Software Engineering

Unit 6

Unit 6
Structure 6.1 Introduction Objectives 6.2 Computer System 6.3 Computer Systems Engineering Hardware engineering Software engineering Human engineering 6.4 System Analysis 6.5 System Architecture 6.6 System Specification 6.7 Summary 6.8 Glossary 6.9 Terminal Questions 6.10 Answers 6.11 Caselet

System Engineering

6.1

Introduction

In the previous unit, we learnt about software configuration management and the various concepts involved in identifying the software configuration items along with the objects of software configuration. The standards used for auditing gave us a better understanding about the configuration audits. In this unit, we will study about system engineering. We will start our discussion with a computer system. Then, we will discuss about computer systems engineering (also called as computer engineering), which is an amalgamation of many fields of engineering, wherein we will discuss about the hardware engineering, software engineering, and human engineering. Thereafter, we will study about system analysis. We will also familiarise ourselves with system architecture and system architecture specification. Then, we will have a brief discussion about the system specification, and system specification review.

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This unit will enable us to understand the different concepts covered in system engineering. Learning Objectives After studying this unit, you should be able to: Explain computer systems engineering and its types. Discuss about system analysis. Describe the system architecture and its specifications. Explain system specification review.

6.2

Computer System

Let us now start this unit with an overview about the computer system. We can define a system as an arrangement of different components, to form an integrated system, in order to perform a defined task. The computer system is considered as a working system, which includes both the software and the hardware or the external peripherals like the printer, scanner, or router with a common central storage system. The computers which are connected to the central storage system operate independently, and are also able to communicate, with other computers. For a computer system to function, the peripheral devices and the software are required. For example, a computer system will require software like an operating system as well as the external peripheral device like printer, in order to perform the task of printing. So, we can define a computer system as a basic functional unit, with a storage system that is used for either executing, part of the program or the entire program. Basics of computer system In todays world, we can get a better computer for a less price as compared to the past years. This is due to the technological improvements. So, every time we buy a computer, we must look in to the requirements aspect; instead of buying the advanced computer system available in the market. Therefore, we must always buy a computer which fits our needs. Let us now have a quick overview of some of the basics of computers. Central processing unit (CPU): The central processing unit is considered as the brain of the computer, which performs all the tasks of
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calculations and makes the programs in your computer to work. If you receive the results faster, then your CPU is considered to be fast. Random access memory (RAM): The Random access memory is called the memory of the computer. The information that you use, to run the programs and applications in your computer, is stored in the random access memory. If your computer system has more memory, you will be able to run more number of applications at the same instance, without affecting the other system operations. Hard disk drive (HDD): The hard disk of the computer is the permanent memory, where all the data related to the computer system is stored. For example, data like programs, spread sheets and databases. If your hard disk is large, then you can store large volumes of data in it. Although, the size of the hard drive does not have an impact on the speed of the program; the speed of your hard drive can have an impact on the retrieval of the files. Optical disk drive (ODD) (Optical Drives (CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, and DVD-RW)): The very commonly used drives like the compact disk drives (CDD) and the digital video disk drives (DVD) come under this category. These drives make use of a laser in order to read the data that is etched on the disk. The optical drives also come with the CD-R, denoting recordable disk; where you can burn the information only once on to the disk and no other editing can be done. The CD-RW denotes a rewritable disk; where data can be rewritten as many times as possible, giving you the provision of deleting the old files and adding the new files. You can also come across CD-ROM, which denotes the read only memory, where data cannot be modified. Floppy disk drive (FDD): Floppy disk drives are very small in size and are basically used for transferring data from one computer to another computer. Nowadays, floppy disk drives have become obsolete in most of the computers. The cost of the floppy disk drive is very meagre as compared to the cost of the compact disk drive. In order to hold hundreds of megabytes of memory, the zip drives were used in the past,
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but today the zip drives have been replaced by the CD-RW disks due to its less cost. The size of the standard floppy disk comes with 3.5 size. Video card: A video card enables you to have, better graphical display of the items on your display screen. The video card is inserted into the motherboard of the computer, in order to enhance display capabilities. At present, most of the video cards come with an in-built RAM and processor, to boost up the graphical display. Sometimes, additional video cards are used for multimedia purposes or playing video games. Sound Card: The sound cards are also known as the audio cards, which are the expansion boards, used to enhance the sound quality of the system. Sometimes, computers come with sound chips, and hence there is a requirement to add an additional sound card to improve the sound quality.

Self-Assessment Questions
1. The central processing unit acts as the ________ of the computer. 2. The compact disk and digital video disks are also known as the _________ drives. 3. Spread sheet is an example of an optical disk drive. (True/False)? Activity 1: Imagine you are a trainer in a small software company. Explain how you would train the new recruits from the college, about the basics of computer and relate the practical use of computers. Hint: Computer System.

6.3

Computer Systems Engineering

By now you must be familiar with the basics of computers, that is, the various parts of a computer. In this section, we will study about the different types of computer system engineering. The challenge of designing a computer system involves in building a system that consists, both the hardware and the software components. The concept of building a computer is similar to the task of building any other electronic
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gadget like digital cameras, robots and embedded systems. In order to build these electronic gadgets, we must first analyse them and then design them as per our requirements. The various facets of design must be justified both technically and economically. All these things can be put into a common discipline of study known as system engineering. The computer system engineering is an integration of many disciplines of engineering like electronics, electrical and computers. The engineers are called computer system engineers, and they undergo training in electronic engineering and the hardware-software integration; instead of, just undergoing training on software engineering. System engineers are involved in several aspects of computing, when it comes to designing the hardware and software. The emphasis is more, not only on how a computer system works; rather the concern is more about, how the various components of both the hardware and the software are integrated. Computer engineers do a variety of tasks, such as, coding for the firmware for embedded microcontrollers, designing operating systems and analog sensors. In the field of research and robotics, computer engineers depend on digital control systems, and track and monitor the sensors and motors. Today, there is an increase in demand for computer system engineers, who will be able to design firmware, hardware, and also manage the various computer systems used in an organisation. The study of computer engineering involves both the analog and digital circuitry. The pre-requisite for the study of computer engineering, is to have a sound knowledge of mathematics and science. A computer systems engineer also involves himself in the evaluation and installation of the various software and other hardware support equipments in the network area of an organisation. 6.3.1 Hardware engineering As we are discussing about computer systems engineering, let us discuss about one of its types, namely, hardware engineering.
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The branch of hardware engineering has become more and more advanced considering the advancement in the field of software engineering. The field of software engineering is ever changing, and so the hardware engineering industry is also experiencing the same trend, and is considered to be under a spell of boon. Today, there is a huge demand for computer chips. Therefore, the hardware engineers are constantly working in correlation with the software engineers in developing highly capable and reliable computer chips. The branch of hardware engineering is based on developing and testing the components involved in building a computer system. The hardware engineers; design and manufacture the new hardware components, and monitor its installation as per the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Components like the circuit boards and microchips are designed along with the other accessories like printers and keyboards. The main objective of computer hardware engineering is to bring about improvement in the existing technology, and the systems manufactured must function appropriately and meet the end users needs. Today, most of the hardware engineers work for software companies, as both hardware and software go hand-in-hand. We select the hardware for a computer system on the basis of some characteristics, which are: Components packaged as individual building blocks. Standardisation of interfaces among components. Availability of numerous off-the shelf alternatives. Able to determine performance, cost and availability very easily. A hardware configuration evolves from a hierarchy of building blocks to discrete components like integrated circuits and electronic components, such as, resistors, capacitors, and so on. They all are assembled as a printed circuit board which performs assigned operations. The boards are interfaced with the bus, in order to form a system component, like a single board computer, which is in turn integrates, to become the hardware subsystem or hardware system element. The functions, which were once
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available on a set of PC boards with dozens of integrated circuits, are available on a single chip. 6.3.2 Software engineering Let us now study about another type of computer systems engineering, namely, software engineering. We can say that software engineering is a profession which involves designing, modifying and implementing the software, in order to obtain high quality, less cost, more reliable and cost effective component. The term software engineering appeared first in the year 1968 at the NATO software Engineering Conference. The software engineering conference was setup to overcome the software crisis experienced during the early days. We use the term software crisis, when we face difficulty in understanding, verifying and writing the correct software programs. Some of the reasons for software crisis are, complexity in code, and abrupt change in code. It was always thought that a blend of art and science lead to software development. The IEEE Computer Societys Software Engineering Body of Knowledge has defined software engineering as the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software.1 6.3.3 Human engineering We are now familiar with hardware and software engineering. So, we will now learn about human engineering. The need for learning human engineering is due to the fact that there is a human interaction involved in most of the system activities. The interaction can be as small as a dialog which drives the unit function of the system. In the early days, the users had to force themselves to understand and communicate with the computer-based systems. However, in todays world, the concept of user friendly is used quite often, in order to make the user,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_engineering

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more user-friendly to the software system. The main approach here is to ensure that the software system developed is user-friendly to the end-user. During the phase of developing a software system, utmost care is taken to see that the software that is being developed is user-friendly. For example, when people from different cultural backgrounds interact, the interaction becomes smoother when a set of rules are followed by both the interacting parties. However, when it comes to interaction between a machine and a human, the interaction is not smooth, as there are no set, rules. Every time when a human interaction is required to perform a certain task or a specific function, the system engineer allocates the required function. The components of the human engineering system are well understood, so that appropriate functions can be performed. Some of the components of human engineering system are human memory, knowledge representation, thinking and reasoning, visual perception and human dialog construction. We can define human engineering as a multidisciplinary activity which puts into us, the knowledge inherited from psychology and technology to specify and design human-computer interaction (HCI) of high quality. Let us now have a brief discussion about the various steps involved in the human engineering process: Activity analysis: In activity analysis, each activity which is allocated to the human element is first evaluated as per its required interaction with the other elements. Then, these activities are divided into tasks, which are further analysed. Semantic analysis and design: In semantic analysis and design, the exact meaning of every action required by the user, and the corresponding action produced by the machine is defined. The design of a dialog brings out the appropriate meaning of the action. Syntactic and lexical design: In the syntactic and lexical design step, the specific forms of actions and commands are identified, and then the software and hardware are implemented, as per the action or command designed.
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User environmental design: Then, in this step, a user environment is established with the help of hardware, software and other elements. This environment will include both the human-computer interaction (HCI) and physical facilities like lighting and space management. Prototyping: In this step, prototyping takes place. A prototype is required for specifying an HCI (human-computer interface). Using the prototyping method, it is possible to evaluate the HCI. Thus, prototyping helps us to evaluate the repetitive applications of all the human engineering steps.

Self-Assessment Questions
4. Computer system engineering is also known as ____________. 5. The pre-requisite for the study of computer engineering, is to have a sound knowledge of ______________ and ______________. 6. The term software engineering first appeared in the year 1968 at the NATO software Engineering Conference. (True/False)? Activity 2: Imagine you have been assigned the task of checking the various integrated software engineering and human-computer interfaces in your software company. Explain how you will accomplish the task. Hint: Computer System Engineering.

6.4

System Analysis

Previous section familiarised us with different types of computer systems engineering. This section will familiarise us with the system analysis. System analysis is supposed to be an activity which covers up most of the activities of computer system engineering. System analysis mainly focuses on the elements of the system, rather than the software. We conduct a system analysis on the basis of the following objectives: Determine the needs of the customer. Assess the system concept for workability. Carry out economic and technical analysis.
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Distribute functions to hardware, software, people, database and other elements of the system. Set up cost and schedule constraints. Create a system definition that makes the basis for all consecutive engineering work.

In order to meet these objectives, system engineer must be an expert in the field of hardware, software and also database and human engineering. It has been listed by the industry professionals that, time and effort are the most important factors in the system analysis stage, as they are considered to bring out more profits to the organisations in the long run. The three important questions that arise while performing system analysis are: How much effort should be expended on analysis and definition for systems and software? Who does it? Why is it so difficult? Let us now make note of some of the important steps used in system analysis. They are: Identification of need: Identifying the need is the first step in the system analysis process. The analyst or the system engineer gathers the requirements of the project. The customer needs and the customer wants are differentiated appropriately. The features which are critical to the systems success are the customer needs, while the features which are just added and not really essential for the functioning of a system are called the customers wants. The detail of the information, which is gathered during this step, is specified in the system concept document. Feasibility study: Feasibility study deals with the evaluation of the resources and time. Risk analysis is conducted to know how the risk could affect the software process, so that appropriate steps could be taken to enhance software quality.

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Economic analysis: Economic analysis deals with the cost-benefit analysis, so that correct assessment is made for the software project. The cost-benefit analysis brings out the cost involved for the software project and also the benefits of the software system. The analysis is based on the size of the project, which is to be developed along with the desired investment and strategic plan of the organisation. Technical analysis: The technical analysis involves in evaluating the technical merits of software system and also in gathering information related to performance, reliability and maintainability. Various technical analysis tools like probability, statistics and mathematical techniques are used.

Self-Assessment Questions
7. Industry professionals list out _______ and _________ as the most important factors in the system analysis stage. 8. The important steps followed in system analysis are ________, _____________ and _______. 9. Any two objectives of system analysis are ___________ and ____________. Activity 3: Suppose you are assigned the task to analyse the various factors involved in your project. Explain how you will gather information and proceed with the analysis task. Hint: System Analysis.

6.5

System Architecture

After studying about the system analysis, let us now study about the system architecture. We can define system architecture as a conceptual structure and functional behaviour of a computer system, which is used to determine the overall

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organisation. It also describes the different components involved in building the system architecture and the way in which they are combined.2 Once the various functionalities of a computer-based system are allocated, we create a system model, using an architecture template. We can see that within a template, a system engineer allocates the system elements to the five processing regions in the template, as shown in the figure 6.1.

Figure 6.1: Architecture Template

As per the figure 6.1, an architecture template enables the system engineer to create a detailed hierarchy. System architecture gives us an idea about, how the various functionalities and responsibilities of a particular system are divided and allocated to the various components. Thus, each divided system performs the desired set of functionality as defined. The topmost divided system level is considered to handle all the major responsibilities of the system. The term system architecture is used to describe the overall design and structure of a computer network or system.3 The need for system architecture came into existence due to the requirement of consolidating all

2 3

http://www.answers.com/topic/computer-systems-architecture http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-system-architecture.htm

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the physical devices. At times, the term system architecture is also used to describe very complex software tools which have several modules. The complexity of a system varies from one system to another system, and it depends on factors, such as, user needs, business requirements, funding and availability of resources. System architecture must always be flexible and adhere to the ever changing needs quickly. If the structure is very rigid, then it becomes difficult to assimilate any new hardware or software. Let us now briefly learn about the four main components of system architecture. These components are: Processing power: The processing power depends on the computer or the server. The correct processor must be selected and installed on to a system. The selection of the processor is based on the software specifications, number of concurrent users, and the connection strength. The processing power is considered to be the brain of the system. During the design phase, it becomes difficult to scale the criticality of the processor. Therefore, the system architecture must allow addition of processors without any kind of obstruction. Storage space: Storage space is related to the capacity of the hard drive along with the built-in device in the system. Cost becomes an important factor because, as the cost decreases, the capacity increases, and this is basically due to the production process involved. From the architecture point of view, when an element is added on to the process, the storage capacity increases, which results in a change in the physical shape. Connectivity: In a network, connectivity is considered as an important aspect of the design of a system. The system performance can be enhanced, by correctly maintaining the connectivity between the various aspects of the system. The performance of the system can be increased by upgrading the network cable, switches and routers. User experience: User experience is the experience of the user, which is based on both the system performance and system architecture. Only,
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when a system is well designed, it can respond to the needs of the user and also support its operation on the long run. System architecture specification We are now familiar with the system architecture, let us now familiarise ourselves with the system architecture specification. We can consider a system architecture specification as a high level design document. This document provides details pertaining to the users requirements. The design solutions are bifurcated into hardware and software modules, and the interaction between these modules is also described. The system architecture specification acts as a model for the development of detailed design. We implement the system architecture specification in an organisation, during the early stages of development, so that the quality of the system and the functionality are enhanced, thereby leading to increased assurance of correctness. When a particular component performs better than what was predicted in the system architecture section, its details are discussed in the sub-section of system architecture section. Sometimes, the details might be specified in the design documents. Also, discussions about the way the particular component is divided and its interactions are mentioned. We must ensure that the design document must always be consolidated in a proper format. The specification documents, gives us a clear picture about the system architecture, which satisfies the functions and operations of development and also meets the business proposals. This document, serves as an agreement, which states that, the system architecture meets the requirements and when changes occur during the development phase, the change control request process has to be adopted.

Self-Assessment Questions
10. The four main components of system architecture are _____________, ____________, ____________ and ____________.
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11. The five processing regions of a template are __________, __________, ___________, ___________ and _____________. 12. The term system architecture is used to describe the ____________and _______________of a computer network or system. Activity 4: Imagine you have joined as a system engineer in a small company. Explain how you would allocate the system elements in to a template. Hint: System Architecture.

6.6

System Specification

In the previous section, we learnt about system specification architecture and its specification. So, let us now learn about the system specification. In order to define the requirements, we must establish the specifications. We can consider the system specification as a document, which is the basis/foundation of hardware engineering, software engineering, database engineering and human engineering. The system specification gives us the details pertaining to the function and performance of a computer-based system, and also the constraints, which govern during the software development process. These specifications are bound by each system element. A software engineer can gather details about, the role played by the software in the entire system, and the various subsystems from the system specifications. The system specifications will give you an idea about the information, which is basically the data, and control that is being input, and the corresponding output from the system. Therefore, we must make sure, that the system specification must be considered as a system specification document. The details of the system specifications will be indicated by the system engineering standards. If the correct requirements are not established, it will lead to problems of ambiguity in the later part of the software development life cycle and thereby will lead to, off schedule problems and budgetary issues. Hence, it becomes necessary for us to establish the requirements in a systematic way, so that accuracy is achieved and quality is maintained.
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Establishing the requirements and implementing the requirements can be achieved, only when an organisation has people with sound technical skills and communication skills. When the requirements are weak, they can become a threat to the dependable systems which are under the phase of development. Thus, the requirements ensure that a system will not enter into an undefined state. Requirements are the first step in the designing process of software development phase. These requirements must be clear and well documented, in order to generate the corresponding specifications. The specification phase plays a vital role in the construction of safety-critical systems. For example, errors that surface during the requirements and specifications phase, will lead to errors in the upcoming phases of development. Each time when an error is discovered during the phase of development, the engineers trace back to the specifications and fix the errors/bugs. This may lead to wastage of time and other requirements specification errors. Sometimes, we can come across incomplete implementation of specifications, wrong assumptions as the main reasons for requirement flaws. Let us now have a better understanding of the requirements and specifications. We can define a requirement as a condition needed by a user, to solve a problem or achieve an objective. While a specification is a document that specifies, in a complete, precise, verifiable manner, the requirements, design, behaviour or other characteristics of a system and often the procedures for determining whether these provisions have been satisfied.4 To bring more clarity to the definition of requirements and specification, we can take the example of a car. The requirement of a car could be a maximum speed of at least 130 mph and the specification for this requirement will include, the technical information regarding specific design aspects.

http://www.ece.cmu.edu/~koopman/des_s99/requirements_specs/

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The common term, which we may come across during the software developmental process, is the requirements specification. The requirements specification is a document which specifies the requirements of a system or a component. It will include the functional requirements, performance requirements, interface requirements, design requirements along with the development standards. Therefore, requirements specification is the documentation details of all the phases involved in the software development life cycle. System specification review As we are discussing about system specification, let us now discuss about the system specification review. The term system specification review means to evaluate the accuracy of the definitions which are contained in the system specification document. Sometimes, the review phase may be ignored during the development phase. This may lead to problems while writing the source code for the system. We can define review as a process of checking the details of a subject or examining and verifying over and over, in order to ensure accuracy. A review is generally conducted by the developer or the customer, to make sure that the following steps are adhered to: The scope of the project must be correctly delineated/ represented or sketched. Functions, performance and interfaces must be defined properly. The system must be justified by analysis of environment and development risk. The developer and the customer must have the same perception about the objectives of the system. We will now briefly discuss about the two segments of system specification review, as given in the figure 6.2.

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Figure 6.2: Segments of System Specification Review

Management viewpoint: Management viewpoint is the review which is conducted based on the management opinion, on the various business aspects pertaining to software engineering process. The following questions are generated for key management viewpoint: Has a firms business need been established? Does system justification make sense? Does the specified environment (or market) need the system that has been described? What alternatives have been considered? What is the development risk for each system element? Are resources available to perform development? Do cost and schedule bounds make sense?5

The above mentioned questions are periodically raised and answered on a regular basis, during the analysis phase of tasks in the system specification review. Technical evaluation of system elements and functions: Technical evaluation review deals with the evaluation of the various elements and functions that are involved in the process of software engineering. The details gathered during the technical stage of the system review and the details gathered during the allocation task stage will differ from each other, due to the variation in the functions and the tasks assigned.

Software Engineering, A practitioners Approach By Roger S. Pressman

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Let us now have a look at some issues that must be addressed by a typical review. These issues are: Does the functional complexity of the system agree with the assessments of development risk, cost and schedule? Is the allocation of functions defined with the required details? Have interfaces among system elements, and with the environment been defined in sufficient details? Are performance, reliability and maintainability issues addressed in the specification? Does the system specification provide sufficient foundation for the hardware and software engineering steps that follow?6 When the system specification review is completed, other parallel path tasks start. Thus, the various elements of system engineering like software, hardware, database elements and human elements are considered in the technical evaluation review.

Self-Assessment Questions
13. System specification is a document. (True/False)? 14. The two segments of system specification review are __________ and ________. 15. A review is conducted by the _________ or the _________. Activity 5: Imagine you are a developer in small software company. Explain how you will conduct a system specification review. Hint: System Specification.

6.7

Summary

In this unit, we first studied about the basic of a computer system, so as to understand the concept of computer system engineering easily. Then, we studied about the computer systems engineering, which is a set of different fields, such as electronics. We also studied about its types, including the

Software Engineering, A practitioners Approach By Roger S. Pressman

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hardware engineering, software engineering, and human engineering. We analysed that the computer system engineering is considered as the first step in the evolution of the modern computer based system. We discussed about the system analysis, wherein we analysed that, taking system analysis as the basis, the system engineer can identify the needs of the customer, determine the economic and technical feasibility and also allocate performance and function to software, hardware, people and the data bases, which make up the key system elements. Thereafter, we learnt about the system architecture and its specification. There we came to know that the architectural models of a system can be produced and developed from each major sub-system. We also learnt about the system specification and system specification review, which contain the documentation details of the various phases involved in the software engineering process. Thus, we can conclude that computer system engineering is a necessity, when it comes to developing a software system.

6.8

Glossary

Term Analog sensors

Description Analog sensors measure information which is continuous. The Get operation returns the present state of the sensor, while the Update operation indicates the change state of the sensor. Bus A bus is a transmission channel through which signals are sent and received at the point where a physical device is attached. CASE (Computer CASE tools help the project mangers in all the Aided Software activities involved in the software process. The Engineering) CASE tools automate the project management activities. This tool helps us analyse, design, code and test. Firmware Firmware is used to denote the small programs that are found in electronic devices and are used to
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control the various activities of the electronic device. NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is an inter governmental military alliance. This is a collective defence force, where the member states have a mutual understanding for defence, in response to an attack, by an enemy. Processor (CPU) The processor is also known as the central processing unit and all numeric data are processed. RAM (Random Access Random access memory is a volatile memory. It Memory) loses the stored information, when there is no power. It is different from the non-volatile memory such as a hard disk.

6.9

Terminal Questions

1. Explain the basics of computer system. 2. Define computer system engineering and also describe software engineering, hardware engineering and human engineering. 3. Explain system analysis and how does it help in a development life cycle. 4. Explain system architecture and describe specification of system architecture. 5. Describe the system specification review.

6.10

Answers

Self-assessment questions 1. Brain. 2. Optical disk. 3. False 4. Computer engineering 5. Mathematics, science. 6. True. 7. Time, effort. 8. Identification of Need, Feasibility study, Economic analysis, Technical analysis, Allocation and trade-offs.
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9. Determine the needs of the customer; carry out economic and technical analysis. 10. Processing power, Storage, Connectivity, User experience. 11. User interface, Input, System function and control, Output, Maintenance and self-test. 12. Overall design , structure 13. True. 14. Management viewpoint, Technical evaluation of system elements and functions. 15. Developer, customer. Terminal questions 1. Refer section 6.2 Computer System. 2. Refer section 6.3, 6.3.1, 6.3.2, Computer Systems Engineering, Software engineering, Hardware engineering, Human engineering. 3. Refer section 6.4 System Analysis. 4. Refer section 6.5, 6.6 System Architecture, Specification of System Architecture. 5. Refer section 6.7.1 System Specification Review.

6.11

Caselet

Computerised Physician Order Entry Systems for Medications. Nishant Health Care System Background: The Nishant Health Care System is a health care system, which is located in the town of Satara. This health care system has several units, which handle the various departments. Each of the unit has its pre-defined set of goals and objectives, like the research unit, report unit, diagnosis unit, and consultation units. For example, the doctors and the research scientists were unable to login to the cases at the same instance of time. The system which is used at present slows down the process, when simultaneous access of data occurs. This was due to the other parallel tasks which are ongoing in the system. For example, when the patient information is printed in one of the units, the system slows down and the other unit would not perform the requested function and also when performing a task, there were no prompts and
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instructions on the display screen, to proceed to the next step. All these drawbacks had to be overcome, and hence an integrated system was thought of. Thus, a Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE) System was designed, which helped the health care system authorities to overcome their drawbacks. Issues: Doctors had difficulty in communicating the case data to the research scientists. A common documentation was established across the health care system. Method: The authorities in the nursing home came up with the integration of software engineering (SE) and human computer interface (HCI). Several interesting models and activities were put to practice. The ergonomic perspective of designing an user interaction equipment at the work place, in order to make it more user friendly, so that the problem which was faced earlier by the health care system, does not repeat again. Also, the other technicalities involved in designing the system were considered. A comparative study was made between the previous situations and the present situation. Results: The latest techniques helped Nishant Health Care System with a common work support. The cases in the nursing home could be easily accessed by the research scientists as well as the doctors simultaneously. Question: 1. Explain how Nishant Health Care Systems, accomplished to have an integrated system of software engineering and human interface.

References
Roger S. Pressman, Software Engineering, A Practitioners Approach.
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