2. Welcome...

3. Creating Software Engineers - A Systemic View Dr. F.C. Kohli CSEE &T 2002, Feb 27,2002 Cincinnati, USA

4. Agenda The “Engineering” of Software Core competencies for a Software Engineer Initial Education & Continuous Learning Systemic view of creating Software Engineers Knowledge Portal Role of Professional bodies Education for a taxonomy of IT careers Conclusions

5. Engineering Profession in which knowledge of Physical & Natural Sciences gained by –Study,Experience & Practice is applied with judgement to develop ways to utilize economically –the materials & forces of nature for the benefit of mankind. ….. Engineering Council for Professional Development

6. Why Engineering in Software Development? Software development involves –Disciplined problem solving –Analysis of problem –Product specification –Identification of Component Interfaces / Sub-assemblies –Process and Project Management Skills –Prototypes –Reuse As many programmers learn skills on the job, an engineering mindset brings a process discipline

7. Software and Software Engineering Software Engineering is a systematic approach to the development, operation, maintenance and retirement of software [IEEE]. Software is the modelling and implementation of the –philosophy, –methodology and –knowledge of accomplishing a task into computer codes.

8. 5 P’s of Software Engineering Product (Software) Problem (Domain) Process (Development Process) Project (Project Management) People (Team)

9. Dynamics of Software Development We need to have an integrated perspective on software development (including both management functions like planning, controlling and staffing, as well as software production activities like designing, coding, testing, etc.) [Abdel-Hamid & Madnick, 89] Software project management system is far more complex conglomerate of interdependent variables Ref. T.K. Abdel-Hamid and Stuart E. Madnick, “Lessons Learned from Modeling of Dynamics of Software Development” Communications of the ACM, Vol. 32, No. 12, 1989, pp.1426-1455

10. 3 Core Competencies of a Software Engineer Systems Engineering Software Engineering Concurrent Engineering

11. Core Competencies Systems Engineering –Recognize and handle complexity in consulting assignments –Perceive systems as a network of inter related subsystems –Probe beyond and behind the obvious during problem diagnosis / discovery phases –Understand the needs and constraints of all stakeholders in the system –Get better understanding of the domain leading to lasting solutions rather than quick fixes –Treat quantitative and qualitative models with equal respect (perceptions are as important as hard data in societal applications) –Aligning Business and Information systems architectures

12. Core Competencies (contd…) Software Engineering –Application of scientific knowledge in the design and construction of computer programs and the associated documentation Concurrent Engineering –involves the interaction of diverse group of individuals who may be scattered over a wide geographic range –takes advantage of shared information –allows simultaneous focus on different phases of the software development life cycle.

13. Software Engineering Education Creation of intellectual assets –Choice of raw material –Process of converting the raw material into usable assets Guarding against obsolescence Matching business needs and individuals’ aspirations Learning through experience sharing

14. Induction - Continuing Education

15. TCS Induction Training Model Input –Predominantly Engineers from heterogeneous disciplines Concepts - Skill - Attitude Triad –Engineering Process Core Competencies Mini-case implementation –Core fundamentals of Computer Science –Technologies –Life skills “Learning to Learn” paradigm Feedback & measuring effectiveness of training

16. SE Education - A Curriculum SE Module –Systems & Concurrent Engineering –Requirements Modeling –Software Design (Structured and OOAD) –Static and Dynamic Testing –Software Quality –Project (mini-case) implementation Computer Science foundations –Computer Architecture / Operating Systems –Discrete Mathematics / Data Structures and Algorithms –DB & Network Technology Life Skills –Communication / Team Work / Presentation skills

17. Creating Software Engineers Current Scenario  IT Education –Immature Discipline –Non consensus on Body of Knowledge –Delay in building infrastructure, general technical education, quality faculty, relevant curriculum and getting accreditation  Industry –Manpower requirement based mainly on short-term revenue targets –Delays in technology absorption –Deployment of HR with skill mismatch

18. Creating Software Engineers - A Systemic View

19. General Education & IT Education - linkage Mindset developed in General Education has to be ported to IT education –Abstraction capability –Instrumentation, Measurement & Empirical formulation –Modeling & Behavior extrapolation –Inspection & Quality Control –Elegance of Design –User friendly Interfaces –Safety considerations –Aesthetics & “Patterns” –Brevity & Clarity of communication

20. Knowledge Portal - An Education Transversal Grid Experts, Mentors College 1College n Resource Institute ** Course Coordinator Course - 1 Course - 2

21. Knowledge Portal Content Authoring –Content Creation –Content Delivery –Content Monitoring / Updation Issues –An active facilitation by experts (Hand holding) –Evaluation and Feedback –Mentoring –Industry’s experiences –Professional Body’s input –Accreditation / Recognition

22. Creating a Learning Environment Abstract Industry experience and pass it to Academia Right faculty at right time – through e-Learning mode Relevant curriculum Knowledge Management

23. Role of Professional Body Technology watch Influencing Policy Arbiter between Academia and Industry

24. Role match across various Work Levels Application AssistantsDiploma holders / Secondary / Associate Degree holders Entry Level ProgrammersBachelors in Arts / Science / Commerce / Humanities / Maths System Integrators (Hardware / Software Maintenance) System Integration / Systems Training Software Engineers (Product Development / Requirement Specification) Bachelors in Engineering / Graduate in Management Managers / Project LeadersBachelors in Engineering / Graduate in Management Research and EducationMasters in Engineering / Ph.Ds

25. Conclusion Knowledge Portal to facilitate e-Learning & acceptance of the e-mode of learning by all Professional Bodies to play a more proactive role Industry to abstract experiences into knowledge capsules Art and Science of Living “Body of Knowledge in IT” relevant to different educational streams

26. Thank you