morphing into releasing the need for constant change during the production cycle and even during the maintenance phase. The changes developed to be more fluid or flexible in their approach to provide a mechanism for feedback from the customer and therefore spiral or circular methods emerged to solve this need. These various methodologies and there timeframes of use all over the world is important to understand for anyone in information technology management. (Geoffrey Elliott et al., 2011) First there was waterfall development, which through phases of requirements analysis, design, implementation, validation (testing), integration and maintenance cascaded from one phase to the next was introduced in 1970, in an article by Winston W. Royce, but later was named waterfall. The basic advantage of this method is the structure and timeline with emphasis on tight control during the entire project. The planning, schedules, phase completion dates, budgets were controlled tightly and tracked to implement an entire system at one time. This method is still used by companies today, and specifically those in third world countries or those who perform very diligent requirements analysis with companies who clearly know exactly what they want. The main reason for the use of the waterfall method is that as long as there is no change the

The Waterfall Methodology By Winston Royce

The Waterfall methodology was created by Winston Royce in 1970 and is based on the idea of "...progressing linearly from conception, through requirements, design, code and test..." (Neill, 2004). One of the main assumptions about this method is that the requirements will change very little if at all and that users will not be involved in development or be providing much feedback (Neill, 2004). A really good definition given by Laplante and Neil on this methodology is, "This model of development assumes that requirements are set, stable, and fully evolved before analysis begins, because development progresses linearly through the phases from requirements through system deployment. A phase is revisited only if artifacts created in that phase fail inspection review, or test. If you run into people who dispute this argument, remind them that water doesn 't flow up a waterfall" (10).

Pearson Successmaker

The preferred methodologies for managing a software’s lifecycle are a major factor in deciding how a firm reacts to market demands. The major SDLC frameworks followed are the waterfall model, Agile methodology (scrum) and Kanban. We will discuss this answer

Defense Architectural Framework

The project is Agile, i.e. it can quickly adapt to changes in requirements. Hence, this method has high success rates.

Project Management Quality Methodologies

In order to achieve successful results within established time-frames and budgets, project managers are likely to employ methodologies models. A project methodology is a model that aids managers to plan, design and implement their project goals. Project methodologies are helpful to project manager in any field, for instance, Niel Nickolaisen CIO at the Western Governors University, is an advocate for the agile software development methodology. As these models grants flexibility when dealing with stipulations and scope changes on a project. Needless to say the agile software development methodology is just one example of a varied assortment of methodologies, each with their strengths and weakness. As such, it is up to the project manager to decide which methodology fits their needs, as there isn`t a one fits all solution.

Riordan Manufacturing 's Implementation Stage

Using the waterfall approach the system developers will be able to focus on one piece of the system and move on each part separately. This will give the design team more time to focus on small sections of the new coding. Moving from one stage to the next means that each step has been checked thoroughly and is completed.

Survey Paper

One of the initial steps in researching a problem is to know exactly what the problem is and compose a problem statement that unambiguously identifies and defines the problem to research. Sekaran (2003) said, “No amount of good research can find solutions to the situation, if the critical issue or the problem to be studied is not clearly pinpointed” (p. 69). The area of research for this paper focuses on software development, in particular, the study of agile software development methodologies and if these methodologies are successful in delivering software on time, within budget, and includes the requested features.

Waterfall Vs Agile Methodology Paper

There is a cross section of projects ranging from a few weeks to a few years. There are also a wide cross section of customers, those capable of articulating clearly their requirements and the ones that are not clear on their requirements and the overall outcome to be achieved. The level of programmers within the Information Technology Department, where development work is executed, range from intermediate to advance or above average programming competence. The Waterfall approach is easier to manage and can be utilized for projects where there are clear requirements and the project is determined to be a long term one. Also, this method may be best suited given the organization’s requirements for thorough documentation and project accountability, when it comes to budget and cost. The Agile methodology can be used for projects where the requirements as well as the expectation from the end product are not as clear. The developers that are above average in terms of their competence can also use this method. In addition, the Agile method is also best suited for the projects that would require rapid

Essay On Software Development

Since the method was developed for manufacturing and construction projects, it made sense in these industries that a portion of the project was fixed and unchangeable after a phase completed. Imagine the construction of a road, you prep and lay down a foundation then eventually lay down the final asphalt or concrete layer. It wouldn’t make sense to build in the ability to go back and change the foundation after the top layer was set. Obviously, software engineering is very different and therefore requires a much different approach to development. Besides slow turnaround, there were many other criticisms of the waterfall method. Some included redesign, rework, and retesting due to lack of knowledge about requirements when a project began. Also, due to the extremely long lead and delivery times, requirements changed or projects were dropped altogether leaving a company with a half-built loss on the balance sheet. An industry average put the estimated time for any software project using the Waterfall approach at 3 years. This was the environment that enabled a few forward-thinking developers to meet and design a new and better approach.

Project Management Team For Developing The Automated System For Grand Acres Golf Course

The traditional development method requires the definition and documentation of a stable set of requirements at the beginning of the project. It was inherited by other projects mainly related to construction which focused on the completion of one phase of production before moving on to the next phase, for example, laying the foundations of a building first and then proceeding with the further stages (Bowes 2014). Similarly, in Waterfall, the requirement gathering and designing work is done upfront before any coding takes place. The basic notion behind the traditional development approaches is that the projects are comparatively less complex, linear and predictable with clearly defined system boundaries which makes it simple to plan and follow without having any room for changes (Spundak 2014). Moreover, traditional development method depicts the requirements document as he key piece of documentation. The gathering of all the requirements, getting a sign off from the customer and then starting with the development of the project gives the project a limit of

Software Process Model Essay

Software process model is a step by step highly structured technique for designing and development of any software. There are various process models widely used for developing software. Process models give a guidelines regarding development of the software.

The Channel Tunnel Project Management Essay

Several adaptations to the traditional approaches like agile, interactive, phased, extreme, etc have been made but each will be expected to meet the requirements of the project objectives, timeline, resources, and deliveries of the stakeholders. Other industry standard certifications like ISO9000 and regulations like the Sarbanes-Oxley have also influenced methodologies and processes used by several organisations (Kerzner, 2003). Generally, managing projects should involved five major process which include the project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and then project closing. See Fig. 2 below.

Essay On Agile Development Manifesto

This paper describes Agile development methodologies and their benefits. Section II presents key elements of Agile. Section III presents benefits of Agile development methodologies over traditional waterfall methodologies.

Essay about software engineering

Software engineering (SE) is the profession concerned with specifying, designing, developing and maintaining software applications by applying technologies and practices from computer science, project management, and other fields.

Agile Software Development Method Essay

Software development is one of the highest demands in all over the world. We use software development techniques to solve the problems and to satisfy customers. Agile software development is a conceptual framework for software; it is also a group of software development methods based on iterative development. In 2001, agile software development was created by seventeen people with a desire to find alternative approaches to software development. The most important thing about agile methods are team work, conveying information to the team, face to face conversation, and satisfy the customer. There are various methodologies but I am going to describe the most popular ones.

Systems Analysis : Waterfall Model Essay

The waterfall model consists of five phases such as requirements, Design, implementation, verification and maintenance. The method is a sequential design process where progress is seen as flowing downwards in a steadily manner, each development phase has its own distinct goals. The model is similar to water flowing down a cliff it can only flow in one way and cannot go back up it is the same with waterfall development ,after a development phase is completed it proceeds to the next development phase you cannot go back.

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30 best practices for software development and testing

Can government agencies be innovative?

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Joining any new company—with an established culture and programming practices—can be a daunting experience. When I joined the Ansible team, I decided to write up the software engineering practices and principles I’ve learned over the years and to which I strive to work. This is a non-definitive, non-exhaustive list of principles that should be applied with wisdom and flexibility.

My passion is for testing, as I believe that good testing practices can both ensure a minimum quality standard (sadly lacking in many software products), and can guide and shape development itself. Many of these principles relate to testing practices and ideals. Some of these principles are Python-specific, but most are not. (For Python developers, PEP 8 should be your first stop for programming style and guidelines.)

Programming and development

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In general, we programmers are an opinionated lot, and strong opinions are often a sign of great passion. With that in mind, feel free to disagree with these points, and we can discuss and debate them in the comments.

Development and testing best practices

1. YAGNI: " You Aint Gonna Need It ". Don't write code that you think you might need in future, but don't need yet. This is coding for imaginary future use cases , and inevitably the code will become dead code or need rewriting because the future use case always turns out to work slightly differently from how you imagined it.

If you put code in for a future use case, I will question it in a code review. (You can, and must, design APIs, for example, to permit future use cases, but that's a different issue.)

The same is true for commenting-out code; if a block of commented code is going into a release, it shouldn't exist. If it is code that may be restored, make a ticket and reference the commit hash for the code delete. YAGNI is a core element of agile programming . The best reference for this is Extreme Programming Explained , by Kent Beck.

2. Tests don't need testing. Infrastructure, frameworks, and libraries for testing need tests. Don't test the browser or external libraries unless you really need to. Test the code you write, not other people’s code.

3. The third time you write the same piece of code is the right time to extract it into a general-purpose helper (and write tests for it). Helper functions within a test don't need testing; when you break them out and reuse them they do need tests. By the third time you've written similar code, you tend to have a clear idea of what shape the general-purpose problem is that you're solving.

4. When it comes to API design (external facing and object API): Simple things should be simple; complex things should be possible . Design for the simple case first, with preferably zero configuration or parameterization, if that's possible. Add options or additional API methods for more complex and flexible use cases (as they are needed).

5. Fail fast. Check input and fail on nonsensical input or invalid state as early as possible, preferably with an exception or error response that will make the exact problem clear to your caller. Permit "innovative" use cases of your code though (i.e., don't do type checking for input validation unless you really need to).

6. Unit tests test to the unit of behavior, not the unit of implementation. Changing the implementation, without changing the behavior or having to change any of your tests is the goal, although not always possible. So where possible, treat your test objects as black boxes, testing through the public API without calling private methods or tinkering with state.

For some complex scenarios—such as testing behavior on a specific complex state to find an obscure bug—that may not be possible. Writing tests first really helps with this as it forces you to think about the behavior of your code and how you're going to test it before you write it. Testing first encourages smaller, more modular units of code, which generally means better code. A good reference for getting started with the "test first" approach is Test Driven Development by Example , by Kent Beck.

7. For unit tests (including test infrastructure tests) all code paths should be tested. 100% coverage is a good place to start. You can't cover all possible permutations/combinations of state (combinatorial explosion), so that requires consideration. Only if there is a very good reason should code paths be left untested. Lack of time is not a good reason and ends up costing more time. Possible good reasons include: genuinely untestable (in any meaningful way), impossible to hit in practice, or covered elsewhere in a test. Code without tests is a liability. Measuring coverage and rejecting PRs that reduce coverage percentage is one way to ensure you make gradual progress in the right direction.

8. Code is the enemy: It can go wrong, and it needs maintenance. Write less code. Delete code. Don’t write code you don’t need.

9. Inevitably, code comments become lies over time. In practice, few people update comments when things change. Strive to make your code readable and self-documenting through good naming practices and known programming style.

Code that can't be made obvious—working around an obscure bug or unlikely condition, or a necessary optimization— does need commenting. Comment the intent of the code, and why it is doing something rather than what it is doing. (This particular point about comments being lies is controversial, by the way. I still think it’s correct, and Kernighan and Pike, authors of The Practice of Programming , agree with me.)

10. Write defensively. Always think about what can go wrong, what will happen on invalid input, and what might fail, which will help you catch many bugs before they happen.

11. Logic is easy to unit test if it is stateless and side-effect free. Break out logic into separate functions, rather than mixing logic into stateful and side-effect-filled code. Separating stateful code and code with side-effects into smaller functions makes them easier to mock out and unit test without side-effects. (Less overhead for tests means faster tests.) Side effects do need testing, but testing them once and mocking them out everywhere else is generally a good pattern.

12. Globals are bad. Functions are better than types. Objects are likely to be better than complex data structures.

13. Using the Python built-in types—and their methods—will be faster than writing your own types (unless you're writing in C). If performance is a consideration, try to work out how to use the standard built-in types rather than custom objects.

14. Dependency injection is a useful coding pattern for being clear about what your dependencies are and where they come from. (Have objects, methods, and so on receive their dependencies as parameters rather than instantiating new objects themselves.) This does make API signatures more complex, so it is a trade-off. Ending up with a method that needs 10 parameters for all its dependencies is good sign your code is doing too much, anyway. The definitive article on dependency injection is " Inversion of Control Containers and the Dependency Injection Pattern ," by Martin Fowler.

15. The more you have to mock out to test your code, the worse your code is. The more code you have to instantiate and put in place to be able to test a specific piece of behavior, the worse your code is. The goal is small testable units, along with higher-level integration and functional tests to test that the units cooperate correctly.

16. External-facing APIs are where "design up front"—and consideration about future use cases—really matters. Changing APIs is a pain for us and for our users, and creating backwards incompatibility is horrible (although sometimes impossible to avoid). Design external facing APIs carefully, still keeping to the "simple things should be simple" principle.

17. If a function or method goes past 30 lines of code, consider breaking it up. A good maximum module size is about 500 lines. Test files tend to be longer than this.

18. Don’t do work in object constructors, which are hard to test and surprising. Don’t put code in __init__.py (except imports for namespacing). __init__.py is not where programmers generally expect to find code, so it’s "surprising."

19. DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) matters much less in tests than it does in production code. Readability of an individual test file is more important than maintainability (breaking out reusable chunks). That’s because tests are executed and read individually rather than themselves being part of a larger system. Obviously excessive repetition means reusable components can be created for convenience, but it’s much less of a concern than it is for production.

20. Refactor whenever you see the need and have the chance. Programming is about abstractions, and the closer your abstractions map to the problem domain, the easier your code is to understand and maintain. As systems grow organically, they need to change structure for their expanding use case. Systems outgrow their abstractions and structure, and not changing them becomes technical debt that is more painful (and slower and more buggy) to work around. Include the cost of clearing technical debt (refactoring) within the estimates for feature work. The longer you leave the debt around, the higher the interest it accumulates. A great book on refactoring and testing is Working Effectively with Legacy Code , by Michael Feathers.

21. Make code correct first and fast second. When working on performance issues, always profile before making fixes. Usually the bottleneck is not quite where you thought it was. Writing obscure code because it is faster is only worth it if you’ve profiled and proven that it’s actually worth it. Writing a test that exercises the code you’re profiling with timing around it makes knowing when you’re done easier, and can be left in the test suite to prevent performance regressions. (With the usual note that adding timing code always changes the performance characteristics of the code, making performance work one of the more frustrating tasks.)

22. Smaller, more tightly scoped unit tests give more valuable information when they fail—they tell you specifically what is wrong. A test that stands up half the system to test behavior takes more investigation to determine what is wrong. Generally a test that takes more than 0.1 seconds to run isn’t a unit test. There’s no such thing as a slow unit test. With tightly scoped unit tests testing behavior, your tests act as a de facto specification for your code. Ideally if someone wants to understand your code, they should be able to turn to the test suite as "documentation" for the behavior. A great presentation on unit testing practices is Fast Test, Slow Test , by Gary Bernhardt:

23. "Not Invented Here" is not as bad as people say. If we write the code, then we know what it does, we know how to maintain it, and we’re free to extend and modify it as we see fit. This follows the YAGNI principle: We have specific code for the use cases we need rather than general purpose code that has complexity for things we don’t need. On the other hand, code is the enemy, and owning more code than necessary is bad. Consider the trade-off when introducing a new dependency.

24. Shared code ownership is the goal; siloed knowledge is bad. At a minimum, this means discussing or documenting design decisions and important implementation decisions. Code review is the worst time to start discussing design decisions as the inertia to make sweeping changes after code has been written is hard to overcome. (Of course it’s still better to point out and change design mistakes at review time than never.)

25. Generators rock! They’re generally shorter and easier to understand than stateful objects for iteration or repeated execution. A good introduction to generators is " Generator Tricks for Systems Programmers ," by David Beazley.

26. Let’s be engineers! Let’s think about design and build robust and well-implemented systems, rather than growing organic monsters. Programming is a balancing act, however. We’re not always building a rocket ship. Over-engineering (onion architecture) is as painful to work with as under-designed code. Almost anything by Robert Martin is worth reading, and Clean Architecture: A Craftsman’s Guide to Software Structure and Design is a good resource on this topic. Design Patterns is a classic programming book that every engineer should read.

27. Intermittently failing tests erode the value of your test suite, to the point in which eventually everyone ignores test run results because there’s always something failing. Fixing or deleting intermittently failing tests is painful, but worth the effort.

28. Generally, particularly in tests, wait for a specific change rather than sleeping for an arbitrary amount of time. Voodoo sleeps are hard to understand and slow down your test suite.

29. Always see your test fail at least once. Put a deliberate bug in and make sure it fails, or run the test before the behavior under test is complete. Otherwise you don’t know that you’re really testing anything. Accidentally writing tests that actually don’t test anything or that can never fail is easy.

30. And finally, a point for management: Constant feature grind is a terrible way to develop software. Not letting developers take pride in their work ensures you won’t get the best out of them. Not addressing technical debt slows down development and results in a worse, more buggy product.

Thanks to the Ansible team, and especially to Wayne Witzel , for comments and suggestions for improving the principles suggested in this list.

Want to break free from the IT processes and complexities holding you back from peak performance? Download this free eBook: Teaching an elephant to dance .

Michael Foord

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Best Practice Methodology in Software Development Essay

What best practice mean, best principles before best practices, five best principles, hrm and performance, attract and retain employees, motivate performance.

A best practice is a technique or methodology that, through experience and research, has proven to reliably lead to a desired result. A commitment to using the best practices in any field is a commitment to using all the knowledge and technology at one’s disposal to ensure success. The term is used frequently in the fields of health care, government administration, the education system, project management, hardware and software product development, and elsewhere.

In software development, a best practice is a well-defined method that contributes to a successful step in product development. Throughout the software industry, several best practices are widely followed. Some of the more commonly used are: an iterative development process, requirement management, quality control, and change control.

An iterative (meaning repetitive) development process, which progresses in incremental stages, helps to maintain a focus on manageable tasks and ensures that earlier stages are successful before the later stages are attempted. Requirement management addresses the problem of creeping requirements, which is a situation in which the client requests additional changes to the product that are beyond the scope of what was originally planned.

To guard against this common phenomenon, requirement management employs strategies such as documentation of requirements, sign-offs, and methodologies such as the use case. Quality control is a strategy that defines objective measures for assessing quality throughout the development process in terms of the product’s functionality, reliability, and performance. Change control is a strategy that seeks to closely monitor changes throughout the iterative process to ensure that records are intact for changes that have been made and that unacceptable changes are not undertaken.

A best practice tends to spread throughout a field or industry after a success has been demonstrated. However, it is often noted that demonstrated best practices can be slow to spread, even within an organization. According to the American Productivity & Quality Center, the three main barriers to adoption of a best practice are a lack of knowledge about current best practices, a lack of motivation to make changes involved in their adoption, and a lack of knowledge and skills required to do so.

Best Practices (BPs) are innovative, dynamic management tools available to practitioners to ensure Minnesota’s parks and outdoor recreation areas are managed as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Think of BPs as practical guidelines – not rigid standards. They are the current state of what is working well for an organization and worth sharing within the outdoor recreation community. Practitioners are challenged to improve upon existing BPs; and document and share their improvements with colleagues.

A practice which is most appropriate under the circumstances, esp. as considered acceptable or regulated in business; a technique or methodology that, through experience and research, has reliably led to a desired or optimum result.

There is a game being played somewhere right now within almost every government organization. The game is called ‘In Search of Best Practices’ and it is played something like this: “We’re about to launch a major change (like putting in a leadership development program). Before we do, let’s benchmark the best organizations around to find out what they do, and especially, let’s see what other government organizations are doing. After all, we don’t want to reinvent the wheel now, do we?”

So the change team dutifully goes out, does their research, makes some site visits, documents their findings, and then prepares a menu of best practices from which a program is built. The game proceeds by briefings up the line which are bolstered by citations from the Who’s Who of Best Practices—prominent companies in the news, selections from the 100 Best Companies to Work For, other Federal agencies, etc. The game is won when the program, designed around the Best Practices, is given the go ahead. So what’s the problem? It may possibly be declaring a premature end to the game by failing to realize that ‘best’ is simply a local term, not a universal one, and that there may be better and prior wisdom that is being ignored in the bargain. It’s something worth discussing.

What Best Fit mean?

Best-fit type refers to the type pattern that fits you best. No one description or pattern will be a perfect match to all of who you are. Your personality is rich and complex, and a “type” or type pattern cannot adequately express all of that richness. Each of the sixteen types comes in a variety of “flavors,” and best-fit type means that the themes and preferred processes of that type seem to fit you the best

Characteristics of Best Practice Model

Work teams- flexibility

2-way information –Care with recruitment – selection

Traits / Behaviors – not skills

Fair appraisal – reward

Involved in decision making

Emphasis at training – learning

Individual development

Best Practice Model

  • Argument: all firms will see performance improvement if best practice.
  • Method: identify best practice, give HR a high profile, get top level commitment, sell it, do it, measure it, reward champions.
  • Advantage: much agreement / tradition on basic best practice. Also recognition of.bad. practice. Established rules of thumb for selection training; appraisal methods. No need to re-invent. It.s out there.
  • Disadvantage: difficulty arises when we go beyond these straightforward practices.

Best Fit Model : appropriateness

  • Argument: HR strategy becomes more efficient when it is linked / tailored to its surrounding context or environment of the business. 2 elements:
  • External Fit: the fit is linked to the operations strategy / marketing strategy.
  • Disadvantage: can overlook employee interests. Some firms are good all-rounder so HR practices unlikely to be based on one strategy. While practices may meet existing strategies, things change quickly so HR strategy cannot be too parochial. Must support organizational flexibility. Too much can be left out.
  • Internal Fit: HR policies & practices must be coherent. Avoid policies which work in opposite directions ie. encouraging teamwork then rewarding individual performance. Make sure that practices are in proportion to the organization ie. stage of development / resources.

Resting Practices

The victory lap cannot realistically be taken until the program design actually produces the results that people intended because somewhere in people’s minds is the sneaking suspicion that if we do it like the big boys and girls we will be like the big boys and girls. But that syllogism can turn out to be false, and some have fallen into that trap—including me.

Dave Ulrich, perhaps the wisest human resources expert around, uses the term “interesting practices” to describe such approaches to a range of human resources initiatives. They may work in the long run–or they may not. The key is to understand the culture of the organization, the capabilities the organization possesses, and the needs it is trying to address. Keeping up with the GEs or the Microsoft of the world or even the IRSs does not mean your approach to leadership development will mirror the outcomes of theirs.

It may make more sense to start with a solid understanding of what can be called ‘best principles’ in succession and leader development and then see which practices will work for your organization’s culture and its specific needs for future leadership. If you begin with the best principles, you can then safely test out your proposed practices to see which ones best fit your situation. Here are five principles that have bred success, specifically in excellent Federal Government organizations:

  • They base their practices on the four proven principles of how leaders learn to lead—challenging and varied work experiences; significant relationships with senior leaders; self awareness based upon feedback, reflection and lessons from the hardship crucibles of life; and self development and selected training.
  • They make a business case for developing future leaders with decision makers that helps drive the mission and avoids the trap of simply being something ‘good’ to do.
  • They recognize that initiating leadership development, at least in the Federal Government, is most often a cultural change as well where leaders shape the culture and it is not simply a case of human resources development (HRD) standing up another new training program.
  • They understand that the key cultural change is this: it takes leaders to grow leaders—not trainers, not HRD experts, not consultants: leaders grow leaders—and that it will take a serious time commitment on their part.

Best Fit vs. Best Practice is best practice dead ?

Empirical evidence suggests that HR policies are inevitably driven by context ~ including societal /organizational / size of organization / stage of development etc. However, there are many generic processes(ie selection / appraisal) that make it sensible to follow best practice. Things get out of hand when this approach is taken further and applied as a.one size fits all.

S mall firms are indifferent to the nuances of HR practices in larger companies; HR employed in high tech industries are of little concern to mass producers.

Best Practice and Best Fit

One of the critical unresolved debates is whether or not there is a single set of HR policies and practices that represents a universally superior approach to managing people; are there such things as “best practices” in human resource management? Several recent studies seem to suggest there are.

For instance, Huselid (1995) reported from a sample of 968 firms that those using comprehensive employee recruitment and selection procedures, extensive employee involvement and training, and formal performance appraisal linked to incentive compensation were likely to have lower employee turnover, higher productivity, and enhanced corporate financial performance. Huselid referred to these HR practices as “high performance work practices” (p. 635). Other studies seem to support this perspective (Delaney & Huselid, 1996; Delery & Doty, 1996; Huselid & Becker, 1997; Kalleberg & Moody, 1994; MacDuffie, 1995).

On the other hand, one of the most compelling and widely accepted notions in the field of management and organization theory has been the notion of “fit” or contingency theories. These theories suggest that there is likely to be a variety of practices that work depending on the context (Lawler & Jenkins, 1992; Meyer, Tsui, & Hinings, 1993; Venkatraman, 1989). There is also evidence for this approach, particularly when the strategy of an organization is considered to be a primary contextual factor (Gomez-Mejia & Balkin, 1992; Pilkington, 1998).

For example, Cappelli and Crocker-Hefter (1996) examined successful pairs of organizations operating in the same industry and found different strategic approaches supported by quite different HR policies and practices. Arthur (1994) found that in the U.S. steel minimill industry, firms pursuing cost leadership were more likely to develop human resource systems characterized by well-defined jobs, rigid rules, and highly structured pay for performance systems. Firms purs uing a differentiation strategy were more likely to develop commitment HR systems characterized by high levels of training and socialization. Arthur also showed that firms with commitment systems tended to outperform firms with control systems.

“Best practices” and “fit” notions need not necessarily be in conflict. Becker and Gerhart (1996) argued that the two approaches may be complementary if one understands that “best practices” exist at different levels. They propose that such practices may be viewed at the level of systems architecture (guiding principles), policy, or practice. As such, best practices may exist at the upper level (e.g., employees are treated as valued members of the organization) while still allowing for differential policies and practices that support the overarching principle. This position allows that fundamental incremental advantages can be achieved by adapting HR practices to the organization’s context, particularly to its business strategy (Becker, Huselid, Pickus, & Spratt 1997; Delery & Doty, 1996).

Beyond the debate about fit versus best practice, there is also the problem of definition of best practices. No two studies have defined them to be the same. For example, incentive pay is a best practice in some studies (e.g., Delaney & Huselid, 1996; Pfeffer, 1998) while its absence is a best practice in others (e.g., Arthur, 1994). Perhaps it is not surprising that there is disagreement about the efficacy of different approaches to compensation within “best practice” studies. This mirrors the variability of findings in the compensation literature itself. Different studies on incentive pay often reach contradictory conclusions (Gerhart & Milkovich, 1992).

In addition, some studies have shown that the relationship between pay systems and organizational performance changes as the measure of performance changes. For example, Welbourne and Andrews (1996) found that the existence of an organization-based compensation program (e.g., profit sharing, gain sharing, stock options) was negatively associated with stock prices in an initial public offering (IPO), but positively associated with company survival over a five-year period after the IPO.

Best practice and the best-fit approaches. Some say there are universalistic best practices in HRM (Pfeffer, 1994), others argue that there are only best-fit practices (Wood, 1999), stating that the effect of HR practices depends on the specific (internal and external) context. It seems logical to believe in a best-fit approach in contrast to a somewhat simplistic best practice approach, but the empirical evidence still supports the best practice approach (Delery and Doty, 1996).

Gerhart (2004) demonstrates a critical analysis of those who claim that some form of internal fit – the alignment of practices with each other – outperforms the lack of this type of fit. Gerhart’s (2004) evaluation is very convincing in showing that the systems approaches that build on the notion of internal fit do not outperform the other approaches in which individual HR practices are not aligned.

Boxall and Purcell (2003) argue that both streams – best practice and best-fit– might beright each in their own way. Some basic principles like employee development, employee involvement and high rewards are universally successful, but the actual design of the HRpractice depends to some degree on unique organizational contexts.

The internal context – for example, the nature of the production system (e.g., assembly line) – might create restrictions with respect to the successful design of some HR practices (e.g., teamwork, performance related pay), but also the external context – for example, the legislation and trade union influence – might have a direct impact on the optimal HRM design. So the whole debate about universalistic best practices versus best-fit practices actually represents two sides of the same coin and both are relevant in exploring the linkage between HRM and Performance.

The ability of reward systems to attract and retain employees is of primary concern to most organizations. This is obviously an issue during periods of economic expansion when labour markets are ‘tight’ and organizations struggle to fill positions and hold on to qualified employees. However, even during recessions, organisations are concerned with finding and securing the efforts of qualified individuals.

Best fit advocates suggest that the composition of the reward package will attract different types of applicants. Lawler states that “for example, organizations that offer a straight base salary with no chance for incentive earnings, typically ends up attracting and retaining very different individuals than one that offers large amounts of incentive pay.” Organizations who reward their employees with different performance-related pay incentives are much more likely to attract the more entrepreneurial and problem solving employees than those that just offer a base salary.

It is a basic assumption of the best fit proponents that “good performers tend to seek organizations where performance is recognized and rewarded.” (Schuster and Zingheim) Lawler suggests that a reward system should differentiate between good and poor performers. Not all employee turnover is harmful to organizational performance. A reward system should promote the retention of good performers and facilitate the decision of poor performers to leave.

Best fit advocates emphasize the importance of external competitiveness for attracting and retaining employees. To be effective, a reward system must distribute rewards in a way that will lead the organization’s most valuable employees to feel satisfied when they compare their rewards with those received by individuals performing similar jobs in similar organizations. However, Lawler adds a caveat when he states that for some organizations, it is more cost effective to keep wages low and accept high turnover, especially if replacement costs are low as with unskilled labour.

According to Pfeffer “Although labor markets are far from perfectly efficient, it is nonetheless the case that some relationship exists between what a firm pays and the quality of the workforce it attracts.” Best practice advocates place great emphasis on the need to attract and retain the type of employees that will help an organization to gain and sustain competitive advantage. This is in part achieved through externally competitive pay levels.

However, it is the combination of a number of interrelated policies that ensures that highly qualified people apply and stay with an organization. Huselid states that ‘Recruiting procedures that provide a large pool of qualified applicants, paired with a reliable and valid selection regimen, will have a substantial influence over the quality and type of skills new employees possess.’ Pfeffer discusses the ‘symbolic’ aspect of the rigorous selection process. The successful candidate feels that s/he is joining an elite organization with high expectations of performance – a firm where people matter.

‘Best practice’ advocates positively value low turnover, without Lawler’s caveats. Again, this is because other related policies and procedures ensure that the right employees are chosen in the first instance. Unlike Lawler who claims that employment security does not reflect the realities of today’s competitive global business, employment security is often mentioned by best practice commentators as being of fundamental importance in attracting and retaining employees (Delery & Doty, 1996; Morgan) In part, this is because employees are unlikely to make suggestions to increase productivity if they fear it will result in the losing their job.

Pfeffer claims that although people do work for money, work also adds meaning to their lives. Therefore, organizations with low turnover rates, offer intellectually engaging work, a family friendly environment and the opportunity to work with fun, interesting people in addition to a competitive reward package.

To summarize, advocates of both approaches agree that externally competitive reward packages are important to attracting and retaining qualified employees. However, they differ about which employees are a source of competitive advantage. Best fit focuses on specific high achievers or categories of employees with high replacement costs. These employees need to be satisfied that their reward package equals or exceeds what they will earn in the external market. Best practice, however, believes that there are a number of interrelated policies that attract and tie the individual to the organization. All employees are carefully chosen and are a source of competitive advantage. They stay with an organization because of the challenging environment, meaningful work and competitive pay package.

Wagner claims that a primary concern in the design of reward systems is how well the plan will work in motivating employees. However, there are several theories of motivation and no agreement on a ‘general theory’. Different theories underpin very different types of reward systems. As we will see, even the same theory can be interpreted in different ways and used to support alternative pay system designs.

Wagner claims that “two of the process theories of motivation are of particular importance in the development of performance pay programs: the Equity and Expectancy theories of motivation.” In Adams model of distributive justice, there are two variables: inputs and outcomes. ‘Inputs’ refer to factors contributed by individuals to the social exchange. ‘Outcomes’ are the rewards provided by the organization in exchange for individual inputs.

In order to determine whether equity exists in the exchange relationship, Adams theorized that an individual compared the ratio of his/her outcome to input to the same ratio for significant others. Equity or fairness requires that the ratios are equal. Motivation is particularly affected if the comparison results in ‘negative inequity’ or the belief that an employee’s greater effort is not being recognized by higher rewards. Negative inequity can be internal if the comparator is within the organization or external if s/he is working in another organization.

Schwinger suggests that social norms also intercede into an employee’s perception of individual justice. Based on the work of other writers in this field, he identifies three justice principles: “(a) the “contribution principle”— allocation proportion to individual’s contributions toward the group goals, (b) the “equality principle” —equal allocation to all individuals, and (c) the “need principle” —allocation according to individual need.” (Schwinger)

The belief that payment systems should reflect individual employee contribution is common to all best fit advocates. Lawler discusses the dissatisfaction that results from negative inequity and the consequences for the organizations.

Employees may reduce efforts or seek employment in higher paying jobs in other organizations. As a general rule, Lawler observes that “highly diversified companies are pulled more strongly toward an external market orientation, while organizations that are based on a single industry or single technology typically find themselves more comfortable with an internal-equity basis.” He states that although both types of inequity present serious implications for the firm, ‘…the consequences of external equity (e.g., turnover and absenteeism) are the most severe for the organization and deserve primary consideration.

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Software Development Methodologies, Research Paper Example

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The Development Stages of Analysis and Design

An analysis was conducted in order to determine the student system management design.this analysis was intended to critically evaluate the condition of the current student management system. The system analysis was conducted with six main objectives, listed below;

  • Identify the school’s need(s)
  • Appraise the feasibility of the system concept
  • Execute technical and economic analysis
  • Allocate functions to system elements (e.g. database, users, software and hardware)
  • Determine schedule and cost constraints
  • Develop the foundation for future engineering work through the development of a system definition.

The technical feasibility analysis and study revealed that the necessary technology to develop the student system management is available. The proposed equipment has the technical capacity to hold the data required from the new system.

Testing is a critical and essential determinant of the success of the proposed student management system. This ensures that the system functions as desired by the school management. There are three critical levels of testing.

Unit testing: this level of testing involves analyzing and testing individual elements of the student management system. This level of testing is critical for progress. Without this level of testing, programmers would develop software without functionality. This validates the functionality of individual units/components of the program. This allows programmers to find and rectify any potential problems (bugs) with the source code.

System testing: this level of testing analyzes the complete and fully integrated system. This type of testing is developed for the purpose of analyzing the compliance of the system with specified prerequisites. This level of testing employs a test team.

Acceptance Testing: this is the final level of testing. It analyzes how acceptable the system is, relative to the expected users. This determines whether the student management system achieves the required school management standards and its acceptance for delivery.

The Role of Programming, Conversion, Production and Maintenance

Programming, conversion, production and maintenance are all interrelated aspects. Programming provides that instructions for the computer through translating the design specifications into software. Conversion is the process of shifting from the old system into a new system. Upon the completion of conversion after installation, all product operations embody production. Maintenance ensures process efficiency through hardware, software, procedure or documentation modification (s).

Programming is a critical aspect of system development. However, it accounts for a much smaller portion of the system development lifecycle when compared to activities such as testing or design. Conversion is particularly challenging when the system shift encompasses switching between two incompatible system formats. Production is constantly faced with downtime as a result of software or hardware malfunction, or possibly the corruption of system documentation.

Software Development Methods

There are a number of software development methods that can be employed to complete the student management system. The most notable and widely applicable software development methods include; 1) Agile Software Development, 2) Crystal Methods and 3) Dynamic Sysytems Development

Crystal Methods

This technique concentrates on the social aspects of the system, i.e. interaction, people, skills, community, communications, and talent. This is based on the notion that these factors have the first influences on the performance of the system. The crystal method essentially differentiates each element by virtue of their characteristics.

Dynamic System Development Method

The Dynamic System Development method has one specific advantage over the other alternatives; supported-training and documentation that is recognized globally. DSDM is founded on nine core principles. They include:

  • Active user participation.
  • Empowered teams that can make decisions.
  • An emphasis on recurrent product delivery.
  • Incremental and iterative development to guarantee convergence on a precise administration resolution.
  • Reversible changes during development.
  • High-level baselined requirements.
  • Incorporated testing through the life cycle.
  • Cooperation and support between stakeholders.

Extreme programming is an unconventional yet cost effective system development method. This technique develops software in a very unstable environment with the goal of gaining modelling flexibility. This guarantees lower costs when applying chages to software. System requirements are determined upon commencement and can still be altered. The code employed is simple and easy to work with.

Recommendatsion for System Devlopment Method

Taking into consideration the available alternatives, a crystal methods approach would be best suited for this particular system. This methodology focuses on the relationship between the different elements so as to ensure and sustain productivity of the system. An object-oriented development falls under this category. This is because the objects are accentuated and the process mainly de-emphasized. This creates a model where different and distinctive objects that are made up of data and procedures.

This technique ideally suits the nature and structure of the information. The school management is mainly concerned with its relationships with the students via its different functional areas (departments). Owing to the fact that the system will entail different distinct elements, such an approach would ensure a well-defined relationship in terms of data and processes.

Landry, N. (2011).  Iterative & agile implementation methodologies in business intelligence . Place of publication not identified: Lulu Com.

Turban, E., Volonino, L., & Wood, G. (2013). Information technology for management: Advancing sustainable, profitable business growth (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

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Software Development Security Essay Samples

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Development , Software , Security , Organization , Management , Model , Patch , Business

Words: 1300

Published: 10/17/2022

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There are different Software Development Life Cycle models such as build and fix models, waterfall model, V-model, Prototyping, incremental model, spiral model, Rapid application development model, and agile model. All these models deal with the following phases: 1) Requirements gathering, 2) Design, 3) Development, 4) Testing/Validation, and 5) Implementation/release/maintenance. Some of the SSDLCs that have been proposed include MS Security Development Lifecycle (MS SDL), NIST 800-64, OWASP CLASP (Comprehensive, Lightweight Application Security Process), and Cigital’s Security Touchpoints. The traditional SDLC model has security testing in the testing phase, which usually results in too many issues detected too late. So the SSDLC proposes that security be considered at all phases. The SSDLC start with a project plan and a security plan to ensure that all the phases are executed properly. A core security training can precede all other activities. The requirement gathering phase is utilized to gather security requirements with respect to confidentiality, integrity, and availability along with the project requirements. This should be followed by security risk assessment as well as privacy risk assessment with respect to the vulnerabilities and threats, the probabilities of exploitation and the consequences. This is followed by privacy risk assessment and private risk rating is assigned. The security risk acceptance levels are defined. The design phase is used to accomplish attack surface analysis and threat modeling. The attack surface analysis identifies the amount of code that and functionality that can be made accessible to untrusted users. Threat modeling allows an understanding of various threats that can affect the code and how the resulting program can be compromised . During the coding phase, only approved tools and approved options for the tools are used, all interfaces and APIs are analysis and unsafe interfaces are not used. Static code analysis is used to ensure correct coding practices are followed. In the testing/validation phase a separation of environment (production, development, and testing) is ensured. Dynamic analysis is used by running the code with the help of tools to find issues. Fuzzers are used to induce failure to detect flaws and failures. This is followed by an attack surface review that ensures that any changes to the design and implementation changes do not introduce new attack surfaces. For the release phase, and incident response plan is created and security service plans are created to handle the problems due to code inherited from other groups. A final security review is conducted and then the code is archived after it is released. During the maintenance phase, the incident response plan is executed . It is suggested that a Software Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) be used as a framework for developing software. The goal of CMMI is to establish an effective software development infrastructure and engineering principles in an organization so that they can achieve continuous improvement through sustained effort and focus. It addresses all the phases of the software development process such as the requirements gathering and analysis, concept definition, design, development, installation, and maintenance. Security engineering practices can be evaluated and improved upon. This helps a software development vendor to develop from an organization that has ad hoc processes to an organization that has continuous process improvements so that the software process quality improves, the lifecycle of development is reduced, and allows to exhibit more proactive approach. It provides the organization best practices and a standardized approach to develop software at the organization level. There are five levels of CMM, each with a level of maturity of the processes. The “Initial” level has ad hoc processes, so there are no defined processes or very few defined processes and success depends on individual effort. There is no assurance of quality as the results are unpredictable. All organizations are at this level initially. The “Repeatable” level has the basic project management processes, change control, quality assurance processes defined and established. Schedule, cost, and functionality can be tracked and the processes for similar applications can be repeated for each project. There are no formal defined process models. The next level is “Defined” where the management and engineering processes for software projects are defined and integrated in to the software development lifecycle and related processes. This will be at the organization level. Individual projects use this process directly or a tailored version of it, based on the individual project’s requirements for developing and maintaining the software. The organization has established the ground work for quantitative process improvement. The fourth level is “Managed” level. The software process and product are quantitatively measured and controlled. The measures for understanding and controlling the software process and product are defined, collected, analyzed to achieve this. This is fed into the process-improvement program. The fifth level is “Optimizing”, which enables continuous process improvement by quantitative feedback from the process where the collection of metrics for understanding and controlling the process are institutionalized. These measures are used to improve the process and the metrics collected again. This is repeated again and again so that there is a continuous improvement. An organization should constitute a patch and vulnerability group (PVG), which is the central point for vulnerability remediation. Its duties include OS and application patching, configuration changes, inventory the organizations hardware, operating systems, and software applications, monitor different sources for vulnerability announcements, patch and non-patch remediation, threat vectors, prioritize the remediation efforts, conduct testing, and train administrators on how to apply the patches or remediation. They should also look at the appropriate automated patch management tools that can expedite the process and deploy them in a phased manner. They should assess and mitigate the risks of using those automated patch management tools and standardize the configurations for the organization wide patch management tools. The effectiveness of these tools is continuously measured and corrective actions are applied when needed. Software Configuration Management (SCM) automates the change control process. A product that is used for SCM provides a methodical control of changes of the software products so that traceability and integrity of the software product is maintained. The project plan should specify the configuration management plan and the SCM should be used to enforce it. The SCM ensures accountability. It is recommended that central code repositories are maintained so that SCM can track and enforce version control as well as manage concurrency, versioning, and synchronization. Advanced algorithms are used to merge changes in a file when multiple users check in and check out software products. Enabling versioning also helps rollback to any of the previous versions. An archive copy of any file that is checked into the SCM system can be made and a log can be created as to what the changes were, who made the changes, and when they were made. Some SCMs allow check out of partial or complete copies of repositories by individuals to work on the files. They can later be committed to the master repository. They can also update their personal copies of the repositories that they have checked out. This is done through the process of synchronization.

Cigital. (2016, january 21). SSDLC 101: What Is the Secure Software Development Life Cycle? Retrieved from cigital.com: https://www.cigital.com/blog/what-is-the-secure-software-development-lifecycle/ Eric Conrad, S. M. (2010). CISSP Study Guide. (K. Riggins, Ed.) Burlington, MA: Syngress. Harris, S. (2013). All-in-one CISSP Exam Guide (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies. Microsoft. (2016, February 14). What is the Security Development Lifecycle. Retrieved from microsoft.com: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sdl/default.aspx Peter Mell, T. B. (2013). Creating a patch and vulnerability management program: Recommendations of the NIST (Special Publication 800-40 v2.0) . Gaithersburg, MD: NIST.

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  2. Software Development Essays (Examples)

    A Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a series of steps or processes that are undertaken to develop a software product. In general, the activities or processes include gathering the requirements, design, implementation, testing, documenting and maintenance. The exact process depends to a large extent on the SDLC model used.

  3. 292 Ideas, Examples, and Topics: Software

    This paper provides concrete advantages and disadvantages of using qualitative software programs in general (CAQDAS). Internet Explorer: Software Reviewing. Internet explorer is available with the Microsoft operating systems interfaces. There are various important components on the example of an internet files window.

  4. Software Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines

    Agile Software Development. Agile software development is a popular software development process or methodology that has gained a lot of popularity in the recent years due to its effectiveness and ease of use. Firstly, it encourages collaboration and teamwork throughout the life cycle of development and this makes it easy to plan and implement.

  5. College Essay Tips for Software Engineering Programs

    Essays for Software Engineering. For many college applications, you'll write essays in addition to the Common App personal statement. These prompts will often ask you about what you're planning on pursuing at the college. This article will give you practical advice for explaining your interest in software engineering. "Why This . . .".

  6. Free Coding & Programming Essay Examples and Topics

    A specialist can even use a text editor to write a code. On the contrary, programming consists in using special tools and appropriate devices. Coders should know proper syntax and keywords, while programmers have to learn a lot more information. We will write a custom essay specifically for you. for only 11.00 9.35/page.

  7. Software Development: Integrated Perspective Essay

    Model-driven software development: Technology, engineering, management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. This essay, "Software Development: Integrated Perspective" is published exclusively on IvyPanda's free essay examples database. You can use it for research and reference purposes to write your own paper.

  8. Software Development Essay Examples

    33 samples on this topic. Our essay writing service presents to you an open-access directory of free Software Development essay samples. We'd like to stress that the showcased papers were crafted by proficient writers with proper academic backgrounds and cover most various Software Development essay topics.

  9. Software Development Essays (Examples)

    View our collection of software development essays. Find inspiration for topics, titles, outlines, & craft impactful software development papers. Read our software development papers today!

  10. Essay-Driven Software Development · Milan Nankov

    Now let's focus on how essays can help you become a better software engineer, CTO, startup founder, you name it. Essay-Driven Software Development # The process as a whole is simple and boils down to creating an essay for every feature/idea and trying your best to explain why that particular thing should be built and how.

  11. Software Development Essay Examples

    Browse essays about Software Development and find inspiration. Learn by example and become a better writer with Kibin's suite of essay help services. > Home . Software Development Essay Examples. staff pick. graded. words. page. Company ... We use cookies to provide the best possible experience on our site.

  12. Essay on Software Engineering

    100 Words Essay on Software Engineering Introduction to Software Engineering. Software Engineering is a branch of computer science that deals with the design, development, and maintenance of software systems. It combines principles of engineering, computing, project management, and software design.

  13. Best Software Engineering Books Every Developer Must Read!

    The Best Books on Software Development. Let's have a look at some of the best books on software development: 2.1. Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler ... The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Frederick P. Brooks Jr. This book, a seminal work in software engineering, explores the challenges and ...

  14. 188 Software Essay Topics & Research Titles at StudyCorgi

    The task of this paper is to use SPSS to carry out a descriptive analysis of data. E-Commerce Software and Its Basic Functions. E-commerce software is the operating system of an online store. With the assistance of e-commerce software, it is possible to distinguish among the representatives of the industry.

  15. Essay On Software Development

    Good Essays. 1947 Words. 8 Pages. Open Document. Software Development has evolved immensely over the past few decades and especially in the past few years. We have seen an increase in the demand for software across all platforms. Electronic device usage is growing worldwide and every one of those devices requires software whether it has a user ...

  16. What is Software Development?

    Software Development is defined as the process of designing, creating, testing, and maintaining computer programs and applications. Software development plays an important role in our daily lives. It empowers smartphone apps and supports businesses worldwide. According to the U.S. Bure­au of Labor Statistics, there is a projecte­d 21% ...

  17. The Future of Software Development Research Paper

    Software Development: Agile vs. Traditional. Informatica Economica, 17 (4), 64-75. This research paper, "The Future of Software Development" is published exclusively on IvyPanda's free essay examples database. You can use it for research and reference purposes to write your own paper.

  18. (PDF) Reflective Essays in Software Engineering

    [email protected]. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. N. Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300. Abstract - Software engineering education has evolved. over the past ten years as understanding of the ...

  19. Software Methodologies Essay

    Open Document. Software methodologies have evolved over the last 50 years and this paper discusses the various methodologies and their use for process control of software projects. This comparison will cover the names of the different types and the key functional changes that have taken place from one type to the next and why they were developed.

  20. 30 best practices for software development and testing

    Joining any new company—with an established culture and programming practices—can be a daunting experience. When I joined the Ansible team, I decided to write up the software engineering practices and principles I've learned over the years and to which I strive to work. This is a non-definitive, non-exhaustive list of principles that should be applied with wisdom and flexibility.

  21. Best Practice Methodology in Software Development Essay

    In software development, a best practice is a well-defined method that contributes to a successful step in product development. Throughout the software industry, several best practices are widely followed. Some of the more commonly used are: an iterative development process, requirement management, quality control, and change control.

  22. Software Development Methodologies, Research Paper Example

    The most notable and widely applicable software development methods include; 1) Agile Software Development, 2) Crystal Methods and 3) Dynamic Sysytems Development. Crystal Methods. This technique concentrates on the social aspects of the system, i.e. interaction, people, skills, community, communications, and talent.

  23. Sample Essay On Software Development Security

    There are different Software Development Life Cycle models such as build and fix models, waterfall model, V-model, Prototyping, incremental model, spiral model, Rapid application development model, and agile model. All these models deal with the following phases: 1) Requirements gathering, 2) Design, 3) Development, 4) Testing/Validation, and 5 ...

  24. Best Free Mobile App Development Software

    In this article, we will examine free mobile application development software, its benefits, and the best free app development software. Pro-tip When exploring free and open-source mobile app development software, carefully prioritize your project's requirements and evaluate if it has an active community, as it ensures access to helpful ...