Print View: CSSE7034 - Sem 2 2008 - St Lucia

1. General Course Information

1.1 Course Details

Course Code: CSSE7034 Course Title: Predictable Professional Performance
Coordinating Unit: School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
Semester: Semester 2, 2008 Mode: Internal
Level: Postgraduate Coursework
Location: St Lucia
Number of Units: 2 Contact Hours Per Week: 2L2T

Course Description: This course introduces students to the Personal Software Process (PSP), which can serve as the basis for software development process improvement in the organisation, as well as for helping individuals. It also introduces the Team Software Process (TSP), which is a process that enables teams of software engineers to work together better. TSP focuses on some disciplined approaches and strategies to deal with problems that regularly occur during team formations.

Assumed Background: Students are expected to have:

some experience in software design and programming in Java,
an interest in software process improvement, and
a desire to improve the way in which they personally develop software.

1.2 Course Introduction

Many software products are developed in an ad-hoc fashion by developers using their own personal methods and techniques. This situation would be acceptable if it reliably produced software products of high quality, at or below the budgeted cost, and on or ahead of schedule. Sadly, this is not the case and the term “software crisis” was coined in the 1960s to capture the notion of chaotic (unpredictable) development. This so-called crisis has become chronic.

A Standish Group survey of 8,000 software projects in 1995 found that:

the average project exceeds its planned budget by 90% and its schedule by 120%;
33% of all projects are over budget and late;
52.7% of projects will cost at least 189% of their original estimates;
only 16.2% of projects will be completed on time, on budget;
in large companies, only 9% of projects come in on time, on budget;
the average time overrun is 222% of the original estimate.

Subsequent surveys by the Standish Group have revealed similar results with a slowly increasing proportion of projects completed on time and on budget (35% in 2006).

While there have been improvements, software development is still considered to be inadequate, unreliable and lacking in the discipline associated with engineering and other comparable professional disciplines. As we increase the size and complexity of the problems we attempt, so the importance of our development process increases. This course aims to make students aware of the value of defined personal and team software processes and ways to improve their effectiveness.

1.3 Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Professor Paul Strooper
Phone: 3365 1628 Email: pstroop@itee.uq.edu.au
Campus: St Lucia Building: General Purpose South (Map) Room: 324
Consultation: The best way to contact me is via email. You are welcome to drop by my office as well, and if I have time I will see you right away or otherwise I will set up a suitable time to meet.

Lecturer: David Carrington
Phone: 3365 3310 Email: davec@itee.uq.edu.au
Campus: St Lucia Building: General Purpose South (Map) Room: 323
Consultation: The best way to contact me is via email. I will be absent for part of the semester; the details will be announced via the course Blackboard site.

1.4 Timetable

Timetables are available on mySI-net.

Additional Timetable Information

The course consists of a mix of live lectures and recorded lectures conducted by faculty and staff from Carnegie Mellon University, slide sets that correspond to those lectures, and readings. You are required to complete the readings and view the recorded lectures in your own time. In addition, there will be two weekly lectures, which you are required to attend, and two weekly tutorials, which you are recommended to attend and can use to work on assessment tasks and receive assistance from teaching staff.

2. Aims, Objectives & Graduate Attributes

2.1 Course Aims

This course aims to:

Demonstrate systematic approaches to software development based on the Personal Software Process^SM (PSP^SM) and the Team Software Process^SM (TSP^SM) developed by Watts Humphrey.
Show students how to measure and analyse their personal software process.
Reveal how process data can be used to improve software development performance.
Provide students with experience of reflective and disciplined software development methods.

2.2 Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

1  Plan software development projects based on estimates of size, time involved and defects likely to be injected and removed.
2  Track software development projects by measuring the size of products, the time involved in their development and the defects injected and removed as part of their development.
3  Quantify software quality using the metrics defined in the PSP.
4  Improve your personal and team processes by reflection on past performance and analysis of measurement data to identify improvement opportunities.
5  Generate evidence of benchmark data and reflection outcomes on your personal software process.
6  Demonstrate personal and team skills relevant for software engineering projects.

2.3. Graduate Attributes

Successfully completing this course will contribute to the recognition of your attainment of the following UQ (Postgrad Coursework) graduate attributes:

GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE	LEARNING OBJECTIVES
*A. IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF THE FIELD OF STUDY*
A2. A broad understanding of the field of study, including how other disciplines relate to the field of study.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
A3. A comprehensive and in-depth knowledge in the field of study.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
A5. An international perspective on the field of study.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
A7. An appreciation of the link between theory and practice.
*B. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION*
B1. The ability to collect, analyse and organise information and ideas and to convey those ideas clearly and fluently, in both written and spoken forms.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
B2. The ability to interact effectively with others in order to work towards a common outcome.	1, 6
B3. The ability to select and use the appropriate level, style and means of communication.	5, 6
B4. The ability to engage effectively and appropriately with information and communication technologies.	1, 2, 3, 5, 6
B5. The ability to practise as part of an interdisciplinary team.	6
*C. INDEPENDENCE AND CREATIVITY*
C2. The ability to work and learn independently and effectively.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
C3. The ability to generate ideas and adapt innovatively to changing environments.	4, 5, 6
C5. The ability to formulate and investigate problems, create solutions, innovate and improve current practices.	4, 5, 6
C6. The abilities and skills that provide a foundation for future leadership roles.	4, 6
*D. CRITICAL JUDGEMENT*
D2. The ability to apply critical reasoning to issues through independent thought and informed judgement.	4, 5, 6
D4. The ability to process material and to critically analyse and integrate information from a wide range of sources.	4, 5, 6
D5. The ability to evaluate opinions, make decisions and to reflect critically on the justifications for decisions using an evidence-based approach.	4, 5, 6
*E. ETHICAL AND SOCIAL UNDERSTANDING*
E1. An understanding of social and civic responsibility.	1, 6
E3. An appreciation of the philosophical and social contexts of a discipline.	6
E4. A knowledge and respect of ethics and ethical standards in relation to a major area of study.
E5. A knowledge of other cultures and times and an appreciation of cultural diversity.
E7. The ability to work effectively and sensitively across all areas of society.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
E8. An understanding of and respect for the roles and expertise of associated disciplines.

4. Teaching & Learning Activities

4.1 Learning Activities

Date	Lecture	Project	Other Activities
21 Jul - 27 Jul	Mon Course Overview: Course structure and requirements Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Thu Project Overview: Della source code and documentation review Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6	Mon No project work in week 1	Mon - Sun Reading Set 1 (Reading)
28 Jul - 3 Aug	Mon Introduction to PPP: 1. The basis for predictability 2. The PPP method and tool Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 5 Thu Della 01: From requirements to design Learning Objectives: 1, 2	Mon Team: Establish development environment Learning Objectives: 6 Thu Team: Della 01 launch Learning Objectives: 1, 5, 6	Mon - Sun Reading Set 2 (Reading)
4 Aug - 10 Aug	Mon Lifecycles in PSP and PPP Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 5 Thu The reflection process Learning Objectives: 4, 5	Mon Team: Develop code exemplars from Della 00 Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 5, 6 Thu Team: help session Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 6	Mon - Sun Reading Set 3 (Reading)
11 Aug - 17 Aug	Mon Process Improvement Learning Objectives: 4, 5 Thu Proxy-based planning Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5	Mon Team: Della 02 launch Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 Thu Team: help session Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 6	Mon - Sun Reading Set 4 (Reading)
18 Aug - 24 Aug	Mon Predictability, Quality and Peer Reviews Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Thu Statistics: predicting effort from averages Learning Objectives: 1, 4, 5	Mon Team: Della 02 peer review Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6 Thu Team: help session Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 6	Mon - Sun Reading Set 5 (Reading)
25 Aug - 31 Aug	Mon Planning defects, their cause and improvements Learning Objectives: 1, 3, 4, 5 Thu Personal Reviews and Checklists Learning Objectives: 3, 4, 5, 6	Mon Team: Della 03 launch Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 Thu Team: Della 03 peer review Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6	Mon - Sun Reading Set 6 (Reading)
1 Sep - 7 Sep	Mon Statistics: correlation Learning Objectives: 1, 4, 5 Thu Organisational improvement Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6	Mon Team: Della 04 launch Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 Thu Team: Della 04 peer review Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6	Mon - Sun Reading Set 7 (Reading)
8 Sep - 14 Sep	Mon Writing a compelling report Learning Objectives: 3, 4, 5, 6 Thu Statistics: linear equation predictions Learning Objectives: 1, 4, 5	Mon Individual: data analysis exercise Learning Objectives: 3, 4, 5, 6 Thu Individual: mid-term report Learning Objectives: 3, 4, 5, 6	Mon - Sun Reading Set 8 (Reading)
15 Sep - 21 Sep	Mon Statistics: linear regression Learning Objectives: 1, 4, 5 Thu No lecture planned	Mon Team: Della 05 launch Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 Thu Team: Della 05 peer review Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6	Mon - Sun Reading Set 9 (Reading)
22 Sep - 28 Sep	Mon Data analysis: sources of variation Learning Objectives: 3, 4, 5 Thu No lecture planned	Mon Team: Della 06 launch Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 Thu Team: Della 06 peer review Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6	Mon - Sun Reading Set 10 (Reading)
6 Oct - 12 Oct	Mon Advanced statistics: prediction intervals Learning Objectives: 1, 4, 5 Thu No lecture planned	Mon Team: Della 07/08 launch Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 Thu Team: Della 07 peer review Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6
13 Oct - 19 Oct	Mon Using PSP & TSP in an industrial setting Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Thu Technology change management Learning Objectives: 4, 6	Mon Team: Della 09/10 launch Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 Thu Team: Della 08 peer review Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6
20 Oct - 26 Oct	Mon Writing a compelling final report Learning Objectives: 3, 4, 5, 6 Thu Course reflection and evaluation Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6	Mon Team: Della 09/10 peer review Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6 Thu Team: Peer evaluations Learning Objectives: 4, 5, 6

4.2 Other Teaching and Learning Activities Information

Education is often presented as a transmission model with the teacher generating information and students absorbing it. We regard this model as seriously flawed since it suggests that learning can be a passive process.

We cannot make you learn (any more than we can make you happy or angry). We can do things but how you react is under your control (see Stephen Covey's book: The seven habits of highly effective people which we strongly recommend). We can provide conditions that we believe are conducive to learning, and we can be part of a dialogue to resolve issues and problems that affect your learning. We believe that no single learning strategy suits everyone and hence variety is important to encompass individual differences.

We are strong supporters of active learning that sees learning as a process of change, not just of preparation. We think we need to be conscious of the learning strategies we use, and that we need to understand how to monitor and assess their effectiveness. We understand that some people may not be used to thinking about how they learn and that consideration of the learning process may seem to conflict with course content demands. However, to produce reflective and life-long learners, we need to go beyond Nike's “Just do it” by using reflection to “Do it better”.

5. Assessment

5.1 Assessment Summary

This is a summary of the assessment in the course. For detailed information on each assessment, see 5.5 Assessment Detail below.

Assessment Task	Due Date	Weighting	Learning Objectives
Quiz Reading Question Answers	28 Jul 08 - 6 Oct 08	15%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Log Plans, logs and reflection in the PPP tool	28 Jul 08 - 7 Nov 08	20%	1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Submission protocol Correct submission of files for assessment tasks	28 Jul 08 - 7 Nov 08	10%	1, 2, 5, 6
Project Report Mid-course report	10 Sep 08	20%	3, 4, 5, 6
Tutorial Exercise Data Analysis Exercise	17 Sep 08	5%	3, 4, 5
Project Report Final Report	7 Nov 08	30%	3, 4, 5, 6

5.2 Course Grading

Grade 1, Fail: Fails to demonstrate most or all of the basic requirements of the course: (0-19%)

Grade 2, Fail: Demonstrates clear deficiencies in understanding and applying fundamental concepts; communicates information or ideas in ways that are frequently incomplete or confusing and give little attention to the conventions of the discipline: (20-44%)

Grade 3, Fail: Demonstrates superficial or partial or faulty understanding of the fundamental concepts of the field of study and limited ability to apply these concepts; presents undeveloped or inappropriate or unsupported arguments; communicates information or ideas with lack of clarity and inconsistent adherence to the conventions of the discipline: (45-49%)

Grade 4, Pass: Demonstrates adequate understanding and application of the fundamental concepts of the field of study; develops routine arguments or decisions and provides acceptable justification; communicates information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline: (50-64%)

Grade 5, Credit: Demonstrates substantial understanding of fundamental concepts of the field of study and ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; develops or adapts convincing arguments and provides coherent justification; communicates information and ideas clearly and fluently in terms of the conventions of the discipline: (65-74%)

Grade 6, Distinction: As for 5, with frequent evidence of originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and in creating solutions; uses a level, style and means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience: (75-84%)

Grade 7, High Distinction: As for 6, with consistent evidence of substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critically evaluates problems, their solutions and implications: (85-100%)

5.3 Late Submission

Late assignments will attract a penalty of 10% per day (or part thereof) for each day after the deadline. The penalty is applied to the maximum mark achievable for that assignment. Since there are assignments due almost every week, it is important that students strive to avoid submitting any assignments after the due date.

5.4 Other Assessment Information

Assessment criteria:

Assessment criteria will be supplied with each assignment.

Resubmission:

Resubmission will be required for assignments that are considered substantially incorrect, incomplete or containing inconsistent data.

Return of assignments:

Marked assignments will be returned at the end of the weekly lectures.

5.5 Assessment Detail

Reading Question Answers

Type: Quiz
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Due Date:
28 Jul 08 - 6 Oct 08
Weight: 15%
Task Description: Answers to questions associated with the ten weekly readings. The answers are due on the Monday following the readings.
Criteria & Marking: To be supplied separately.
Submission: Submission requirements will be supplied separately.

Plans, logs and reflection in the PPP tool

Type: Log
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Due Date:
28 Jul 08 - 7 Nov 08
Weight: 20%
Task Description: Complete, accurate and consistent information in your PPP tool.
Criteria & Marking: To be supplied separately.
Submission: Submission requirements will be supplied separately.

Correct submission of files for assessment tasks

Type: Submission protocol
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 5, 6
Due Date:
28 Jul 08 - 7 Nov 08
Weight: 10%
Task Description: All submitted work must conform to the specified protocols.
Criteria & Marking: To be supplied with each assessment task.

Mid-course report

Type: Project Report
Learning Objectives Assessed: 3, 4, 5, 6
Due Date:
10 Sep 08
Weight: 20%
Task Description: This report requires you to reflect on your own individual effort data from the first half of this course, to consider what changes you might make in your own personal methods, and to begin the process of improving the predictability and the quality of your own performance.

Full details to be supplied separately.
Criteria & Marking: To be supplied separately.
Submission: Submission requirements will be provided separately.

Data Analysis Exercise

Type: Tutorial Exercise
Learning Objectives Assessed: 3, 4, 5
Due Date:
17 Sep 08
Weight: 5%
Task Description: An introductory exercise to demonstrate how the types of data collected in this course can be analysed to reveal software process improvement opportunities.

Full details to be supplied separately.
Criteria & Marking: To be supplied separately.
Submission: Submission requirements will be provided separately.

Final Report

Type: Project Report
Learning Objectives Assessed: 3, 4, 5, 6
Due Date:
7 Nov 08
Weight: 30%
Task Description: This report requires you to reflect on your own individual effort data from all of this course’s tasks, consider what changes you might make in your own personal methods, and to continue the process of improving the predictability and the quality of your own performance.

Full details to be supplied separately.
Criteria & Marking: To be supplied separately.
Submission: Submission requirements will be provided separately.

6. Policies & Guidelines

This section contains the details of and links to the most relevant policies and course guidelines. For further details on University Policies please visit myAdvisor and the University Handbook of Policies and Procedures.

6.1 Assessment Related Policies and Guidelines

University Policies & Guidelines

An overview of the University’s assessment-related policies can be found on myAdvisor (http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/index.html?page=2910).

Academic Integrity
It is the University's task to encourage ethical scholarship and to inform students and staff about the institutional standards of academic behaviour expected of them in learning, teaching and research. Students have a responsibility to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity in their work. Students must not cheat in examinations or other forms of assessment and must ensure they do not plagiarise.

Plagiarism
The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.

Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25128) which makes a comprehensive statement about the University's approach to plagiarism, including the approved use of plagiarism detection software, the consequences of plagiarism and the principles associated with preventing plagiarism.

Feedback on Assessment
Feedback is essential to effective learning and students can expect to receive appropriate and timely feedback on all assessment. For a detailed explanation of the feedback you are entitled to, you should consult the policy on Student Access to Feedback on Assessment. (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25109)

As a student you have a responsibility to incorporate feedback into your learning; make use of the assessment criteria that you are given; be aware of the rules, policies and other documents related to assessment; and provide teachers with feedback on their assessment practices.

There are certain steps you can take if you feel your result does not reflect your performance. Please refer to the myAdvisor web site. (http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/index.html?page=2953)

Feedback in this Course

For CSSE7034, feedback on any aspect of your performance in the course can be obtained from the course coordinator, either in person or via e-mail.

School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Assessment Guidelines

Misconduct

Further to the statement on academic integrity and plagiarism above, students are required to read and understand the ITEE policy on Student Misconduct (http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/about_ITEE/policies/student-misconduct.html).

Late Arrival or Non-attendance at Examinations

The policy and procedure for late arrival or non-attendance at centrally controlled examinations is set out in the University's Examinations policy (HUPP 3.30.5), sections 8 and 10.2.

The way in which late arrival at a School-controlled examination is dealt with will be at the discretion of the course coordinator, who may be guided by the policy for centrally controlled exams.

In the case that a student requests a special exam for a School-controlled exam, the request will be considered and, if allowed, the timing shall be determined by the course coordinator, in consultation with the School's Chief Examiner where necessary, and in accordance with HUPP 3.30.5. Unless otherwise indicated in the Course Profile, applications must be made in writing to the Head of School no later than one week after the exam. Late applications will not be accepted.

Examination Feedback

In addition to the advice above, students wishing to view examination answer scripts and/or question papers should consult with the School office (Room 217, General Purpose South Building [78], St Lucia; Room 218, Building 1, Ipswich) regarding arrangements. The ITEE policy on exam script viewing is available at http://study.itee.uq.edu.au/current_students/exam_script_viewing.html.

Supplementary Assessment

If you fail this course you may be eligible for supplementary assessment - see the general award rules and/or your program rules for details. You should note that even though you may be eligible for supplementary assessment under these rules, in some circumstances there may be no practical assessment that can be offered to allow you to meet the minimum passing requirements. These circumstances may include failure based on:

group or team based assessment;
attendance or class participation requirements;
laboratory-based assessment, where laboratories can't practically be made available after classes have finished;
project or thesis-based assessment, where a significant period of time would be required to undertake supplementary assessment;
progressive assessment, where subsequent assessment items build on earlier assessment items; or
multiple assessment items, where it is impractical to offer multiple supplementary assessment items.

If the course coordinator determines that there is no practical supplementary assessment that can be offered to allow you to improve your grade, then you will not be offered supplementary assessment and your grade will remain unchanged.

6.2 Other Policies and Guidelines

University Policies and Guidelines

Placement Courses
Students on a placement course – also known as a work placement, internship, industry study, industry experience, clinical practice, clinical placement, practical work, practicum, fieldwork, teaching practice – should refer to the University policy, Placement Courses (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25120) for detailed information.

Working with Children
Students whose studies include a professional/work placement, internship, clinical practice, teaching practice or other similar activity which involves them in regular contact with children should refer to the University policy, Working with Children Check - "blue card" (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25004) to find out how to apply for a ‘blue card’.

Students with a Disability
Any student with a disability who may require alternative academic arrangements, including assessment, in the course/program is encouraged to seek advice at the commencement of the semester from a Disability Adviser at Student Support Services. Refer to the University policy, Students with a Disability (Disability Action Plan) (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25122) and to the policy on Special Arrangements for Examinations for Students with a Disability (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25111

Where an adjustment is made to an accredited program, it is the responsibility of the relevant Faculty to liaise with professional and registration bodies regarding the acceptability of the change/s.

Occupational Health and Safety
Undergraduate Students (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25055) and Postgraduate Students (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25057) should be familiar with the University policies on occupational health and safety in the laboratory.

Other School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Guidelines

Ethical Clearance

If your course involves assignment or project work involving human subjects or human-related materials, you must investigate the need for ethical clearance and obtain it when required. Information on ethical clearance can be found at http://www.uq.edu.au/research/orps/index.html?page=5064&pid=5256.

Learning Summary

Below is a table showing the relationship between the learning objectives for this course and the broader graduate attributes developed, the learning activities used to develop each objective and the assessment task used to assess each objective.

Learning Objectives