COLORADO TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

 

COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

 

CS 641

Software Requirements Engineering

 

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

 

Professor: Dr. Mendi Mullett

E-Mails: classworx@hotmail.com

Phone: (303) 638-6049

 

 

 

VERSION 1.0, Fall 2003

Table Of Contents

 

SUBJECT	SECTION
CS 641 Course Data	0
Course Description	I
Course Goals & Objectives	II
Course Methods	III
Text & References	IV
Criteria For Evaluation	V
General Course Policies	VI
Instructor Information	VII
Course Outline	VIII

 

0. CS 641 COURSE DATA:

 

1. Course Title: Requirements Engineering
2. Course Number: CS641
3. General prerequisites: (CS465 and CS471) or (CS500A and CS500B)
4. Credit: 4 Credit Hours
5. Professor: Dr. Mendi Mullett (classworx@hotmail.com (303) 638-6049)

 

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

 

Provides foundations in the techniques used to specify and design systems of software and hardware components. Included are topics in eliciting requirements and creating a requirements document, development of a system specification, prototyping and modeling

 

II. COURSE GOALS & OBJECTIVES:

 

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

 

A.     Select a requirements approach

B.     Describe the root causes of project success and failure

C.     Compare requirements development differences in relationship to various software lifecycle models

D.     Specify team skills that can be used to facilitate effective requirements management

E.      Make effective contributions in discussions about project scope and requirements development needs

F.      Decide when to use Business Modeling

G.     Describe barriers to completing requirements elicitation

H.     Select effective interviewing techniques aligned with the stakeholders and user needs.

I.        Actively achieve idea reduction for developing a best set of requirements

J.       Explain the value of storyboards

K.    Create and interpret effective Use Cases

L.      Organize requirements information and develop requirements documents

M.   Specify atomic requirements in aligned with testability

N.    Participate as a strategic and operational contributor in the feedback loops of software development teams

O.    Explain requirements traceability concerns

P.      Converse with both technical and business concerns regarding organizational and technological change management involving requirements changes

Q.    Assess and audit requirements quality

R.     Describe risk mitigation requirements  associated with effective requirements practices

 

 

III. COURSE METHODS:

 

• Professor lectures and class discussions on selected topics.
• Reading assignments from textbook.
• Practical in-class exercises and participation.
• Team-oriented projects and presentations.

• 4 hours of outside project effort per lesson.

 

IV. TEXT AND REFERENCES:

 

Leffingwell, Dean and Don Widrig, 2003, Managing Software Requirements A Use Case Approach, Addison-Wesley (ISBN – 0-321-12247-X).

 

SUGGESTED READINGS:

 

Leffingwell, Dean and Don Widrig, 2000, Managing Software Requirements A Unified Approach, San Francisco, Addison-Wesley (ISBN – 0201615932).

 

Pressman, R. S., 1997, Software Engineering: A Practitioner’s Approach, 4^th Edition,  New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.

 

 

V. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION (1000 POINTS TOTAL):

 

Your grade in this course will be based upon the accumulation of points, which will be distrib­uted in this manner:

                       

                       

Exam 1                                                             100 Points

            Exam 2                                                             100 Points

            In-Class Exercises (8 at 50 Points Each)                       400 Points

            Project Documentation (6 parts at 50 Points Each)        300 Points

            Project Presentation      (50 points student grade,

                                                  50 points team grade) 100 Points

 

            Total Points                                                                1000 Points    

           

GRADING SCALE:

 

900-1000         Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . A

850-899           Points . . . . . . . . . . . . .B+

800-849           Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . B

750-799           Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . C+

700-749           Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . C

650-699           Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . D+

600-649           Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . D

<600                Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . F

Incomplete                                           I

Pass                                                     P

Proficiency Credit                                 PR

Satisfactory                                          S

Unsatisfactory                                       US

Withdraw                                             W

 

 

GRADING CRITERIA – MASTER’S LEVEL:

Master's level courses are designed to provide students with the opportunity to prepare for the challenges of management by developing their knowledge, judgment, analytical thinking, and decision-making skills. Grading of student work is based on the student's performance in the classroom as well as the level of achievement on out-of-class projects/assignments. The level of proficiency is indicated by:

Grade A
Percentage 90-100
Level of Proficiency Indicates a superior grasp of the subject - completes ALL assignments with graduate quality in a timely manner.

Grade B+
Percentage 85-89
Level of Proficiency Indicates a good grasp of the subject - completes MOST of the assignments with graduate quality in a timely manner.

Grade B
Percentage 80-84
Level of Proficiency Indicates a good grasp of the subject - completes SOME of the assignments with graduate quality in a timely manner.

Grade C+
Percentage 75-79
Level of Proficiency Indicates a marginal level of achievement - completes FEW assignments with graduate quality in a timely manner.

Grade C or below
Percentage 00-74

Level of Proficiency Indicates an unsatisfactory grasp of the subject matter; student must retake the course and should consider some undergraduate programs to improve in the area of study.

Due to the fast-paced nature of graduate courses, students must hand-in their completed work within the timeframes identified in the course syllabus. Late work will result in a loss of points. Students are reminded that work for this course requires both "individual" and "team" work and that nothing less than a student's best work will be accepted. As students pursue completion of graduate courses at CTU, they are expected to be working towards establishing skills that demonstrate their proficiency as lifelong learners and critical thinkers, which includes the ability to read, research, understand, synthesize, and present findings. English language grammar, punctuation, and spelling standards for all assignments are expected to be quality, professional, graduate level work.

 

VI. GENERAL COURSE POLICIES:

 

(1)   Please be considerate of your classmates by being on time for class, paying attention and contributing to class efforts, and not reading outside materials during class. As you know, it is disruptive to have other students wandering in after class has started or shuffling through other course materials, or newspapers. 

 

(2)   Plagiarism or cheating will not be tolerated regardless of any other performance considerations.  In terms of any form of academic dishonesty, please do not put me in the position of having to confront you or having to refer the matter to university officials. 

  

(3)   Assignments, presentations, etc. are due on the date scheduled.  As in the business world, work has to be received on time to count. If you are late on an assignment, you can still turn it in with a deduction in grade of 10% per day late. If you discuss your situation at least 24 hours in advance, extensions without penalty can be arranged. After two weeks late it will not be accepted.

 

(4)   All written work unless otherwise specified must be typed. The format for papers at Colorado Technical University is A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6^th edition, by Kate L. Turabian.  A second allowable format is the APA CTU Standards. The Turabian and APA manuals can be found on the Colorado Technical University library web site. Papers not submitted in Turabian or APA format will be returned and assessed a grade reduction of 10%.

 

(5)   If you have any condition, such as a physical or learning disability, which will make it difficult for you in this particular class and will require special accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible. 

 

MY COMMITMENT TO THE COURSE:

 

I am committed to making this course a valuable learning experience for you.  If you will make known to me your objectives for the course, I will do everything I can to help you achieve them.  I will provide you with my expectations on assignments and I encourage you to feel free to ask about anything I haven’t made clear or that you don’t understand.

 

I encourage you to come to attend my office hours as often as possible ½ hour before class and ½ hour after class.  The best way for me to help you get the most out of this course is to get your feedback on how things are going.  If my office hours conflict with your schedule, please give me a call or e-mail and we can arrange to meet at a time that is mutually convenient.

 

VII. INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

Instructor:      Dr. Mendi Mullett                         Work Phone: (303) 638-6049                         E-mail: classworx@hotmail.com   D.M. Management                                           Colorado Technical University Masters Data Processing Management Certificate University of Denver M.C.I.S. Computer Information Systems            University of Denver B.S. Computer Science                                    University of Wyoming

 

Notes:

Dr. Mullett is an adjunct professor with 20 years of Business Management and IT Consulting experience. She has facilitated projects in the areas of IT innovation, e-Business, telecom, global marketing, healthcare, office automation, expert systems, oil & gas, chemicals, hazardous materials, real-time maintenance control systems, demographics, continuous quality improvement, and operations.

A pioneer in the area of Knowledge Management and Strategic Planning, she was nominated to the International Business and Professional Women's Hall of Fame in 1999. Since 1989, she was named to International Who's Who of Business and Professional Women, Who's Who of U. S. Business and Professional Women, Who's Who in the Computer Industry, Who's Who in Female Executives, and Who's Who in Communications and the Media.

Dr. Mullett received her Doctor of Management degree from Colorado Technical University. Her post-graduate Certificate in Data Processing Management and the Master of Computer

 

Information Systems degrees were earned at the University of Denver. The undergraduate degree of B. S. Computer Science was conferred from the University of Wyoming.

She is a member of the Knowledge Management Consortium Int'l, Colorado Internet Keiretsu, IEEE, Association of Computing Machinery, National Association of Female Executives, Academy of Management, American Management Association, and the Inventor's Bureau.

Dr. Mullett regularly provides introductory lectures on Knowledge Management and Collaborative Organizational Strategy. She has taught courses in e-business, management, marketing, computer languages, hazardous materials and geography (Geographic Information Systems), object-oriented analysis and design, quality assurance, project management, web design, and electronic forms authorization systems. She loves developing innovative ideas that help businesses to grow and people to create.

 

VIII. OUTLINE OF CLASSES AND ASSIGNMENTS:

 

 

*This syllabus will serve as a guide, but it is tentative and subject to revision depending on how the semester progresses.  If any adjustments are made, they of course will be  made in class.