CPSC 480-020 Software Engineering (SE) Fall 2023

The Midterm Exam is Thursday, Oct 19, during our regular class time and in our regular classroom. The Midterm covers Chapters 1 - 6.5 of the Head First Software Development book, plus my notes and in-class examples.

• Big Bang approach to development - description, the path it takes, and disadvantages
• Iterative approach to development - description, the path it takes, and advantages
• Role of the customer/client
• User Stories - all parts, description, creation, valid user story titles
• Estimates and the Estimation Process, including planning poker
• Iteration and deadline planning
• Utopian vs. Real-World days
• Velocity - description, standard rate, what does it mean if velocity is higher or lower
• Big Board - basics of what it shows and how developers use it
• Good-enough design, SRP, DRY
• Version control - jobs that it does, commit messages, branches (specific git information not on this midterm)
• Role and importance of build artifacts (code, configuration, tools), the general purpose of make and cmake; Given a Makefile, what would happen with specific targets.

The exam has various problem types, including short answers, definitions, comparisons, creation of user stories, and planning. The question may require you to:

• Explain a process or terminology of a process
• Answer specific questions about parts of the process. E.g., "Explain why the recommendation is to come up with user stories whose estimates are 15 or less."
• Explain what process and activities you would follow for a particular scenario

It is a good idea to review the "Dumb Questions" and the answers.

Questions are from what we covered in the book, the exercises, and the projects. If I did not cover it in class, it is not on the exam.

A calculator is not needed for any required math and, therefore, not permitted.