CS 501 Software Engineering Fall 2000 Projects

General

A major component of the course is a software development project. The objective is to develop a software product for an actual client who intends to use it in a production application.

For this purpose, during the first two weeks of the course, you will form project teams with 5 to 7 members. During the semester, the project team will work together through the full development cycle from understanding the requirements to delivering a functioning product and making a presentation of your work to the client.

Projects

A client can be any person or organization except yourself (e.g., a member of faculty or staff, a Cornell department, an external organization, a student body, etc.). Some potential projects and clients will be suggested but you are encouraged to identify your own.  There should be a firm intention by the client to use the software in production. Aim for a minimum of a three-year production life with at least 100 users, preferably many more.

In selecting a project, think broadly. Your project can be an application, system software, or even a toolkit. Software engineering covers everything from Palm Pilots to supercomputers. The only conditions are that there must be a real client and real users.

Deliverables

Since every software project is different, there is no set list of deliverables that every project must to meet these criteria. Part of your task is to decide what is needed for this specific project. Typical deliverables include working code, documentation, training materials, etc.

Four assignments during the course are based on the project.  These are group projects, but for parts of some assignments you will be asked to submit individual work.  

1. Feasibility study and plan
2. Requirements (presentation and documentation)
3. Design (presentation and documentation)
4. Final delivery (presentation and documentation)

The three primary criteria for a successful project are: satisfying the client's needs, usability of the product  and maintainability over the life of the product.

Technical environment

Most projects will use C++, Java or Perl for Unix or Windows. Permission is required to use other environments, but you are encouraged to use whatever is right for your particular product.

Business considerations

A number of business considerations surround any practical software product.  As part of the Feasibility Study and Plan, every project must describe how it will handle these considerations.  

• For your software to interface with other programs, the client may provide access to trade secret or other proprietary information.  In this case you may be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
• As Cornell students you own the copyright in the software that you create.  However, the client clearly needs to be able to use your software and to use it as a basis for future work, perhaps including it into products.  You must either agree to transfer the copyright to the client or to provide the client with an unrestricted license to use it.
• It is just possible that a project may develop concepts that could be patentable.  This is a complex area, which involves the project team, the university, the client and possibly others.  The client may require a statement that covers this possibility.
• Some projects may be for companies in which members of the Cornell faculty or staff are principals.  In such situations, the university's policy on conflicts of interest must be observed.

Project suggestions

• Legal Information Institute
• Cornell Institute for Digital Collections
• SALSA -- Cornell Information Technologies
• GrammaTech
• Web Site Profiler for Library of Congress
• Data Mining

If you wish to propose another project or would like to advertise for colleagues to join you on a project, send a message to the CS 501 Teaching Assistants and they will post it on the web page:

• Project suggestions and discussions

(wya@cs.cornell.edu)
Last changed: August 27, 2000