Software Engineering, Vol. 2: The Supporting Processes

This second volume on software engineering processes includes reprinted and newly authored papers that describe the supporting life cycle processes in a manner that can prepare individuals to take the IEEE Computer Society Certified Software Development Professional examination. Volume 2 details the eight supporting life cycle processes that developers need to employ and execute in the engineering of software products. This required support plays an integral part and has a distinct purpose that affects the overall success and quality of the software project.

The eight supporting processes covered in this guide include the documentation, configuration management, quality assurance, verification, validation, joint review, audit, and problem resolution. In addition, this tutorial covers the four processes of the organizational life cycle. These are used to establish and implement an underlying structure made up of associated life cycle processes and personnel that will continuously improve upon the structure and process of the project. These organizational processes are management, infrastructure, improvement, and training.

Each chapter in this book starts by introducing the subject, supporting papers, and standards. The backbone for this publication is IEEE/EIA Standard 12207-1997, Standard for Information Technology - Software Life Cycle Processes.

Richard H. Thayer, Ph.D., is a consultant in the field of software engineering and project management. Prior to this, he was a Professor of Software Engineering at California State University, Sacramento, California, United States of America. Dr. Thayer travels widely where he consults and lectures on software engineering, project management, software engineering standards, software requirements engineering, and software quality assurance. He is a Visiting Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. He is an expert in software project management and software engineering standards.