Answers
TMA 01 Questions and Answers for TM354 20J | Software Engineering
- Institution
- The Open University (OU)
Questions and Answers for TMA 01 of TM354 20J | Software Engineering
[Show more]
1 review
By: setchie165 • 1 month ago
Content preview
Question 1 (20 marks) a.In Activity 5.1 you listened to the interview with Suzanne and James Robertson where
they try to communicate a balanced perspective on requirements within agile
software development.
For this question you will want to refer to the recording, provided in Study guide 5,
from the start through to 12 min 19 secs (if reading the transcript it is up to the point
where James Robertson says ‘... and I think that’s extremely healthy’).
(The recording is also available at http://www.se-radio.net/ 2012/ 09/ episode-188-
requirements-in-agile-projects/. Note that the timings are different in this version
and you should listen through to 12 min 53 secs).
Based on that section of the interview, explain what it means to be little ‘a’ agile (try
to make four distinct points, based on what the Robertsons say).
(4 marks)
b.The Manifesto for Agile Software Development sets out four values:
o Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
o Working software over comprehensive documentation
o Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
o Responding to change over following a plan.
Choose an agile development method for discussion. Your chosen method can
come from your work or your study, from your reading, or from an internet search.
Identify the source giving a reference where possible. Give the name of your
chosen method.
Taking each of the Manifesto values listed above as a heading, explain how your
chosen method demonstrates each one of these values.
Your answer must be mainly in your own words, with any quotations from third-party
sources (including the one given above) clearly indicated by quotation marks and
an appropriate reference. Up to 2 marks may be lost for not following this guideline.
Your answer should not exceed 500 words in total, excluding headings and
references but including quotations and citations. If you exceed this limit, 1 mark will
be deducted.
For citations and references follow the OU Harvard guide.
(12 marks)
c.Think about the method that you chose in part (b) in relation to the Robertsons’
discussion of big ‘A’ and little ‘a’ agile in the interview referred to in part (a). Is your
chosen method closer to a big ‘A’ or little ‘a’ approach? Briefly explain why using no
more than 200 words.
For this question you may want to listen to a little more of the recording, from the
start through to 25 min 4 secs (if reading the transcript it is up to the point where
James Robertson says 'How little can they actually get away with here?').
(4 marks)
,Questions 2, 3, 4 and 5 part (a) make use of an imaginary software system, the Pedal&Parcel
Software System, which is introduced below.
This example will also be used in TMA 02 and TMA 03 and runs as a unifying thread throughout
the assignments.
Pedal&Parcel
Pedal&Parcel current system
Pedal&Parcel, a small local company which delivers parcels door to door by bike, is looking to
expand its operations.
At present all orders are taken by telephone and processed manually (apart from payment card
verification, which is done online).
A client wishing to place an order first supplies a pickup address, the destination address to
which the parcel is to be delivered, and a date and time for the pickup.
The member of Pedal&Parcel staff dealing with the enquiry then checks the availability of a
cyclist for the requested delivery. If a cyclist cannot be found for the delivery the client is informed
and asked if they have any further requests. If they do not then the client is thanked and the
process terminates.
If the check is successful the member of Pedal&Parcel staff generates a quote, which the client
accepts or rejects. The client is then offered the opportunity to request further deliveries (once
again, the availability of a cyclist will be checked).
If the client has no further requests and has not accepted any quotes, then the Pedal&Parcel
person thanks the customer and the process terminates. If the client has no further requests and
has accepted one or more quotes then they are asked for their customer details.
If the customer is already registered then their order is placed immediately. Otherwise they need
to register, supplying a name, billing address, contact details, and a debit or credit card number
and card verification code. Once the card has been verified and the customer registered the
order is processed in the same way as for an existing customer.
Payment cards are verified by the Pedal&Parcel person while the customer is on the phone using
a portable card machine which is connected to a third-party payment system. If the card is
rejected then the customer is offered the opportunity to provide details for a different card.
If a card cannot be validated then the order cannot be placed, the customer is thanked and the
process terminates.
Pedal&Parcel Software System (P&PSS)
To support its expanded operations Pedal&Parcel now requires a computerised system that will
allow clients to place delivery orders online. The system will be known as the Pedal&Parcel
Software System (P&PSS).
A prospective client will visit the Pedal&Parcel home page and click through for a quote,
supplying the pickup and destination addresses, and the date and time of pickup. The system will
then check with a separate scheduling system whether or not a cyclist is available to meet the
customer’s requirements.
If a cyclist cannot be found for the delivery the client will be informed and the process will
terminate. Otherwise the system will calculate and display a quote, which the client may accept
by proceeding to checkout. If they do not proceed to checkout within 15 minutes their request will
time out and a message will be displayed informing them of this.
,At checkout they will be asked if they are already a customer, and if so, they will need to log in to
confirm their order.
If they are not already registered a customer will need to register, supplying a name, billing
address, email address, and a debit or credit card number. Once the card has been verified the
new customer will be sent a link via email and will be able to click this, choose a username and
password, and log in. They will then be able to confirm their order.
Once an order is confirmed the customer will be sent a printable confirmation in the form of a
PDF. The system will then pass the order details to a separate system which is responsible for
scheduling the cyclists.
Question 2 (20 marks)
In this question you are asked to complete selected sections of the Volere template for the
P&PSS.
The full template is very long and it would not be practical to complete it all, which is why we only
want you to fill in the parts we have indicated in the simplified version below.
a.Purpose of the product: how will the new system help Pedal&Parcel??
(2 marks)
b.Stakeholders: who are the stakeholders?
(2 marks)
c.Users of the product: who are the users?
(2 marks)
d.Naming conventions and definitions: discuss whether any terms from the description
above need to be added to the project glossary.
(2 marks)
e.Scope of the product: what are the boundaries of the system? (You only need to say
what the product will deal with and who will interact with its interfaces. You are not
expected to produce a use case diagram.)
(3 marks)
f.Functional requirements: identify three functional requirements for the P&PSS.
(3 marks)
g.Non-functional requirements: invent an example of a non-functional requirement that
might be associated with one of the functional requirements you identified in (f)
above. For this example:
o state the requirement
o say what category of non-functional requirement it belongs to
o provide a suitable fit criterion for the requirement.
(3 marks)
h.Project issues: choose any one of the project issues 18–26 listed on page 118 (section
6.1) of Unit 2 and invent an example that could apply to the P&PSS. Only a short
answer is expected.
, (3 marks)
Question 3 (20 marks)
In this question you will be interacting online with other members of your tutor group, using
the ShareSpace environment. You will need to make an early start on this question – at least two
weeks before the cut-off date of the TMA – in order to allow time for the online interactions with
your fellow students.
a.Draw an activity diagram to model the checkout process for the P&PSS. You can
assume that this process starts with the system displaying a quote for acceptance
by the client.
This is an initial draft, and while you should obviously try hard to get it right, what
you produce at first does not necessarily have to be perfect. You will have an
opportunity to improve it later if necessary, following feedback from fellow-students.
Once you have completed your diagram, make it available to other students in your
tutor group via ShareSpace. You should do this at least 2 weeks before the TMA
cut-off date [2 December 2020] to allow your fellow students time to comment.
Copy this diagram into your TMA document, labelling it ‘My initial model’.
Please note that you will be unable to view anyone else’s diagram until you have
uploaded your own.
(8 marks)
b.In ShareSpace, look at the activity diagrams from other students, and find two that
differ from yours. Try to choose diagrams which have not yet received many
comments from other students.
In ShareSpace write some comments on each of these diagrams, suggesting any
improvements which could be made to the model. Focus your attention on the
model which the diagram represents, rather than details of how the diagram is
presented.
You should do this at least a week before the TMA cut-off date to allow your fellow
students time to make use of your comments. Aim to write about 150 words of
comment per diagram.
Copy both sets of comments into your TMA document, labelling each of them
clearly ‘My comments to [your fellow student’s name]’
(6 marks)
c.Read the comments made by fellow students on your own initial model. Then create a
new model introducing any changes you wish to make and post this new version to
ShareSpace; do not replace the initial diagram. Copy your updated diagram into
your TMA document, labelling it ‘My updated model’.
In ShareSpace, add a comment to your new diagram explaining how and why you
have improved your original model. If you did not make any changes, please
explain why. Aim to write about 150 words.
Copy your comments into your TMA document, labelling them ‘My comments on
improving my model’.
(6 marks)
,Question 4 (25 marks)
In this question you will develop a use case model for the P&PSS based on the description of the
new system.
a.List the different actors, choosing appropriate role names for them.
(3 marks)
b.List the use cases, again choosing suitable names.
(5 marks)
c.Draw your corresponding use case model. Use a graphics package of your choice, the
drawing tools provided in a word-processor, or hand draw your diagram and scan or
photograph it.
Your diagram should include all the actors and use cases you identified in (a) and
(b) above. It should also show their associations. You may need to identify
relationships between use cases and/or between actors.
(8 marks)
d.Suppose the P&PSS is to be developed incrementally, starting with a functioning core
and adding a further two reasonably independent “chunks”. Suggest what in, your
opinion, should form the core, what other increments should follow - and in what
order. Give brief reasons for your answers.
(4 marks)
e.Consider the development of the P&PSS by an agile approach team.
Suggest two user stories likely to be of high priority for the team and briefly explain
why they would be high priority.
(5 marks)
Question 5 (15 marks)
a.Imagine a team of developers is going to develop the P&PSS.
It is a small team of enthusiasts who have had experience with agile development
and are willing to develop the P&PSS in an agile way. They need to convince the
Pedal&Parcel directors that this would be a good way forward; in particular the
directors are nervous about whether the system can be delivered on time and be
maintained in the future when the team of developers moves away.
To help the team convince the directors you need to produce a short, balanced
summary of advantages/disadvantages of developing the P&PSS in an agile way
focusing on timely delivery of the functionality and maintainability of the system
once delivered.
Re-read Unit 1 Section 3, starting from the heading ‘Agile development' in Section
3.2 through to the end of Section 3.5 (pages 34–46 of the Block 1 printed material),
and Unit 4 Section 2.3 ‘An agile UP’ (page 202 of the Block 1 printed material).
Write a report of not more than 200 words following the guidelines below. You can
assume your readers are already aware of the agile practices and techniques.
Guidelines
, Your report should start by explaining briefly why this project can be developed by
an agile team.
You should then go on to discuss how an agile approach can help with timely
delivery and what artefacts an agile approach produces that will help with
maintainability.
Finally, you should explain the approach the directors need to take toward the
development team if the project is to succeed.
Notes
If you exceed the word limit, 1 mark will be deducted.
You should provide a full reference for at least one external source you have used;
follow the OU Harvard guide.
References are not included in the word count but citations are.
(9 marks)
b.In this question you will derive some functional requirements from a use case.
The use case arises from new information about the P&PSS. Customers are
allowed to cancel orders. If they cancel on the day of the delivery they pay 90% of
the cost. If they cancel the day before then they pay 50% of the cost. No charge is
made if they cancel earlier than that.
Table 1 A textual description of cancel delivery order
Identifier and UC9 cancel delivery order.
name
Initiator Registered customer.
Goal The delivery order is cancelled and the customer is charged
according to the business rules.
Precondition The cancellation date is on or before the delivery (pick up) date.
Postcondition The delivery order status will be ‘cancelled’, the customer will
have been charged according to the business rules.
Assumptions The initiator is a logged-on customer using a web browser to
perform the use case.
Main success scenario
1. The customer makes a request to cancel an order.
2. The system displays a list of the customer’s live orders.
3. The customer selects the order that they wish to cancel.
4. The system displays the order details.
5. The system asks the user to confirm the cancellation.
6. The system changes the status of the order to ‘cancelled’.
, 7. The system notifies the scheduling system of the cancellation.
Extensions
4.a A charge is required.
4.a.1 The system displays the charge.
4.a.2 The customer acknowledges the charge.
4.a.3 The system produces an invoice.
4.a.4 The system bills the customer’s credit card.
Use the approach followed in Unit 4 to specify detailed requirements for steps 4, 4.a.1 and 4.a.2
of the use case UC9 cancel delivery order described in Table 1 above
(6 marks)
, TMA 01
Question 1
a.
Adopting things outside the big A camp.
Systemic thinking.
Not driven by any rigid process.
Emphasis on understanding the problem.
b.
The Agile Scrum Methodology:
We will be looking at the agile scrum methodology and how it demonstrates each of the values set
out in the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.
Firstly, we must understand what scrum is. “In short, scrum refers to a framework that makes for
effective collaborations among teams that are working on complex products.” (Business News Daily,
2020).
This leads us straight to our first value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
“Although it is most often used by software development teams, scrum can essentially be beneficial
to any team that is working toward a common goal. Scrum is a collection of meetings, roles and tools
that work together to help teams to better structure and manage their workload.” (Business News
Daily, 2020).
Next, we will look at the second value: Working software over comprehensive documentation.
“Scrum is also beneficial to companies that value results over the documented progress of the
process.” (Business News Daily, 2020). Here we can see that the scrum methodology focuses on
results. This means that producing working software is prioritised over comprehensive
documentation.
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation is the 3rd value in the manifesto for Agile Software
Development and I feel that it goes hand in hand with the 4th value: Responding to change over
following a plan.
These two are intimately connected because often these changes that need to be responded to
come to light through customer collaboration.
Scrum uses a sprint-based model, this means that the scrum team receives feedback from
stakeholders after each sprint. If changes are required or problems arise the scrum team can
implement these changes or fixes quickly and easily. “This way, stakeholders are happier because
they get exactly what they want after being involved every step of the way.” (Business News Daily,
2020).
In conclusion the scrum methodology is a perfect example of how the Manifesto for Agile Software
Development is put into practise as it takes each of the four values and implants throughout the
software development lifecycle.
References:
Business News Daily Writer. (Updated Feb 24, 2020) Business News Daily. Available at:
(https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4987-what-is-agile-scrum-
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller cyberghost47. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.65. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
56326 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now