ECE Engineering Assignment 1 Solution

    1. (5 pts total) Write a 1-1.5 page review of the Chapter 6 entitled "Passing the Word" from the “Mythical Man-Month” book by Frederick P. Brooks Jr. Your review should consist of three parts:
        1. (1 pt) Description of main contributions of this paper (one paragraph)
        2. (1 pt) Presentation of your criticisms of this paper, including your opinions and insights about the ideas presented by the authors (one paragraph)
        3. Answers to the following questions:
            1. (1 pt) Give three characteristics that describe a good manual style, as described at the beginning of the chapter. The author says that manual (specification) can be written using formal and/or informal style. Which of these two styles would you choose as a primary standard and why, given the three characteristics? Your answer should be up to 3 sentences long.
            2. (1 pt) Author identifies two types of meetings as especially effective. List them including the people involved in them. Your answer should be up to 3 sentences long.
            3. (1 pt) According to the author, why do we need an independent product-testing organization to check implementation against specification? Do you agree with the author? Explain. Your answer should be up to 3 sentences long.

    2. (5 pts total) Write a 1-1.5 page review of the “Requirements Engineering: The State of the Practice” by Colin J. Neill and Phillip A. Laplante. Your review should consist of three parts:

        1. (1 pt) Description of main contributions of this paper (one paragraph)
        2. (1 pt) Presentation of your criticisms of this paper, including your opinions and insights about the ideas presented by the authors (one paragraph)
        3. Answers to the following five questions:
            1. (0.6 pt) According to the survey, which lifecycle model is used the most frequently for software projects that last for:
                1. up to two years, and
                2. more than two years?
Explain why you think different models are used in the above two situations? Your answer should be up to 3 sentences long.
    2. (0.6 pt) How many responders, in percent, performed prototyping? Which type of prototyping has been identified as a most frequent? Give two reasons that, in your opinion, contribute to popularity of this particular type of prototyping. Your answer should be up to 3 sentences long
    3. (0.6 pt) According to the survey, what are the top three most popular methods for elicitation of users’ requirements? Which of them would you use in your project and why? Your answer should be up to 4 sentences long.

    4. (0.6 pt) According to the survey, is the informal modelling of the requirements more popular than the formal representations? Explain why you think one of these representations is more popular than the other. Your answer should be up to 2 sentences long.
    5. (0.6 pt) Is it true that according to the survey longer projects were less often finished on time and within the budget? Your answer should a simple Yes or No.
NOTES
Use a separate, clearly marked paragraph for each of the three parts of each review; number your answers to the questions.
    • Please observe the limits on the length of the answers.
    • Note that in the second part we ask for your personal criticism. This section must have substance.