Software Engineering

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CHAPTER 1 
Introduction to Software Engineering
implementation. QFD analysis can also be cascaded to address lower-level design 
alternatives and solutions permitting the analysis to span the complete range from 
customer to project scope and product architectural details.
1.12 
Risk management
Risk management provides an approach to dealing with an uncertainty that has 
been identified and threatens product or project feasibility. Risks that have been 
identified are quantified in terms of their severity (potential consequence) and 
likeliness (probability of occurring). Identified risks are rated as high, medium, or 
low in both severity and likeliness, and entered into a risk tracking framework for 
monitoring and reporting. Risk abatement approaches should be developed and a 
risk management plan established that details the conditions or circumstances that 
would indicate the manifestation of the risk and warrants activation of preven-
tive measures. Risks that rate high in severity as well as high in likeliness should 
cause the project to revisit the software requirements or project scope to identify 
approaches that eliminate, avoid, or diminish the threat of the risk manifestation.
Risks that have not been identified are a form of cancer to a project in that they 
slowly, over time, cripple the project or endanger the ability to deploy the developed 
software product successfully. Therefore, a central element of all software engineer-
ing trade-off analysis and architectural decision making involves risk assessment. 
Trade-off analyses involve the evaluation of architectural alternatives and the relative 
merits of each alternative. Risk assessments must be performed on each alternative 
to ensure that potential risks are recognized before a decision is formulated.
Software development is a very complex undertaking and is littered with potential 
hazards. Risk identification involves discovering, defining, describing, documenting, 
and communicating risks before they adversely affect project fitness. An important 
aspect of risk identification is to capture as many risks as possible. During the risk 
identification activity, all possible risks should be considered. Risk identification is a 
form of brainstorming that is best accomplished when the approach is unrestrained or 
unstructured. Not all risks will be acted on and, once more details are gathered about 
each risk, a decision can be made concerning the handling of unavoidable risks. It is 
important to search the realm of what could happen, considering events or architec-
tural characteristics that have a potential for instigating challenging situations.