Bibliography: pages 102-107. / A Design Workbench has been built for Napier88 [MBC+94] as part of the natural progression towards developing better product systems and improving software construction tools. The system includes a Metamodeller (enabling users to specify the data and process models they prefer), a Model Builder which supports multiple coexisting models and a Target System Generator. Experience using the Workbench has shown that it is easy to use, increases productivity, improves programming standards and facilitates code sharing. This thesis demonstrates the benefits of orthogonal persistence for Computer-Aided Software Engineering by describing an initial design environment and its subsequent extension to include support for multiple co-existing models.

Although there is a large body of research and publication on software development, only a limited amount of this work includes empirical demonstration of its effectiveness. Yet, it is this empirical understanding which will help move software development from a craft to an engineering discipline. Of the empirical methods for research, controlled experiments are the most commonly thought of in scientific studies, and yet the least used to study software development. This thesis begins with a brief review of the different empirical methods commonly used to study software development. This review provides a quick introduction to each empirical method, compares the main advantages and weaknesses of each method, and provides a context for how controlled experimentation compares to other empirical methods for studying software development. Using empirical methods to study software development is not easy or straightforward. There are limitations which appear to be inherent in the nature of software and issues due to the improper understanding or application of empirical methods. These limitations and issues are identified, specifically for controlled experiments, and approaches for dealing with them are proposed. A controlled experiment was designed and conducted to demonstrate the method and explore the limitations and issues for empirical research in software development. This experiment and its results are presented. This example experiment demonstrates that conducting even a simple experiment in software development is challenging. Lessons learned from this experience are reported. Controlled experiments require that the researcher have a high degree of control over the environment where the experiment is carried out. This can be costly and difficult to achieve. This thesis concludes by discussing how controlled experiments can be used effectively in studies of software development.

Bibliography: pages 133-140. / There is no accepted standard for the object-oriented database paradigm at present, which has led to different definitions of features and conformance requirements. HOOD is a Higher-Order Object-Oriented Database system which defines a meta-data model for specifying the requirements of an Object-Oriented Database, which provides uniformity and extensibility. From this specification and by making use of a comprehensive structure system, an exemplar or implementation model is defined. Among the constructs provided by the model are types, instances, objects, values, methods, base types, generic types and metatypes. The mechanisms of instantiation and subtyping allow for relationships between these constructs. Extensibility is provided in the model for types, base types, structures and methods. Uniformity is achieved by defining all constructs as instances and through the use of messages for all operations. There is only one form of object construct which provides persistence and identities. The complex values and extensibility of the model allow it to adapt in order to model the real world instead of adapting the real world to fit the model. We have implemented a subset of the structures and values defined in the model, provided persistence and identities for object, and included the various constructs mentioned above. The method language allows for the specification of methods, the passing of messages, and the use of complex values. The compiler performs type checking and resolution and generates instructions for an abstract machine which manipulates the database.

The increasing development and use of computer networks has necessitated international standards to be defined. Central to the standardization efforts is the concept of a Formal Description Technique (FDT) which is used to provide a definition medium for communication protocols and services. This document describes the design and implementation of one of the few existing compilers for the one such FDT, the language "Estelle" ([ISO85], [ISO86], [ISO87]).

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and The Built Environment of the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Engineering September 2015 / In recent years, software has become the cornerstone of banking and new business products are directly dependant on software. The delivery cycles for new features is now related to market share. This drive to use software as a vehicle for competitive advantage has created an environment in which software development of new business systems are increasingly on the critical path of many projects. An organisation’s portfolio of software intensive projects is situated within this complexity and organisations attempt to mitigate the risks associated with these complexities by implementing software development processes and practices. A key problem facing the modern bank is how to define and build a software development process that caters for both the traditional and increasingly agile genres of software development characteristics in a consistent and manageable way. The banks attempt to address this problem through continuous methodology and process improvements. Comparing and assessing non-standardised software engineering lifecycle models without a common framework is a complex and subjective task. A standardised language is important for simplifying the task for developing new methods and practices or for analysing and documenting existing practices. The Software Engineering Methods and Theory (SEMAT) initiative has developed a standardised kernel of essential concepts, together with a language that describes the essence of software engineering. This kernel, called the Essence, has recently become an Object Management Group (OMG) standard. The Essence kernel, together with its language, can be used as the underpinning theory to analyse an existing method and help provide insights that can drive method enhancements. The research report proposes a simple, actionable analysis framework to assist organisations to assess, review and develop their software engineering methods. The core concepts of the methodology are identified and mapped to the Essence concepts. The governance model of the Essence is mapped to the governance model of the industry model and a set of practices is identified and documented in the Essence language. The mapping and resulting analysis can be used to test the validity of the Essence theory in practice and identify areas for improvement in both the method and the Essence standard. The analysis framework has been applied to an operational software development lifecycle of a large South African bank. A mapping of the Essence concepts to the governance model and method documented in the lifecycle was completed. This mapping revealed that the Essence is a valid tool and can be used to describe a method in practice. Furthermore it is useful as an analysis framework to assess the governance model that manages and measures the progress of an endeavour in the Bank. The case study and resulting analysis demonstrate that the Essence standard can be used to analyse a methodology and identify areas for improvement. The analysis also identified areas for improvement in the Essence specification.

This thesis describes the process of writing a software application geared toward developing computer graphics in the Windows environment. The code is written using Visual C++ and the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC). As an illustration of this process we will walk through the development of a software application. This application will allow a user to create and edit an image composed of simple line graphics and geometric shapes. The user can select drawing colors, select drawing styles, and do area filling. This application also illustrates the use of menus and dialog boxes. / Department of Computer Science

M.Sc. (Computer Science) / The data processing crisis in software development today can be ascribed firstly to insufficient requirements defmition, which results from a lack of communication between developer and user, and secondly to insufficient project management. During the last decade we succeeded in adding more control and discipline to the traditional software development life cycle, but requirements specification remains a problem. The traditional software development life-cycle is long and inflexible and the results do not satisfy the requirements of the user. The prototyping approach can be part of a solution to the problems posed by this situation. The author proposes a four-dimensional conceptual model as a framework for a Prototyping methodology that was developed as basis for this study. In business practice today, confusion exists as to what prototypes are the best to use - prototypes that are developed to become the complete system, or prototypes that are thrown away. Dimension one of the model is discussed in terms of type of prototype. With type of prototype is meant one of the different approaches to prototyping in the software development process. The author standardized on throw-away prototypes and evolutionary prototypes. The most general and well-known usage of prototyping is during the requirements :definition phase. However, this is not the only use of prototyping. Dimension two of the model describes the different areas of usage of prototyping, e.g. requirements definition, as technique during JAD sessions, during simulation, during the minimizing of risk and in the development of working models. The development of prototypes should be an easy and rapid process, however, this is dependent on the tools that are used in the process. Dimension three of the model is discussed in terms of tools.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg, 1996. / This report examines the major factors influencing the development of embedded systems. The discussion covers, among other aspects, features of embedded systems that are common to software development in general, the main characteristics of embedded systems, some of the current development strategies, the mlcrocontroller market, language issues and development tools. Following the assessment study and a practical embedded system development, the report concludes that although: I embedded systems are typified by relatively few lines of codes, their complex nature necessitates the application of a disciplined development approach. The report presents a riskbased hardware-software co-design development approach in an attempt to reconcile the existing formal development models to the technical realities of embedded systems. A practical embedded system case study is presented, It involves the development of a microcontroller-based system for the three-phase inverter of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering Johannesburg 2015 / The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a Multi Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) tool, which has gained wide acceptance in all disciplines in science and engineering. Although it has been used in mining engineering applications, it is only recently gaining significant momentum in the mining industry. Given its simplicity, it may seem surprising that it has not received wide acceptance, but this is probably due to a lack of both publicity and a user-friendly methodology. This report introduces a simple methodology that can be employed by anyone who possesses basic knowledge of arithmetic and spreadsheets, without having to know or understand fully the mathematics that the process is based on. / MT2017

Partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master in Commerce (Information Systems) (Course work) At the School of Economic and Business Sciences University of the Witwatersrand, 2017 / Due to the trite nature of the software development environment, traditional software methodologies are no longer relied on to deliver software products in a timeous manner. As a response to this limitation, the agile manifesto was launched. The manifesto consists of values and principles centred around the self-organising team’s ability to achieve higher productivity, that is, to deliver software products quickly and with a high quality. With the self-organising team at the centre of this phenomenon, this interpretive case study seeks to gain greater insight into the processes and reasons behind this outcome. The site selected for this study is the IT divisions of a South African bank that have adopted Agile as a methodology to deliver software products. The data was collected through semi structured interviews, focused groups and documentation. The data was analysed qualitatively using thematic and content analysis. The framework for enhanced performance in agile software development teams was conceptualised. The conceptualisation was informed by the empirical evidence and the interpretation of findings and literature / XL2018