Process improvement
CMM
CMM 1a.Watts Humphrey describes 5 level of process improvement. Describe the 5
levels
CMM 1b Describe the key process areas to move from level two CMM to level three
CMM.
CMM 2. Describe some difficulties with the CMM.
ESTIMATION
Estimation General 1 According to Boehm, there are seven major techniques for
estimating software costs in use today. Describe N of these strategies giving their
strengths and weaknesses.
Estimation General 1a. In what ways, if any, are algorithmic models subjective, rather
than objective?
Estimation General 2 Humphrey talks of Wide band Delphi as an improvement over
expert judgment. Describe the steps in Wide Band Delphi.
Estimation General 3. Explain the difference between SLOC, weighted SLOC, and
function points.
Estimation General 4. Discuss one criticism of each of the following models of project
estimation:
SLOC,
COCOMO,
function points.
Estimation General 5. Boehm Describe the Parkinson and price-to-win strategies for
project estimation.
Estimation General 6 What is a Rayleigh curve and how is it used in project estimation?
Estimation General 7 McConnell gives a series of criteria that he asserts characterizes
"good project estimation plans". Pick any three, and discuss, briefly, one thing that could
go wrong if the criterion you pick is not observed.
COCOMO
Estimation COCOMO1. Describe the process factors used to model impacts on
productivity in COCOMO
Estimation COCOMO 2. Describe the environmental factors …COCOMO
Estimation COCOMO 3. Describe the personnel factors …COCOMO
Estimation COCOMO 4. What is meant by the notion of "organic" and "embedded"
projects? Which were considered more difficult?
Estimation COCOMO 5. COCOMO is an exponential model of project estimation.
What was the rationale for defining the model as an exponential one?
Estimation COCOMO 6. What 2 weaknesses of COCOMO is COCOMO II designed to
address.
Estimation COCOMO 7 What three factors are considered in the COCOMO model of
project estimation?
FUNCTION POINTS (FP)
Estimation FP 1 Name and describe each of the elements that are counted in an FP
analysis.
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-. for each component, count the number of external input types, external
output types, external inquiry types, external interface types, and
logical
internal file types (master files).
Estimation FP 2 Describe N criticisms of Albrecht’s Function point methodology.
Estimation FP 2a What modifications are needed to adopt Function points to GUI
Estimation techniques?
Estimation FP 2b What does the Mark II (Symons approach) add to FP?
Estimation FP 2c What are some strengths of FPS?
Estimation FP2d What new metrics does FP provide?
RISK MANAGEMENT Boehm, Hall, Etc
RISK 1 What are the basic steps of Risk Management according to Boehm
RISK 2 Describe N Risk analysis techniques.
RISK 2a What is Risk exposure?
Risk 2b What is Risk Leverage and how is it calculated?
RISK 3 Describe N Risk Mitigation techniques.
RISK 3a What is an isolation layer and what risks does it mitigate?
Risk 3 b How does risk mitigation differ from risk transfer?
RISKS 4. What risks does Cockburn associate with relational databases? What
strategies does he suggest using to overcome these risks?
Risk 5. What role do thresholds play in Hall's model of risk management? What is the
risk of not using thresholds?
Risk 6. What are the elements of a risk action plan?
PLANNING
Planning 1. How do Gantt charts differ from PERT charts?
Planning 1a. What is a critical path and what is a weakness of critical path analysis?
Planning 1b. What is CPM and what are its strengths and weaknesses?
Monitoring
Monitoring 1What are five function point metrics that can be used to monitor progress?
Monitoring 2.Describe the details of these techniques, including some discussion of their
strengths and weaknesses: Inspections, Walkthroughs, clean room, audit.
Monitoring 3. Give one argument for, and one argument against, detailed tracking of
software projects.
Controlling: Configuration Management (CM)
CM 1.What are the four major elements of configuration management (according to
Bersoff, Pressman, and other)? Name and describe these elements and say why they are
important to software project management
- identification, control, audit, and status accounting
CM 2. It is important to manage change to control it bad features. What are the bad
features of change CM tries to control?
CM 3 McConnell and other describe a five step procedure for handling change control.
What are those steps?
CM 4, Describe 6 factors used in evaluating a change requestAssessment
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Assessment 1 What is the difference in auditing –measuring progress in an XP project
and a spiral model. project
Assessment 2 What 3 elements does McConnell argue are critical for a project to
succeed?
Organization Structure and Teams
Structure 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of an application, functional, matrix,
project organization?
Structure 2 What are the strengths and weakness of a chief programmer team as defined
by Mills?
Structure 3. What is the difference between a team structures in an XP project and an
typical chief programmer team, a democratic team.?
Structure 4. There is distinction between 4 organizational structures or "organizational
patterns for projects". Name and describe the 4 structures. Describe the objectives for
each and describe their respective strengths and weaknesses as organizations for SPM.
Structure 5 There are 3 types of program team organizations. Name and describe each
of these teams being sure to include the positive and negative aspects of each program
team organization.
Management methods
1. Agile Methods of software development
2. Give one advantage of the waterfall method of software development.
3. Give one advantage of the iterative (i.e., spiral) model of software
development.
Tools
Describe the form and discuss the use of the following work visualization tools
in project planning.
-. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
-. Gantt chart
-. PERT chart
Maintenance Software maintenance has been characterized (by Pressmen and Collefello)
as being of four distinct types. Name and describe these four type of maintenance.
Describe the special risks for each type of maintenance described by Pressman and
Colleffello.
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