CPSC 4900 Exam 3 Questions With Verified Answers

Why is Software Evolution important? - Answer Companies and organizations rely on their software systems. These software systems become a critical asset, so evolution keeps this asset in line with the needs of the organization What are the stages in the system evolution process? - Answer 1. Impact analysis 2. Release planning 3. Change implementation 4. System release What triggers the system evolution process to begin? - Answer Change requests Why might it sometimes be necessary to bypass the normal change management system and make urgent changes to the system? - Answer - Serious system fault - Changes to the operating environment - Unanticipated business changes What are the fundamental elements of a legacy system? - Answer - Support software - System hardware - Application software - Application data - Business policies & rules - Business processes Why is it expensive and risky to replace legacy systems with new ones? - Answer - Rarely a complete specification - Business processes & legacy systems are intertwined - Business rules can be embedded in the software and not documented elsewhere - New software dev is risky in many ways What are the strategic options for legacy system evolution? - Answer - Scrap it - Leave it - Re-engineer it - Replace all or part of it What are the 3 types of software maintenance - Answer 1. Fault repairs 2. Environmental Adaptation 3. Functionality Addition What factors should be assessed to understand the relationship between a system and its environment? - Answer - The number and complexity of system interfaces - The number of inherently volatile system requirements - The business processes in which the system is used What process metrics might be used to assess maintainability? - Answer -Num of requests for corrective maintenance -Avg time required for impact analysis -Avg time taken to implement a change request -Num outstanding change requests