Computer Science and Software Engineering 371

Software Requirements and Specification

Fall 2005

Discussion and Exercises for Week 2

1. What is the difference between a capability, a feature and a function? (They all have been used in similar contexts.)

2. What are the pros and cons using a tablet versus post-it notes for brainstorming?

3. Suppose that the CSSE faculty adopted a policy that asked you to keep track of your time spent on every assignment in each CSSE course, and provide a written report to the instructor analyzing the results at the conclusion of each course. Your class wants to explore the possibility of writing a software tool to help with the data collection and analysis. Brainstorm and perform idea reduction on features for this tool.

4. Storyboard the following sequence:

1. Exterior, urban street. There is someone standing on a corner.

2. Across the street a door opens and a second person emerges.

3. The second person crosses the street to the first person.

4. They exchange something.

5. They leave, either together or apart.

(Source: From Word to Image: Storyboarding and the Filmmaking Process, by Marcie Begleiter, Michael Weise Productions, 2001, ISBN 0-941188-28-0, p. 78.)

Exchange it with the person next to you. What differences do you see?