Software Engineering

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8.1 
Project analysis tasks
a requirements baseline and not allowing it to change. As the software engineer-
ing process is executed, derived requirements will emerge that affect the ability of 
the development effort to deliver the solution on time and within budget. Allowing 
requirements to be changed or added to the effort will only make this situation 
worse. If a requirement is to be changed, then it should be modified in a manner 
that simplifies the development work effort by reducing or eliminating risks to the 
program.
Customer needs and expectations must be captured as the source of the require-
ments that will be specified for the computational environment and software appli-
cation. Every effort should be made to minimize the number of customer needs and 
expectations by capturing them in terms of how the solution is expected to oper-
ate or support the customer’s business processes. Customer expectations should not 
imply a design constraint on the solution, but should address the way in which data 
will be accessed and processed.
Software development projects are typically established within an enterprise 
organization. The enterprise represents a business entity, government, or social 
organization that operates for stated business purposes. All enterprises have policies 
and fiscal responsibilities. Development programs that do not perform as expected 
impact the enterprises’ financial stability. When a program is established, the enter-
prise establishes cost and schedule objectives that constrain what can be achieved 
and delivered by the software development program. In addition, policies may dic-
tate the conduct of technical reviews, quality programs, use of technologies, etc., all 
of which affect the development effort and the final solution.
Enterprise and program constraints must be captured since they will form the 
basis for governing the software development effort. Constraints affect the solution 
space and burden the development effort by restricting design alternatives. The use 
of standards, computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools, networks, and 
even computer languages will impact the development effort and affect cost and 
schedule. These constraints must be captured as an additional source of stakeholder 
requirements. This recognizes the enterprise and program management team as 
additional customers who have expectations of their own and are stakeholders in 
the software development program’s success.
External constraints are implied by laws, regulations, or industry policies asso-
ciated with the problem being solved by the development program. External con-
straints affect the solution space and must be complied with for the design solution 
to be politically and socially sound. It is important to identify all possible con-
straints to the program that will affect the design solution before the requirements 
are baselined. External constraints are a type of requirement that cannot be deviated 
from, where software requirements can be changed or negotiated among the soft-
ware development team, enterprise, and customer.
An example of an external constraint is the public law requiring that the 
video game industry rate the content of each game in terms of recommended age 
restrictions based on bloodshed, violence, and sexual content. The Entertainment 

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