Software Engineering Principles

CSI1007

Module – 4
Software Implementation
Module:4 Software Implementation
Structured coding Techniques-Coding Styles-Standards
and Guidelines- Documentation Guidelines-Modern
Programming Language Features: Type checking-User
defined data types- Data Abstraction-Exception
Handling- Concurrency Mechanism – Seven Steps of
implementing software – Implementation Challenges
and its resolution.

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Structured Coding Techniques
 Structured programming is a technique in software engineering aimed
at improving the clarity, quality, and development time of a computer
program. It makes extensive use of structured control flow
constructs, block structures, and subroutines.
 Sub-divide the whole program into small modules so that the
program becomes easy to understand.
 The purpose of structured programming is to linearize control flow
through a computer program so that the execution sequence follows
the sequence in which the code is written.

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 Structured Coding Techniques
 The size of the software increases as the lines of code multiply during the
coding process.
 Over time, remembering the flow of the program becomes nearly impossible.
 If one forgets the structure of the software and its underlying programs, files,
and procedures, sharing, debugging, and modifying the software becomes
extremely difficult.
 Structured programming is the solution to this problem.
 It encourages programmers to use subroutines and loops instead of simple
jumps in the code, leading to greater clarity and efficiency.
 Structured programming also helps programmers reduce coding time and
organize their code properly.
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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Why Needed ?
 To simplify the comprehension of the program for the
coder.
 When a program is composed of thousands of statements
and an issue arises, pinpointing the error within the entire
program can be challenging
 With structured programming, we have the advantage of
being able to swiftly identify the error and navigate directly
to its location for rectification.

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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Code Block: A code block is structured with a single-entry point and
single exit point. This enhances the readability, testability, and
modifiability of the program.
 Sequence: A sequence of blocks is correct if the exit conditions of each
block match the entry conditions of the following block.
 Alternation: If-then-else is frequently called alternation because there
are alternative options. Each choice is a code block.
 Iteration: Iteration (while-loop) is organized as at right.
 Modularization: Breaking your code into functions makes it easier to read
and maintain. Each function has its purpose, and you can focus on one
at a time without getting overwhelmed
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Structured Coding Techniques

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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Major Concepts
 Top-down Analysis:
 Top-down analysis is a method of problem-solving where the
larger problem is broken down into smaller, manageable sub-
problems.
 This approach is used to understand and address the problem
at hand.
 Each sub-problem is solved individually, and the solutions are
then integrated to solve the overall problem.

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Structured Coding Techniques
 Major Concepts
 Modular Programming:
 This is a design technique that involves partitioning a
program into separate sub-programs or modules.
 Each module is a self-contained unit that performs a
specific task within the overall program.
 Modular programming discourages the use of ‘goto’
statements, which can make the program flow difficult to
trace. Instead, it promotes a structured approach where
control flow is clearly defined and easy to follow.
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Structured Coding Techniques
 Major Concepts
 Coding Structure/Control Structure:
 Structured coding is a method of organizing code in a
hierarchical manner, where modules are subdivided into
smaller units of code based on their execution order.
 The control structure in structured programming is used
to dictate the flow of the program.
 In structured coding, the control structure is used to
organize instructions in a pattern that is easy to
understand and follow.
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Structured Coding Techniques
 Major Concepts
 Stepwise refinement
 This is a method of developing a system where you start with a
simple, general outline of the system and gradually add more
detail and complexity.
 For example, if you were writing a program to sort a list of
numbers, you might start with a simple outline like “read in the
numbers, sort the numbers, print out the sorted numbers”.
 Then, you would gradually refine this, adding details about how
to read in the numbers, what sorting algorithm to use, and how
to print out the numbers
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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Major Concepts
 Data structures
 These are ways of organizing and storing data in a program.
 For example, an array is a data structure that stores a fixed-
size sequence of elements of the same type.
 A linked list is a data structure that stores a sequence of
elements, but allows for efficient insertion and removal of
elements.
 A tree is a data structure that stores elements in a hierarchical
structure, with one root element and a set of subtrees.
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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Coding
 Procedural Programming
 This is a programming paradigm that structures programs as
sequences of instructions or procedures.
 Each procedure, similar to a function, can manipulate global
data and maintain local data that is not accessible outside its
scope.
 Procedural programming languages, such as Fortran and ALGOL,
encapsulate concepts that remain fundamental in contemporary
programming languages.
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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Coding
 Procedural Programming – Principles
 Programs are composed of sequences of instructions, with
minimal abstraction between the code and the machine.
 Procedures, defined as logical blocks of instructions, can be
invoked from any part of the code.
 A procedure can accept arguments, return results to the caller,
and access or modify global scope variables.
 Procedural languages employ block-based control flow,
avoiding ‘goto’ commands, and adhere to structured
programming practices.
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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Coding
 Object Oriented Programming
 OOP is a programming paradigm that models a program as
a collection of objects or resources that receive commands.
 In an object-oriented language, a data resource is created
and passed to processing commands.
 For instance, where a procedural programmer might use
“Print(object)”, an OOP programmer would use
“Object.Print()”.

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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Coding
 Model-Based Programming:
 This programming approach is commonly seen in database query
languages.
 Code units in database programming are associated with steps in
database access and are updated or executed when those steps occur.
 The code’s structure is determined by the database and its access
structure.
 Other examples of model-based structures include Reverse Polish Notation
(RPN), which facilitates efficient resolution of complex expressions, and
quantum computing, which requires a specific model to organize steps
provided by the language
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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Advantages
 Application programs are easier to read and comprehend.
 Application programs are less likely to contain logic errors.
 Errors are more easily identified.
 It increases productivity during application program
development.
 The design of application programs has been improved.
 Application programs are more easily maintained.
 Machine-Independent, mostly.

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 Structured Coding Techniques
 Disadvantages
 It is machine-independent so converting it to machine code
takes time.
 The program is dependent on variables such as data types. As a
result, it must be kept up to date with the changing needs.
 The converted machine code differs from the assembly
language code.
 This approach is language-dependent, so the development
usually takes longer. In the case of assembly language,
development takes less time because it is pre-programmed for
the machine.
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 Coding Styles -Standards and Guidelines
 Coding standards, also known as coding guidelines or
programming style guides, are rules and conventions that
developers follow when writing code.
 These rules define the characteristics of the code necessary
to maintain a uniform codebase and facilitate collaboration
among developers.
 They ensure consistency, readability, maintainability, and
reliability in software development.

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Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines
 Coding standards are important for several reasons.
 They help prevent bugs and security holes due to
bad code.
 They make it simpler for new people to understand
the codebase.
 If there’s a standard format, it’s not as tough to
figure out what’s going on.

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 Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines
 Purpose of Coding Standards:
 Uniform Appearance: A coding standard gives a uniform
appearance to the codes written by different engineers.
 Readability and Maintainability: It improves the readability
and maintainability of the code and reduces complexity.
 Error Detection: It helps in code reuse and makes error
detection easier.
 Promotes Good Practices: It promotes sound programming
practices and increases the efficiency of the programmers.

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Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines

 Some Standards
 Limited use of globals: These rules tell about which
types of data that can be declared global and the
data that can’t be

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 Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines
 Some Standards
 Standard headers for different modules: For better understanding and
maintenance of the code, the header of different modules should follow
some standard format and information. The header format must contain
below things that is being used in various companies:
 Name of the module
 Date of module creation
 Author of the module
 Modification history
 Synopsis of the module about what the module does
 Different functions supported in the module along with their input output
parameters
 Global variables accessed or modified by the module
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 Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines
 Some Standards
 Naming conventions for local variables, global variables, constants and
functions: Some of the naming conventions are given below:
 Meaningful and understandable variables name helps anyone to understand
the reason of using it.
 Local variables should be named using camel case lettering starting with
small letter (e.g. localData) whereas Global variables names should start with
a capital letter (e.g. GlobalData). Constant names should be formed using
capital letters only (e.g. CONSDATA).
 It is better to avoid the use of digits in variable names.
 The names of the function should be written in camel case starting with small
letters.
 The name of the function must describe the reason of using the function
clearly and briefly.
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 Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines
 Some Standards
 Indentation:
 Proper indentation is very important to increase the readability of the
code. For making the code readable, programmers should use White
spaces properly. Some of the spacing conventions are given below:
 There must be a space after giving a comma between two function
arguments.
 Each nested block should be properly indented and spaced.
 Proper Indentation should be there at the beginning and at the end of
each block in the program.
 All braces should start from a new line and the code following the end
of braces also start from a new line.
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 Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines
 Some Standards
 Error return values and exception handling conventions:
 All functions that encountering an error condition should
either return a 0 or 1 for simplifying the debugging.
 On the other hand, Coding guidelines give some general
suggestions regarding the coding style that to be followed for
the betterment of understandability and readability of the
code.

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 Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines
 Coding Guidelines:
 Avoid using a coding style that is too difficult to understand: Code
should be easily understandable. The complex code makes
maintenance and debugging difficult and expensive.

 Avoid using an identifier for multiple purposes: Each variable

should be given a descriptive and meaningful name indicating the
reason behind using it. This is not possible if an identifier is used
for multiple purposes and thus it can lead to confusion to the
reader. Moreover, it leads to more difficulty during future
enhancements.
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Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines
 Coding Guidelines:
 Code should be well documented: The code should be properly commented for
understanding easily. Comments regarding the statements increase the
understandability of the code.

 Length of functions should not be very large: Lengthy functions are very difficult to
understand. That’s why functions should be small enough to carry out small work and
lengthy functions should be broken into small ones for completing small tasks.

 Try not to use GOTO statement: GOTO statement makes the program unstructured,
thus it reduces the understandability of the program and also debugging becomes
difficult.

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 Coding Styles-Standards and Guidelines
 Advantages of Coding Guidelines:
 Coding guidelines increase the efficiency of the software
and reduces the development time.
 Coding guidelines help in detecting errors in the early
phases, so it helps to reduce the extra cost incurred by the
software project.
 If coding guidelines are maintained properly, then the
software code increases readability and
understandability thus it reduces the complexity of the
code.
 It reduces the hidden cost for developing the software
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Software Documentation
 It is a written text that accompanies a software program.
 It’s like a guidebook that makes it easier for everyone
involved in the project.
 It can include different types of information, like API
documentation, build notes, or help content.
 It’s a key part of the process of developing computer code.
 People who work with code often care a lot about the value,
usage, and quality of the documentation during the
development and maintenance of the software.

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Software Documentation - Types
 Requirement Documentation: It is the description of how the software shall
perform and which environment setup would be appropriate to have the best
out of it. These are generated while the software is under development and is
supplied to the tester groups too.
 Architectural Documentation: Architecture documentation is a special type of
documentation that concerns the design. It contains very little code and is
more focused on the components of the system, their roles, and working. It
also shows the data flow throughout the system.
 Technical Documentation: These contain the technical aspects of the software
like API, algorithms, etc. It is prepared mostly for software developers.
 End-user Documentation: As the name suggests these are made for the end
user. It contains support resources for the end user.

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 Software Documentation - Principle
 Write from Reader’s Point of View: Keep the target audience in mind when writing
software documentation. Use simple language and domain-specific terminologies.
Organize the content clearly and include a glossary for complex terms.
 Avoid Unnecessary Repetition: Use hyperlinking and backlinking to avoid redundancy.
Each piece of information should be stored as an individual unit in the back-end
database.
 Avoid Ambiguity: Ensure all information in the documentation is clear and precise.
Define terminologies used in different contexts explicitly to avoid confusion among
stakeholders, developers, and maintainers.
 Follow a Standard Organization: Maintain professionalism, accuracy, and precision in
the document by following certain principles and referencing other software
documentations

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Software Documentation - Principle
 Record a Rationale: Include a rationale section, written by the
developer or designer, explaining why certain design or
development decisions were made.
 Keep the Documentation Updated: Regularly update the
documentation to reflect software updates, but only add valuable
and relevant content.
 Review Documentation: Regularly review the documentation and
make necessary changes based on feedback from senior architects
to align with its purpose of educating and spreading knowledge

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 Software Documentation - Advantages

 helps in keeping the track of all aspects of an application and also

improves the quality of the software product.
 Helps development teams during development.
 Helps end-users in using the product.
 Improves overall quality of software product
 It cuts down duplicative work.
 Makes easier to understand code.
 Helps in establishing internal coordination in work

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 Software Documentation - Disadvantages
 The documenting code is time-consuming.
 The software development process often takes place under time
pressure, due to which many times the documentation updates
don’t match the updated code.
 The documentation has no influence on the performance of an
application.
 Documenting is not so fun, it’s sometimes boring to a certain
extent.

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Implementation Challenges and its resolution.
 Misaligned Expectations: This occurs when the software implementation team and the
vendor have different expectations. To avoid this, there must be strong communication
between your internal project team and the vendor. Defining the milestones and
deliverables required during the planning stage can make the implementation stage
smoother.
 Data Integrity: During software implementation, data migration from an existing
system to a new one is often required. Ensuring data integrity throughout this process
is critical. Understanding the level of interoperability between the two systems can help
ensure data security, prevent data loss during migration, and uphold privacy standards.
 Lack of Workflow Visibility: Many development teams suffer from a vague
understanding of the engineering processes within their organization. This can stem
from ineffective communication, lack of effective team collaboration, and broken SDLC
processes. Investing in tools that empower your teams to make data-driven decisions
can combat this issue.
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 Implementation Challenges and its resolution.
 Lack of Standard Organization: To maintain the professionalism, accuracy, and precision
of the document, certain principles must be followed. Taking reference from other
software documentations can aid in organizing and structuring the content of the
documentation in a much productive and organized way.
 Record a Rationale: Rationale contains a comprehensive understanding of why a certain
design or development decision was made. This part of the documentation is written &
maintained by the developer or the designer itself for justification and verification for
later needs.
 Keeping Documentation Updated: Regularly update the documentation to reflect
software updates, but only add valuable and relevant content.
 Review Documentation: Regularly review the documentation and make necessary
changes based on feedback from senior architects to align with its purpose of educating
and spreading knowledge.

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 Modern Programming Language - Features
 Type Checking:
 Type checking is the process of verifying and enforcing the
constraints of types.
 It checks the type of objects and reports a type error in
case of a violation.
 Type checking can be static (performed at compile time)
or dynamic (performed at runtime).

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Modern Programming Language - Features

 User-Defined Data Types:

 User-defined data types are data types that are
defined by the user themselves.
 These data types are derived from existing data
types and allow users to create customized data
types that suit their specific needs

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Modern Programming Language - Features
 Data Abstraction:
 Data abstraction is a powerful feature in object-oriented
programming that hides the details of how data is
implemented, allowing programmers to focus on the
essential features of the data without getting bogged down
in the details.
 It provides a clear separation between the abstract
properties of a data type and the concrete details of its
implementation.

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 Modern Programming Language - Features
 Exception Handling:
 Exception handling is a mechanism to handle
runtime errors.
 It allows the program to continue its execution or
terminate gracefully when an error occurs.
 Exception handling techniques can be categorized
into programmed exception handling and default
exception handling.

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 Modern Programming Language - Features
 Concurrency Mechanism:
 Concurrency in programming refers to the ability of a
system to execute multiple tasks simultaneously.
 It’s a key feature in modern programming languages,
enabling efficient utilization of system resources and
improving performance in multi-core and distributed
systems.

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7 steps of Software Implementation
 Step 1: Project Kick-off
 This is the first step where all stakeholders, including the tech
team and end-users, come together to set clear objectives
and achievable timelines for the project.

 Step 2: Data Migration

 When switching or upgrading systems, it’s important to
transfer all data from the current sources to the new system,
ensuring no valuable information is lost and data integrity is
maintained.
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 7 steps of Software Implementation
 Step 3: Configuration and Customization
 Every business is unique, so while the core functionalities of
the software might be the same, it’s crucial to adapt it to fit
your specific business processes. Balance customization with
future software updates to ensure compatibility.
 Step 4: System Integration
 In the interconnected tech world, software rarely works in
isolation. It’s critical to ensure that the new software can
integrate seamlessly with existing systems to enhance
workflow continuity and reduce disruptions.
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 7 steps of Software Implementation
 Step 5: User Training
 The success of software implementation is not just about
the technology, but also about the people using it. Provide
tailored training sessions for different user roles to speed
up the adoption rate. Use hands-on practice and real-life
scenarios to make these sessions more effective.

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 7 steps of Software Implementation
 Step 6: Testing and Quality Assurance
 Before the software goes live, conduct rigorous testing to
ensure it meets all requirements and is free from bugs. User
acceptance testing (UAT) provides feedback on real-world
performance, helping to refine the system before its final
deployment.
 Step 7: Deployment and Go-live
 Deploying the software is a significant change. Consider a
phased roll-out approach, especially for large organizations.
After deployment, provide continuous monitoring and
support to address any issues that arise.
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