Software Engineering Midterm questions and
answers 2025/2026 latest update
Agile Software Development - answerA method for software development that uses new approaches,
focusing on close collaboration between programming teams and business experts
Scrum - answerUses small teams to produce small pieces of deliverable software using sprints, or 30-day
intervals, to achieve an appointed goal
Scrum Master - answerthe person in charge of a Scrum project—similar to a project manager
Software Product Lines - answerA set of software products that share a common core. Each member of
the product line includes customer-specific adaptations and additions. Software product lines may be
used to implement a custom system for a customer with specific needs that can't be met by a generic
product.
Platform - answerA software (or software+hardware) product that includes functionality so that new
applications can be built on it. An example of a platform that you probably use is Facebook. It provides
an extensive set of product functionality but also provides support for creating 'Facebook apps'. These
add new features that may be used by a business or a Facebook interest group.
3 Software Execution Models - answerStand-alone, Hybrid, Software service
Stand-alone Model - answerThe software executes entirely on the customer's
computers.
Hybrid Model - answerPart of the software's functionality is implemented on the customer's computer
but some features are implemented on the product developer's servers.
Software Services Model - answerAll of the product's features are implemented on the
developer's servers and the customer accesses these through a browser or a mobile app.
, Software Development Projects - answerno external customer that generates requirements and pays for
the software. Examples: Student Projects, research software, internal tool development
Product Vision - answersimple statements that define the essence of the product to be developed.
Needs to answer: what is the product to be developed? who are the target customers and users? why is
it unique?
Moore's vision template - answer• FOR (target customer)
• WHO (statement of the need or opportunity)
• The (PRODUCT NAME) is a (product category)
• THAT (key benefit, compelling reason to buy)
• UNLIKE (primary competitive alternative)
• OUR PRODUCT (statement of primary differentiation)
What are the information sources for developing a product vision? - answerDomain experience, product
experience, customer experience, prototyping and playing around
Information Sources: Domain Experience - answerThe product developers may work in a particular area
(say marketing and sales) and understand the software support that they need. They may be frustrated
by the deficiencies in the software they use and see opportunities for an improved system.
Information Sources: Product experience - answerUsers of existing software (such as word processing
software) may see simpler and better ways of providing comparable functionality and propose a new
system that implements this. New products can take advantage of recent technological developments
such as speech
interfaces.
Information Sources: Customer experience - answerThe software developers may have extensive
discussions with prospective customers of
the product to understand the problems that they face, constraints, such as interoperability, that limit
their flexibility to buy new software, and the critical attributes of the software that they need
answers 2025/2026 latest update
Agile Software Development - answerA method for software development that uses new approaches,
focusing on close collaboration between programming teams and business experts
Scrum - answerUses small teams to produce small pieces of deliverable software using sprints, or 30-day
intervals, to achieve an appointed goal
Scrum Master - answerthe person in charge of a Scrum project—similar to a project manager
Software Product Lines - answerA set of software products that share a common core. Each member of
the product line includes customer-specific adaptations and additions. Software product lines may be
used to implement a custom system for a customer with specific needs that can't be met by a generic
product.
Platform - answerA software (or software+hardware) product that includes functionality so that new
applications can be built on it. An example of a platform that you probably use is Facebook. It provides
an extensive set of product functionality but also provides support for creating 'Facebook apps'. These
add new features that may be used by a business or a Facebook interest group.
3 Software Execution Models - answerStand-alone, Hybrid, Software service
Stand-alone Model - answerThe software executes entirely on the customer's
computers.
Hybrid Model - answerPart of the software's functionality is implemented on the customer's computer
but some features are implemented on the product developer's servers.
Software Services Model - answerAll of the product's features are implemented on the
developer's servers and the customer accesses these through a browser or a mobile app.
, Software Development Projects - answerno external customer that generates requirements and pays for
the software. Examples: Student Projects, research software, internal tool development
Product Vision - answersimple statements that define the essence of the product to be developed.
Needs to answer: what is the product to be developed? who are the target customers and users? why is
it unique?
Moore's vision template - answer• FOR (target customer)
• WHO (statement of the need or opportunity)
• The (PRODUCT NAME) is a (product category)
• THAT (key benefit, compelling reason to buy)
• UNLIKE (primary competitive alternative)
• OUR PRODUCT (statement of primary differentiation)
What are the information sources for developing a product vision? - answerDomain experience, product
experience, customer experience, prototyping and playing around
Information Sources: Domain Experience - answerThe product developers may work in a particular area
(say marketing and sales) and understand the software support that they need. They may be frustrated
by the deficiencies in the software they use and see opportunities for an improved system.
Information Sources: Product experience - answerUsers of existing software (such as word processing
software) may see simpler and better ways of providing comparable functionality and propose a new
system that implements this. New products can take advantage of recent technological developments
such as speech
interfaces.
Information Sources: Customer experience - answerThe software developers may have extensive
discussions with prospective customers of
the product to understand the problems that they face, constraints, such as interoperability, that limit
their flexibility to buy new software, and the critical attributes of the software that they need
