SAPM: Software Architecture, Process, and Management

This is the home page for the School of Informatics course "SAPM: Software Architecture, Process, and Management", given by Allan Clark in January-March of 2014. If you have any questions/comments/suggestions then please contact me via email: a.d.clark at ed.ac.uk

IMPORTANT: This web page now refers to the 2013-2014 instance of the course. To view the web-page for the 2012-2013 session click here. You can also view that page to give some idea of what the course might be like in 2013-2014, however note that in 2012-2013 the course was a split Level 10/11 course and in 2013-2014 will be delivered only as a level 11 course. You can also view the 2013-2014 drps page for the course.

Course Description
Announcements
Clarifications
Course Blog
Lectured Topics
To Be Lectured Topics
Misc Related Links

Course Description

This course considers the many ways in which development and maintenance of large software systems differs from that of small systems. It discusses the high level architectural decisions that may control the complexity of such systems, and the architectural degradation that leads to legacy systems. It considers the processes by which large systems can be developed and the role of managers in planning and guiding development, predicting and mitigating risks, and improving quality. The lectures and exam are identical for level 10 and level 11 students but MSc students (level 11) undertake more advanced coursework to meet the additional learning outcome. Further information can be found here

Grading

The final exam counts for 75%, and the coursework count for 25%.

Coursework

Coursework will consist of (probably) two pieces of critical writing. More details will be available when the course begins.

General University and School of Informatics rules for course work

Late Policy (School of Informatics)
Policy on academic misconduct (including plagiarism)

Exam

The exam time table has not yet been set but will be in the semester 2 examination diet.

Announcements

No accouncement as yet.

Clarifications

No clarifications as yet.

Course Blog

Last year's course blog can still be viewed.

Topics

This will be updated with the list of topics which have been delivered in the lectures as the lectures proceed.

Topics

Closer to the time of the start of the course this section will be updated with a list of topics which are still to be discussed in the lectures.

Miscellaneous Links

This is just a section for some links related to the course.

Related Reading

Reading that might interest you or give you a different perspective about something which is covered in the course, generally a list of blog-post links.

Complexity of C++, Ruby and Coffeescript in diagramatic form
Estimation is Evil
Big ball of mud on article architectural anti-patterns
Programming is hard, let's go Scripting Larry Wall's take on various programming languages
A Review of the Duke Nukem 3D source code
ESR on optimising Pytho code using profiling
A list of programming best practices

Revision Control Software

If you are new to revision control software, I don't see any great need to look beyond git and mercurial, other than often large software houses use out-of-date tools simply through inertia. Even so learning git or mercurial should prepare you well enough to quickly get up to speed in any sane revision control software.

Git (distributed version control system)
Mercurial (distributed version control system)
Subversion (non-distributed VCS)
VSS (proprietary)
StarTeam (proprietary)

Last Updated: 18th June 2013 --- Allan Clark

Home : Teaching : Courses