Systems Engineering and Software Engineering

Software is usually prominent in modern systems architectures and is often the glue for integrating complex system components. Software engineering and systems engineering are not merely related disciplines; they are intimately intertwined (see Systems Engineering and Other Disciplines).

The SEBoK explicitly recognizes and embraces the intertwining between SE and SwE, which includes defining the relationship between the SEBoK and the Guide to The Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK), which is published by the IEEE (Abran et al. 2004). [external link: http://www.swebok.org]

This knowledge area describes the nature of software, provides an overview of the 2004 SWEBOK Guide, describes the concepts that are shared by systems engineers and software engineers, and indicates the similarities and difference in how software engineers and systems engineers apply those concepts and use common terminology.

Topics

The Systems Engineering and Software Engineering knowledge area contains the following topics:

• The Nature of Software
• An Overview of the SWEBOK Guide
• Software Engineering and Systems Engineering: Similarities and Differences

Future Version 1.0 Additions

For the Version 1.0 of the SEBoK we will focus this section on what a systems engineer needs to know about software engineering, and vice versa, to do his/her job better. Topics being considered are:

• What an SE needs to know about managing the software team supporting him/her:
  • How to write software requirements and how they differ from regular requirements
  • Acquisition issues peculiar to software
  • Contracting for SW
  • SW productivity and cost norms / rules of thumb
  • SW metrics: e.g. SLOC, DCTI costs, defect density
  • Validation and verification of software: similarities and differences from hardware
  • Definition and measures of software quality
  • How to manage SW risk, schedule, and cost
  • SW re-use: costs, benefits, perils
  • SW integration and interoperability: strategies, measures, risks, and costs
• What an SE needs to know about software engineering in general:
  • Service oriented architectures, and what they mean for SE
  • Model driven software development
  • Data rights
  • Data modeling
  • Interfaces
  • Cyber security issues, assurance, strategies, and costs
  • SW in a systems of systems environment: issues and strategies.
  • Real time embedded systems
  • Simulation of SW performance
  • Resilient SW
  • Agile SW
  • Open architecture: issues, strategies, risks, costs, benefits.
  • CMMI
  • Current advances in SW engineering
  • SW benchmarks

References

Citations

Abran et al. 2004. SWEBOK: Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge. Piscataway, New Jersey: The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc.

Brooks, Fred. 1995. The Mythical Man-Month, Anniversary Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Addison Weslley Longman Inc.

Fairley, Richard E. 2009. Managing and Leading Software Projects. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.

Primary References

Abran et al. 2004. SWEBOK: Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge. Piscataway, New Jersey: The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc.

Brooks, Fred. 1995. The Mythical Man-Month, Anniversary Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Addison Weslley Longman Inc.

Fairley, Richard E. 2009. Managing and Leading Software Projects. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.

Additional References

No additional references have been identified for version 0.5. Please provide any recommendations on additional references in your review.

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Signatures

--Bkcase 19:07, 22 August 2011 (UTC) (on behalf of Dick Fairley)

--Asquires 14:08, 2 September 2011 (UTC)