UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2013/2014
ORDINARY EXAMINATION FOR THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BIT 2106 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES (DAY)
DATE: APRIL, 2014 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question ONE and any other TWO
QUESTION ONE
a) Define the term CASE stating two categories of CASE (4 Marks)
b) Describe the following software product requirements (4 Marks)
i. Dependability.
ii. Maintainability
c) Software change is inevitable. Describe using example four sources of change in
software. (4 Marks)
d) Suppose that you are carrying out the software validation activity. Differentiate
between the following activities, explaining when each takes place and its
importance. Use examples where applicable.
i. Verification and Validation (4 Marks)
ii. Static verification and dynamic verification. (4 Marks)
e) Read the following scenario and answer the questions that follow:
Kenya Commercial Bank requires a new ATM system to be called KCBSYSY. You
and assigned the responsibility to establish the systems requirements for KCBSYSY
using the viewpoint technique.
Required:
i. What do you understand by the term “requirement engineering” (2 Marks)
ii. Giving two examples, describe the various viewpoints that must be included
in the KCBSYS (8 Marks)
QUESTION TWO
a) Write the following document is full and describe their purpose (4 Marks)
i. SRS
ii. SDS
b) Describe four types of software maintenance. (8 Marks)
c) Assume that you are a system analyst and charged with the assignment of
requirements validation. Answer the following questions that follow:
i. Explain what you understand by the term requirements validation. (2 Marks)
ii. Why do you think that requirement validation is important? (2 Marks)
d) Define the term software engineering methods stating what it constitutes. (4 Marks)
QUESTION THREE
a) Define a critical system (2 Marks)
b) Describe three types of critical systems (6 Marks)
c) Differentiate between product and process quality emphasising on the importance of
each. (4 Marks)
d) State and explain two products metrics as well as two process metrics. (4 Marks)
d) Poor user interface design is the reason why so many software systems are never
used. State and explain four human factors that you would take into consideration
when designing a user interface. (4 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR
a) Define the term prototyping (2 Marks)
b) Discuss four benefits of prototyping approach of developing software (4 Marks)
c) Assumes that you are designing Banking Information System. You and your team are
debating two between two design approaches: Distributed System Vs Centralized
System. Your team is insisting on the centralized approach. You need to convince
them on the benefits of designing the system using the distributed approach. Discuss
six points that you would put across. (6 Marks)
d) Differentiate between black box testing and white box testing (4 Marks)
e) Discuss the generic activities common to all software processes. (4 Marks)
QUESTION FIVE
a) Architectural design is the design process for identifying the sub-systems making up a
system and the framework for sub-system control and communication. Using
examples and diagrams describe the two styles of control in a distributed system.
(12 Marks)
b) Describe what a Distributed System is. (2 Marks)
c) Suppose you are the project manager of a software project due to start soon in your
organization. You are charged with the responsibility to prepare the budget. Describe
the six cost items you would put in budget the various software cost components
(6 Marks)
