Software Engineering

Software Engineering  
Practice
Engineering Constructs
Requirements  
analysis
The evaluation of stakeholder needs and operational 
conditions that affect the architectural solution. Provides 
an analytical means of specifying requirements that are 
unambiguous to stakeholders, developers, and project 
management personnel.
Functional analysis  
and allocation
The investigation into behaviors that bound the functional 
and performance characteristics associated with the 
product, operational environment, and sustainment 
processes. Identifies failure conditions that the product 
must be prepared to encounter, as well as the availability of 
resources to support effective operations.
Design synthesis
Identifies “material” solutions that contribute to satisfying 
specified requirements. Derives design drawings and 
models to confirm the effectiveness of a design solution 
to fulfilling the requirements. Establishes the structural 
configuration of the product and generates the “build to” 
drawings and specifications against which the physical 
element (part, component, etc.) will be fabricated.
Software analysis
Provides the supervision of design alternative comparisons 
to assess the merits and disadvantages of potential 
solutions to determine the most balanced approach 
with which to proceed. This involves assessing the risk 
associated with each proposed architectural alternative 
to understand the potential ramifications of adopting an 
architectural solution.
Verification and  
validation
Ensures that the three perspectives describing the 
architectural solution are consistent with the evolving 
architectural definition. The three perspectives include 
the product requirements and functional and physical 
architectures.
Control
Ensures that architectural design decisions and authorized 
changes are consistently assimilated throughout the 
product configuration documentation and project plans. 
Provides stability for the artifacts of the engineering activities 
to ensure that they are properly stowed within a controlled 
library for record-keeping purposes.

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