August
1997 QUESTION 2 Total Marks: 20 Marks |
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| 2. | (a) A specification document can be thought of as a formal document that states clearly the functional and performance requirements of a software system. Explain carefully what is meant by the words "functional" and "performance" in this context. | [4] |
| (b) One of the Specification Principles states: | ||
A specification should be localized and loosely coupled. |
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| In your own words, explain what this means in relation to the specification. | [2] | |
| (c) The prototyping paradigm is a popular life-cycle model that allows for the refinement of specifications. With the aid of a diagram, explain the different steps in this life-cycle. | [9] | |
| (d) It is often thought that the time taken to develop a software system using the prototyping paradigm is longer than would be taken using the classical life-cycle. Using your understanding of the prototyping life-cycle, explain why this might be true. | [2] | |
| (e) Requirement analysis methods are used to derive a precise and independent description of the software elements of a computer-based system. There are several different Requirement Analysis methods that can be used. State and briefly explain any two common characteristics that are shared by all such methods. | [3] |