Glossary of Software Engineering Process Terms

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Acceptance

  • An action by which the customer accepts ownership of software products as a partial or complete performance of a contract.4
  • Acceptance Testing

  • Formal tests deveeloped by the customer or product manager and conducted to determine whether or not a system satisfies its acceptance criteria and enable the customer to determine whether or not to accept the system..
  • activity
    Work Definition describing what a Process Role performs. Activities are the main element of work in a software process.[5]
    actor (instance)
    Someone or something, outside the system that interacts with the system.[2]
    actor class
    Defines a set of actor instances, in which each actor instance plays the same role in relation to the system.[2]
     A coherent set of roles that users of use cases play when interacting with these use cases. An actor has one role for each use case with which it communicates.[1]
     
    actor goal list
    Lowest precision view of a set of use cases is the Actors-Goals list. The list of primary actors and goals they have with respect to the system. Useful at the start of the project when you are prioritizing the use cases and allocating work to the teams. 7 (p. 126)

    Administrator

    Application
    Related capabilities that satisfy a customer need. A set of interacting objects that provide a well-defined set of services that implement capabilities required by a customer. 6

  •  
  • Archive
    RP: To duplicate the database, documents, and all related files in a project for the purpose of restoring them at a later time.

    Attachment

    Administrator Group

  • RP: A group of users with full permissions to work in a project. They can change a project's structure, create and modify data, modify and delete project-wide views, and set and maintain security permissions. Users can be added and removed from this group, but this group cannot be deleted. Administrator group permissions cannot be modified.
  • analyst
    Member of the project team who is responsible for eliciting and interpreting the stakeholder needs, and communicating those needs to the entire team.[2]

    Annotatable

    Annotation

    Application
    Related capabilities that satisfy a customer need. A set of interacting objects that provide a well-defined set of services that implement capabilities required by a customer. 1 (p. 504)

     
    arbiter 
    An arbiter is a property of a test case or a test suite to evaluate test results and to assign the overall verdict of a test case or test suite respectively.[4]
    architecture
    The highest level concept of a system in its environment [IEEE]. The architecture of a software system (at a given point in time) is its organization or structure of significant components interacting through interfaces, those components being composed of successively smaller components and interfaces.[2]
     The organizational structure of a system. An architecture can be recursively decomposed into parts that interact through interfaces, relationships that connect parts, and constraints for assembling parts..[1]

    Archive

  • RP: To duplicate the database, documents, and all related files in a project for the purpose of restoring them at a later time.
  •  
    artifact set
    A set of related artifacts which presents one aspects of the system. Artifact sets cut across disciplines, as several artifacts are used in a number of disciplines.[2]
    attribute
    An attribute that represents a named property of a project element. An attribute has a type that defines the type of its instances.

    Attachment

    Attribute Label

  • RP: The name of the requirement attribute, such as risk, priority, or author.
  • Attribute Type

  • RP: A set of descriptive and operational information associated with a requirement attribute when the attribute is created. Attribute values can be list-type or entry-type. For list-type attributes, you select a textual attribute value from a drop-down list box. For entry-type attributes, you type in a value, such as a number, text string, date or time.
  • Attribute Value

  • RP: Information assigned to a requirement attribute. Attribute values can be text or numbers. For example, the attribute Priority could be assigned the values Low, Medium, and High.
  •  
  • Author

  • The user responsible for creating or modifying a work product.
  •  

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    baseline
    A reviewed and approved release of artifacts that constitutes an agreed basis for further evolution or development and that can be changed only through a formal procedure, such as configuration control.[2]
    beta testing
    Pre-release testing in which a sampling of the intended customer base tries out the product.[2]
    build
    An operational version of a system or part of a system that demonstrates a subset of the capabilities to be provided in the final product.[2]
    business rule
    A declaration of policy or condition that must be satisfied within the business.[2]

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    change management
    The activity of controlling and tracking changes to artifacts. [2]
    change request (CR)
    A general term for any request from a stakeholder to change an artifact or process. Documented in the Change Request is information on the origin and impact of the current problem, the proposed solution, and its cost. [2] See also enhancement request, defect.
    comment
    An annotation attached to an element or a collection of elements. An annotation has no semantics.[1]
    component
     A physical, replaceable part of a system that packages implementation and conforms to and provides the realization of a set of interfaces. A component represents a physical piece of implementation of a system, including software code (source, binary or executable) or equivalents such as scripts or command files.[1]
    configuration
    (1) general: The arrangement of a system or network as defined by the nature, number, and chief characteristics of its functional units; applies to both hardware or software configuration.[2]
    (2) The requirements, design, and implementation that define a particular version of a system or system component. See configuration management.
    configuration item
    An entity in a configuration that satisfies an end-use function and can be uniquely identified at a given reference point. [2]
    configuration management (CM)
    A supporting process whose purpose is to identify, define, and baseline items; control modifications and releases of these items; report and record status of the items and modification requests; ensure completeness, consistency and correctness of the items; and control storage, handling and delivery of the items. [2]
    construction
    The third phase of the Unified Process, in which the software is brought from an executable architectural baseline to the point at which it is ready to be transitioned to the user community.[2]
    customer
    A person or organization, internal or external to the producing organization, who takes financial responsibility for the system. In a large system this may not be the end user. The customer is the ultimate recipient of the developed product and its artifacts. See also stakeholder.[2]
    cycle
    One complete pass through the four phases: inception, elaboration, construction and transition. The span of time between the beginning of the inception phase and the end of the transition phase.[2]

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    data pool
    A data pool is a collection of values. It is used by test components as a source of values for the execution of test cases. Data pools can be represented by utility parts or be logically described by constraints.[4]
    defect
    An anomaly, or flaw, in a delivered work product. Examples include such things as omissions and imperfections found during early lifecycle phases and symptoms of faults contained in software sufficiently mature for test or operation. A defect can be any kind of issue you want tracked and resolved.[2]
    deliverable
    An output from a process that has a value, material or otherwise, to a customer or other stakeholder.[2]
    dependency
    A relationship between two modeling elements, in which a change to one modeling element (the independent element) will affect the other modeling element (the dependent element).[1]
    deployment
    A discipline in the software-engineering process, whose purpose is to ensure a successful transition of the developed system to its users. Included are work products such as training materials and installation procedures.[2]
    design
    The part of the software development process whose primary purpose is to decide how the system will be implemented. During design, strategic and tactical decisions are made to meet the required functional and quality requirements of a system.[1] 
    Design Constraint 
    A design constraint is a restriction on the design of a system, or the process by which a system a system is developed, that does not affect the external behavior of the system but that must be fulfilled to meet technical, business, or contractual obligations.[3]
    developer
    A person responsible for developing the required functionality in accordance with project-adopted standards and procedures. [2]
    development case
    The software-engineering process used by the performing organization. It is developed as a configuration, or customization, of the Unified Process product, and adapted to the project's needs.[2]
    development process
    A set of partially ordered steps performed for a given purpose during software development, such as constructing models or implementing models.[1]
    discipline
    A Discipline is a process package organized from the perspective of one of the software engineering disciplines: Configuration Management, Analysis & Design, and so forth.[5]
    document
    A document is a collection of information that is intended to be represented on paper, or in a medium using a paper metaphor. The paper metaphor includes the concept of pages, and it has either an implicit or explicit sequence of contents. The information is in text or two-dimensional pictures. Examples of paper metaphors are word processor documents, spreadsheets, schedules, Gantt charts, web-pages, or overhead slide presentations.[2]
    domain
     An area of knowledge or activity characterized by a set of concepts and terminology understood by practitioners in that area.[1]
    domain model
    A domain model captures the most important types of objects in the context of the domain. The domain objects represent the entities that exist or events that transpire in the environment in which the system works. [2]

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    elaboration
    The second phase of the process where the product vision and its architecture are defined.[2]
    element
     An element describing one aspect of a software engineering process.[5]
    enhancement request
    A type of stakeholder request that specifies a new feature or functionality of the system. See also change request.[2]
    event
    The specification of a significant occurrence that has a location in time and space. In the context of state diagrams, an event is an occurrence that can trigger a transition.[1]
    exit action
    An action executed upon exiting a state in a state machine regardless of the transition taken to exit that state.[1]
    extend
     A relationship from an extension use case to a base use case, specifying how the behavior defined for the extension use case can be inserted into the behavior defined for the base use case.[1]
    extend-relationship
    An extend-relationship from a use-case class A to a use-case class B indicates that an instance of B may include (subject to specific conditions specified in the extension) the behavior specified by A. Behavior specified by several extenders of a single target use case can occur within a single use-case instance.[2]

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    failure
  • The inability of a system or component to perform its required functions within specified performance requirements [IEEE90]. A failure is characterized by the observable symptoms of one or more defects that have a root cause in one or more faults.8
  • feature
    An externally observable service provided by the system which directly fulfills a stakeholder need.[3]
    Functional Requirement 
    A system behavior observable by a user – a systems  inputs, outputs and the functions it provides.[3]
    FURPS
    Functionality, Usability, Reliability, Performance, Supportability: this acronym represents categories for assessing product quality.[3]

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    guard condition
    A condition that must be satisfied in order to enable an associated transition to fire.[2]
    guidance

    A description of how to work with a particular work product, including how to create and revise the work product. Guidance (guidelines) may include techniques,  procedures, standards, tips, templates of work products, examples of work products, definitions, and so on.

     
    GUI
    Graphical User Interface
    hypertext
    Text in a document that contains a hidden link to other text. You can click a mouse on a hypertext word and it will take you to the text designated in the link. Hypertext is used in Windows help programs and CD encyclopedias to jump to related references elsewhere within the same document. The wonderful thing about hypertext, however, is its ability to link—using HTTP over the Web—to any Web document in the world, yet still require only a single mouse click to jump clear around the world.[2]

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    implementation
    A discipline in the software-engineering process, whose purpose is to implement and unit test the classes.[2]
    A definition of how something is constructed or computed. For example, a class is an implementation of a type, a method is an implementation of an operation.[1]
    inception
    The first phase of the Unified Process, in which the seed idea, request for proposal, for the previous generation is brought to the point of being (at least internally) funded to enter the elaboration phase.[2]
    include
    A relationship from a base use case to an inclusion use case, specifying how the behavior defined for the inclusion use case can be inserted into the behavior defined for the base use case.[1]
    include-relationship
    An include-relationship is a relationship from a base use case to an inclusion use case, specifying how the behavior defined for the inclusion use case is explicitly inserted into the behavior defined for the base use case.[2]

    increment
    A small and manageable part of the system, usually the delta or difference between two successive builds. Each iteration will result in at least one (new) build and will thus add an increment to the system. However, a sequence of builds may be created within an iteration, each one adding a small increment to the system. 8 (p.445)

    inheritance
    The mechanism that makes generalization possible; a mechanism for creating full class descriptions out of individual class segments.[2]
     The mechanism by which more specific elements incorporate structure and behavior of more general elements related by behavior.[1]
    integration
    The software development activity in which separate software components are combined into an executable whole.[2]
    integration build plan
    Defines the order in which components are to be implemented and integrated in a specific iteration. [2]Enclosed in the Iteration Plan.
    internal transition
     A transition signifying a response to an event without changing the state of an object.[1]
    iteration
    A self-consistent, executable increment of software that is designed, programmed, integrated, tested and delivered in a short, fixed timeframe. The objective assessment of an iteration provides the primary project quality and status metric for the project. A successful iteration meets its iteration criteria, and  may be declared to be a release candidate.
    iteration criteria
     
    iteration plan
    A plan to achieve a specified level of functionality and meet additional specific criteria with a particular iteration of a system.

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    keyword
    A predefined word reserved for Java, for example, return, that may not be used as an identifier.[2]

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    l

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    management
    A discipline in the software-engineering process, whose purpose is to plan and manage the development project.[2]
    method
    (1) A regular and systematic way of accomplishing something; the detailed, logically ordered plans or procedures followed to accomplish a task or attain a goal. (2) UML 1.1: The implementation of an operation, the algorithm or procedure that effects the results of an operation.[2]
    The implementation of an operation. It specifies the algorithm or procedure associated with an operation[1]
    module
     A software unit of storage and manipulation. Modules include source code modules, binary code modules, and executable code modules.[1]t.

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    name
     A string used to identify a model element.[1]
    namespace
    A part of the model in which the names may be defined and used. Within a namespace, each name has a unique meaning. .[1]
    nonfunctional requirement 
     An indirectly observable aspect of  system behavior such as usability, reliability, performance and supportability.[3]
     

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    object
     An entity with a well-defined boundary and identity that encapsulates state and behavior. State is represented by attributes and relationships, behavior is represented by operations, methods, and state machines. [1]An object is an instance of a class. See class, instance.
    operation
     A service that can be requested from an object to effect behavior. An operation has a signature, which may restrict the actual parameters that are possible.[1]
    organization unit
    A collection of business workers, business entities, relationships, business use-case realizations, diagrams, and other organization units. It is used to structure the business object model by dividing it into smaller parts.[2]
    originator
    An originator is anyone who submits a change request (CR). The standard change request mechanism requires the originator to provide information on the current problem, and a proposed solution in accordance with the change request form.[2]
    output
    Any artifact that is the result of a process step. [2] See deliverable.

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    package
     A general purpose mechanism for organizing elements into groups. Packages may be nested within other packages.[1]
    parameter
    The specification of a variable that can be changed, passed, or returned. A parameter may include a name, type, and direction. Parameters are used for operations, messages, and events.[1]
    parent
    In a generalization relationship, the generalization of another element, the child.[1] 
    parent class
    The class from which another bean or class inherits data, methods, or both.[2]
    participates
    The connection of a model element to a relationship or to a reified relationship. For example, a class participates in an association, an actor participates in a use case.[1]
    postcondition
    A textual description defining a constraint on the system when a use case has terminated.[2]
    PRD
    Product Requirements Document
    precondition
    A textual description defining a constraint on the system when a use case may start.
    process
    A set of partially ordered steps intended to reach a goal; in software engineering the goal is to build a software product or to enhance an existing one; [2]
     
    process component

    Process Component is a coherent grouping of process Model Elements organized from a given vantage point such as a discipline, for example, testing, or the production of some specific work product, for example, requirements management.[5]

     

    product
    Software that is the result of development, and some of the associated artifacts (documentation, release medium, training).[2]
    product champion
    A high-ranking individual who owns the vision of the product and acts as an advocate between development and the customer.
    product-line architecture
    Defines element types, how they interact, and how the product functionality is mapped to them. It may also go further by defining some of the instances of the architecture elements. This term generally applies to a set of products within an organization or company. [2]
    product requirements document (PRD)
    A high level description of the product (system), its intended use, and the set of features it provides.[3]
    project
    Projects are performed by people, constrained by limited resources, and planned, executed, and controlled. A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite ending. Unique means that the product or service is different in some distinguishing way from all similar products and services. Projects are often critical components of the performing organizations' business strategy.[2]
    project manager
    The role with overall responsibility for the project. The Project Manager needs to ensure tasks are scheduled, allocated and completed in accordance with project schedules, budgets and quality requirements.[2]
    prototype
    A release that is not necessarily subject to change management and configuration control.[2]

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    QA
    Quality Assurance
    quality assurance (QA)
    The function of Quality Assurance is the responsibility of (reports to) the Project Manager and is responsible for ensuring that project standards are correctly and verifiably followed by all project staff.[2]

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    rationale
    A statement, or explanation of the reasons for a choice.[2]
    reference
     (1) A denotation of a model element. (2) A named slot within a classifier that facilitates navigation to other classifiers. Synonym: pointer.[1]
    release
    A subset of the end-product that is the object of evaluation at a major milestone. A release is a stable, executable version of product, together with any artifacts necessary to use this release, such as release notes or installation instructions. A release can be internal or external. An internal release is used only by the development organization, as part of a milestone, or for a demonstration to users or customers. An external release (or delivery) is delivered to end users. A release is not necessarily a complete product, but can just be one step along the way, with its usefulness measured only from an engineering perspective. Releases act as a forcing function that drives the development team to get closure at regular intervals, avoiding the "90% done, 90% remaining" syndrome. See also prototype, baseline.[2]
    release candidate
    A release candidate is an iteration of a software system which meets established iteration criteria and is ready for further evaluation to determine suitability for being released to external users.
    release manager
    A release manager is responsible for ensuring that all software assets are controlled and configurable into internal and external releases as required.[2]
    report
    An automatically generated description, describing one or several artifacts. A report is not an artifact in itself. A report is in most cases a transitory product of the development process, and a vehicle to communicate certain aspects of the evolving system; it is a snapshot description of artifacts that are not documents themselves.[2]
    repository
     A storage place for object models, interfaces, and implementations.[1]
    requirement
    A requirement describes a condition or capability to which a system must conform; either derived directly from user needs, or stated in a contract, standard, specification, or other formally imposed document. [3].
     A desired feature, property, or behavior of a system.[1]
    requirement attribute
    Information associated with a particular requirement providing a link between the requirement and other project elements—for example, priorities, schedules, status, design elements, resources, costs, hazards.[3]
    requirement type
    A categorization of requirements—for example, stakeholder need, feature, use case, supplementary requirement, test requirement, documentation requirement, hardware requirement, software requirement, and so on—based on common characteristics and attributes. [3]
    requirements
    A discipline in the software-engineering process, whose purpose is to define what the system should do. The most significant activities are to develop a vision, a use-case model, and software requirements specifications.[2]
    requirements management
    A systematic approach to eliciting, organizing and documenting the requirements of the system, and establishing and maintaining agreement between the customer and the project team on the changing requirements of the system. [3]
    requirements tracing
    The linking of a requirement to other requirements and to other associated project elements.[3]
    result
    Synonym of output. See also deliverable.[2]
    resurrect
    Synonymous with deserialize.[2]
    reuse
    Further use or repeated use of an artifact[2]
    The use of a pre-existing artifact.[1]
    review
    A review is a group activity carried out to discover potential defects and to assess the quality of a set of artifacts.[2]
    risk
    An ongoing or upcoming concern that has a significant probability of adversely affecting the success of major milestones.[2]
    role
    A definition of the behavior and responsibilities of an individual, or a set of individuals working together as a team, within the context of a software engineering organization..[2]
    RUP
    Rational Unified Process[2]
     

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    sandbox
    A restricted environment, provided by the Web browser, in which Java applets run. The sandbox offers them services and prevents them from doing anything naughty, such as doing file I/O or talking to strangers (servers other than the one from which the applet was loaded). The analogy of applets to children led to calling the environment in which they run the sandbox.[2]
    scenario
    A use case execution wherein a specific user executes the use case in a specific way.[3]
     A specific sequence of actions that illustrates behaviors. A scenario may be used to illustrate an interaction or the execution of a use case instance.[1] .
    Scope 
    The achievable scope of a project or iteration reflects the features that can be accomplished in a given time with a given resource.[3]
    scope management
    The process of prioritizing and determining the set of requirements that can be implemented in a particular release cycle, based on the resources and time available. This process continues throughout the lifecycle of the project as changes occur. [3]
    sequence diagram
     A diagram that shows object interactions arranged in time sequence. In particular, it shows the objects participating in the interaction and the sequence of messages exchanged. Unlike a collaboration diagram, a sequence diagram includes time sequences but does not include object relationships. A sequence diagram can exist in a generic form (describes all possible scenarios) and in an instance form (describes one actual scenario). Sequence diagrams and collaboration diagrams express similar information, but show it in different ways. [1]
    software architecture
    Software architecture encompasses:
    the significant decisions about the organization of a software system
    the selection of the structural elements and their interfaces by which the system is composed together with their behavior as specified in the collaboration among those elements
    the composition of the structural and behavioral elements into progressively larger subsystems
    the architectural style that guides this organization, these elements and their interfaces, their collaborations, and their composition
    Software architecture is not only concerned with structure and behavior, but also with usage, functionality, performance, resilience, reuse, comprehensibility, economic and technology constraints and tradeoffs, and aesthetic concerns.[2]
    Software Requirement
    A software requirement describes a condition or capability to which a system must conform; either derived directly from user needs, or stated in a contract, standard, specification, or other formally imposed document. [3]
    software requirements specifications (SRS)
    A set of requirements which completely defines the external behavior of the system to be built—sometimes called a functional specification.[3]
    software specification review (SSR)
    In the waterfall life cycle, the major review held when the software requirements specification is complete.
    specification
     A declarative description of what something is or does. [1]
    stakeholder
    An individual who is materially affected by the outcome of the system.[3]
    stakeholder need
    The business or operational problem (opportunity) that must be fulfilled in order to justify purchase or use.[3]
    stakeholder request
    A request of any type—for example, Change Request, enhancement request, request for a requirement change, defect—from a stakeholder.[2]
    state
    A condition or situation during the life of an object during which it satisfies some condition, performs some activity, or waits for some event.[1]
    state machine
    A state machine specifies the behavior of a model element, defining its response to events and the life cycle of the object.[2]
     A behavior that specifies the sequences of states that an object or an interaction goes through during its life in response to events, together with its responses and actions.[1]
    statechart diagram
    A diagram that shows a state machine.
    step

    An atomic and fine-grained Model Element used to decompose Activities. Activities are partially ordered sets of Steps.[5]

    stimulus

    The passing of information from one instance to another, such as raising a signal or invoking an operation. The receipt of a signal is normally considered an event.[1] .

    string
    A sequence of text characters. The details of string representation depend on implementation, and may include character sets that support international characters and graphics.[1]
    submachine state
    A state in a state machine which is equivalent to a composite state but its contents are described by another state machine.[1]
    substate
    A state that is part of a composite state. See concurrent substate, disjoint substate.[1]
    subsystem
    A model element which has the semantics of a package, such that it can contain other model elements, and a class, such that it has behavior. The behavior of the subsystem is provided by classes or other subsystems it contains. A subsystem realizes one or more interfaces, which define the behavior it can perform.[2]
    A subsystem is a grouping of model elements, of which some constitute a specification of the behavior offered by the other contained model elements. [1]
    system
     (1) A collection of connected units that are organized to accomplish a specific purpose. A system can be described by one or more models, possibly from different viewpoints. Synonym: physical system. (2) A top-level subsystem.[1]
    SUT (System Under Test)
    The system under test (SUT) is a part and is the system, subsystem, or component being tested. A SUT can consist of several objects. The SUT is exercised via its public interface operations and signals by the test components. No further information can be obtained from the SUT as it is a black-box.[4]
     

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    tagged value
     The explicit definition of a property as a name-value pair. In a tagged value, the name is referred as the tag. Certain tags are predefined in the UML; others may be user defined. Tagged values are one of three extensibility mechanisms in UML. See constraint, stereotype.[1]
    target (for test)
    A build that is an object for testing. [2] 
    team leader
    The team leader is the interface between project management and developers. The team leader is responsible for ensuring that a task is allocated and monitored to completion. The team leader is responsible for ensuring that development staff follow project standards, and adhere to project schedules.[2]
    technical authority
    The project's technical authority has the authority and technical expertise to arbitrate on if, and how, a change request is to be implemented. The technical authority defines change tasks, and estimates the effort of engineering the work tasks, corresponding to a change request.[2]
    test case
    A test case is a specification of one case to test the system, including what requirement to test with which input, result, and under which conditions. A test case is defined in terms of sequences, alternatives, loops and defaults of stimuli to and observations from the SUT. It implements a test objective. A test case may invoke other test cases.[4]
    test coverage
    The degree to which a given test or set of tests addresses all specified test cases for a given system or component.
    test component
    A test component is a class of a test system that objects realize the behavior of a test case. A test component has a set of interfaces via which it may communicate via connections with other test components or with the SUT.[4]
    test configuration
    A test configuration is a collection of test component objects and of connections between the test component objects and to the SUT. The test configuration defines both (1) test component objects and connections when a test case is started (the initial test configuration) and (2) the maximal number of test component objects and connections during the test execution..[4]
    test driver
    A software module or application used to invoke a test item and, often, provide test inputs (data), control and monitor execution, and report test results. A test driver automates the execution of test procedures.
    test item
    A build which is an object of testing. 
    test objective 
    A test objective is a named element describing what should be tested. It is associated to a test case.[4]
    test stimulus for ref 
    A stimulus is test data sent to the SUT in order to control it and to make assessments about the SUT when receiving the SUT reactions to these stimuli..[4]
    test procedure
    A test procedure is a set of detailed instructions for the set-up, execution, and evaluation of results for a given test case.
    time
    A value representing an absolute or relative moment in time.[1]
    time event
     An event that denotes the time elapsed since the current state was entered. [1]
    time expression
    An expression that resolves to an absolute or relative value of time.[1]
    timeboxing
    The approach to the management of an iteration's schedule recommended in the RUP: having initially established the scope and schedule for an iteration, the project manager is encouraged to actively manage that scope (and the resources committed to the iteration) so as to meet the planned iteration end date, rather than slipping the end date to accommodate the originally planned scope, if development takes longer than planned. In the RUP, reduction of scope is preferred to addition of resources to manage a slipping schedule. The motivations for this approach are to make the results of an iteration visible to the stakeholders and to assess the iteration, so that the lessons learned may be applied to subsequent iterations[2]
    timing mark
    A denotation for the time at which an event or message occurs. Timing marks may be used in constraints.[1]
    trace
    A dependency that indicates a historical or process relationship between two elements that represent the same concept without specific rules for deriving one from the other.[1]
    traceability
    The ability to trace a project element to other related project elements, especially those related to requirements.  Project elements involved in traceability are called traceability items.
    traceability item
    Any project element which needs to be explicitly traced from another project element in order to keep track of the dependencies between them.  [2] 
    transaction
    A unit of processing consisting of one or more application programs initiated by a single request. A transaction can require the initiation of one or more tasks for its execution.[2]
    transaction processing
    A style of computing that supports interactive applications in which requests submitted by users are processed as soon as they are received. Results are returned to the requester in a relatively short period of time. A transaction processing system supervises the sharing of resources for processing multiple transactions at the same time.[2]
    transition
    The fourth phase of the process in which the software is turned over to the user community.[2]
    A relationship between two states indicating that an object in the first state will perform certain specified actions and enter the second state when a specified event occurs and specified conditions are satisfied. On such a change of state, the transition is said to fire.[1]
    trigger
    With the exception of the initial transition[1], all behavior in a state machine[1] is triggered by the arrival of events on one of an object's interfaces. Therefore, a trigger defines those events from which interfaces will cause the transition to be taken. The trigger is associated with the interface on which the triggering event is expected to arrive. Moreover, a transition can have multiple triggers such that an event that satisfies any one of the triggers will cause the transition to be taken.[1]
    type
    Description of a set of entities which share common characteristics, relations, attributes, and semantics.[2]
    A stereotype of class that is used to specify a domain of instances (objects) together with the operations applicable to the objects. A type may not contain any methods. [1].

    A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T [U] V W X Y Z Go to Top

    UI
    User Interface
    UML
    Unified Modeling Language
    U
    Unified Modeling Language (UML)
    A language for visualizing, specifying, constructing, and documenting the artifacts of a software-intensive system [1]
    usage
    A dependency in which one element (the client) requires the presence of another element (the supplier) for its correct functioning or implementation.[1]
    use case
    A description of system behavior, in terms of sequences of actions between an actor and the system.  A use case should yield an observable result of value to an actor. A use case contains a main course and all alternate flows of events related to producing the "observable result of value".
    More formally, a use case defines a set of use-case instances or scenarios.
    The specification of a sequence of actions, including variants, that a system (or other entity) can perform, interacting with actors of the system. See use-case instances.[1]
    use-case diagram
    A diagram that shows the relationships among actors and use cases within a system.[1]
    use-case instance
    The performance of a sequence of actions being specified in a use case. An instance of a use case.[1]
    A use-case instance is more specific than a use case - actors are replaced by specific persons or actor instances, and only one path is taken through the possible alternate flows of the use case.
    use-case model
     A model that describes a system’s functional requirements in terms of use cases.[1]
    use-case package
    A use-case package is a collection of use cases, actors, relationships, diagrams, and other packages; it is used to structure the use-case model by dividing it into smaller parts.
    use-case realization
    A use-case realization describes how a particular use case is realized within the design model, in terms of collaborating objects.[2]
    use-case section
    A use-case section is any section of a use case, including preconditions, postconditions, subflows, steps, and text.  Use-case sections are commonly used as traceability items.[2]
    use-case view
    An architectural view that describes how critical use cases are performed in the system, focusing mostly on architecturally significant components (objects, tasks, nodes). [2] In the RUP, it is a view of the use-case model.
    user interface (UI)
    (1) The hardware, or software, or both that enables a user to interact with a computer. (2) The term user interface typically refers to the visual presentation and its underlying software with which a user interacts.[2]

    A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U [V] W X Y Z Go to Top

    validation action
    A validation action evaluates the status of the execution of a test case by assessing the SUT observations and/or additional characteristics/parameters of the SUT. A validation action is performed by a test component and sets the local verdict of that test component.[4]
    value
    An element of a type domain.[1]
    variable
    (1) A storage place within an object for a data feature. The data feature is an object, such as number or date, stored as an attribute of the containing object. (2) A bean that receives an identity at run time. A variable by itself contains no data or program logic; it must be connected such that it receives run-time identity from a bean elsewhere in the application.[2]
    verdict 
    Verdict is the assessment of the correctness of the SUT. Test cases yield verdicts. Verdicts can also be used to report failures in the test system. Predefined verdict values are pass, fail, inconclusive and error.[4]
    version
    A variant of some artifact; later versions of an artifact typically expand on earlier versions.[2]
    view
    A simplified description (an abstraction) of a model, which is seen from a given perspective or vantage point and omits entities that are not relevant to this perspective.[2]
    A projection of a model, which is seen from a given perspective or vantage point and omits entities that are not relevant to this perspective.[1]
    vision
    The user's or customer's view of the product to be developed, specified at the level of key stakeholder needs and features of the system.

    A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V [W X Y Z]Go to Top

    waterfall model
    IEEE90] defines the waterfall model as, "A model of the software development process in which the constituent activities, typically a concept phase, requirements phase, design phase, implementation phase, test phase, and installation and checkout phase, are performed in that order, possibly with overlap but with little or no iteration."  
    Widget
    In this context, a generic term for something that can be put on a window such as a button, scrollbar, label, listbox, menu, or checkbox.[2]
    work definition
    Model Element of a process describing the execution, the operations performed, and the transformations enacted on the Work Products by the roles. Activity, Iteration, Phase, and Lifecycle are kinds of work definition. [5]
    work product
    Work Product is a description of a piece of information or physical entity produced or used by the activities of the software engineering process. Examples of work products include models, plans, code, executables, documents, databases, and so on. [5]
     
    work breakdown structure
    The planning framework; a project decomposition into units of work from which cost, artifacts, and activities can be allocated and tracked.[2]
    work guideline
    A description which provides practical guidance on how to perform an activity or set of activities. It usually considers techniques which are useful during the activity.[2]
    workflow
    The sequence of activities performed in a business that produces a result of observable value to an individual actor of the business.[2]
    -------------------------------------------
    Bibliography

    [1] Object Management Group. 2001. Unified Modeling Language, V1.1 Needham, MA

    [2] Rational Software Corporation.  2002. Rational Unified Process.. Cupertino, CA 

    [3] Leffingwell, Dean and Don Widrig. 2003. Managing Software Requirements: A Use Case Approach. Boston , Mass: Addison-Wesley

    [4] Object Management Group. 2003. UML 2.0 Testing Profile Specification Needham, MA

    [5] Object Management Group. November 2003. Software Process Engineering Metamodel Specification V1.0, Needham, MA.

    [6] Goldberg, Adele and Rubin, Kenneth S. Succeeding With Objects, Decision Frameworks for Project Management. Addison-Wesley, 1995.

    7 Cockburn, Alistair Agile Software Development. Addison-Wesley, 2002.

    8 Jacobson, Ivar, Booch, Grady and Rumbaugh, James. The Unified Software Development Process. Addison-Wesley, 1999.

    Copyright  © 2003 Leffingwell

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    stuff from Jean to integrate below.

    Change Description
    RP: Textual information that specifies the justification or reasoning behind the changes associated with a given revision of a project, document, or requirement.

    Comment
    An annotation attached to an element or a collection of elements. A note has no semantics.

    Filtering

    RP: A process by which you can change the amount of information displayed in a view. You specify certain criteria on which to filter information. You can filter requirements by specifying certain distinct criteria for any or all of their attributes. For example, instead of displaying all requirements, you might apply a filter to display only requirements having a high priority.

    Incremental Development
    ...a process that involves the continuous integration of the system's architecture to produce releases, with each new release embodying incremental improvements over the other. 2 (p. 445)
    Qualifies an iterative development strategy in which the system is built by adding more and more functionality at each iteration.8

    Iterative Development
    A strategy for developing systems that allows for the controlled reworking of part of a system to remove mistakes or to make improvements based on user feedback. 1 (p. 511)

    List-Type Attributes
    RP: Requirement attributes are either list-type or entry-type. List-type attributes are sets of descriptive values (for example, Status, which may contain the list values Proposed, Approved, In progress, and Complete).

    You can assign single values or multiple values for list-type attributes. A multiple value list is an attribute type that supports one-to-many associations. For example, you might create an attribute type called Owner, with multiple values Chris, Jan, and Sue, representing different users working on the same project. For this attribute, you might then assign only the values Chris and Sue to a particular requirement, indicating that Chris and Sue are responsible for this particular requirement, but Jan is not.

    Metrics
    RP: A Rational ?RequisitePro feature for compiling statistics on requirement name, text, attributes, relationships, and revisions. These report results are displayed in Microsoft Excel and can be manipulated using Excel’s charting capabilities. Two types of reports are available: static reports (which show results about the project at the present time) and trend analysis reports (which use time-sensitive filters that analyze changes in requirement text, attributes, traceability, and hierarchical relationships).

    Multiple-Value List Attribute
    RP: An attribute type that supports one-to-many associations. You can use a multiple value list when you want to assign a requirement more than one value for a specific attribute. For example, you might create an attribute type called Owner, with multiple values Chris, Jan, and Sue, representing different users working on the same project. For this attribute, you might then assign only the values Chris and Sue to a particular requirement, indicating that Chris and Sue are responsible for this particular requirement, but Jan is not.

    Originator
    An originator is anyone who submits a change request (CR). The standard change request mechanism requires the originator to provide information on the current problem, and a proposed solution in accordance with the change request form8

    Package
    UML-A general purpose mechanism for organizing elements into groups. Packages may be nested within other packages.
    RP: A container, represented in the Explorer as a folder, that can contain requirements, documents, views, and other packages. You can place related artifacts in a single package for organizing your project. All project packages are shared by all project users.

    Parent
    UML- In a generalization relationship, the generalization of another element, the child
    RP: A requirement that is at the same hierarchical level as another requirement. Two requirements are peer requirements when they are children of the same parent. All requirements at the root level are peer requirements of one another. See parent requirement, child requirement, hierarchical requirement.

    Permissions
    RP: The Rational ?RequisitePro privileges granted to a group of ?RequisitePro users. ?RequisitePro administrators or members of a group with project security permissions can assign permissions to groups.

    Product
    1. Application intended for sale outside the company that created it, or a program or system intended for deployment to users inside the company that created it... 1 (p. 514)
    2. Software that is the result of development, and some of the associated artifacts (documentation, release medium, training).8

    Product Manager
    An individual who owns the vision of the product and acts as an advocate between development and the customer.8

    Project Manager
    The role with overall responsibility for the project. The Project Manager needs to ensure tasks are scheduled, allocated and completed in accordance with project schedules, budgets and quality requirements.8
    Rank
    An attribute of a use case or scenario that describes its impact on the architecture, or its importance for a release8

    Requirements Tracing
    The linking of a requirement to other requirements and to other associated project elements.8

    Revision
    RP: A distinct version of a project, document, or requirement. A revision is identified by a unique internal revision number, generated by Rational ?RequisitePro.

    Revision Number
    RP: The number identifying a revision. Revision numbers are automatically incremented each time you or another user changes and saves a project, document, or requirement.

    Risk
    An ongoing or upcoming concern that has a significant probability of adversely affecting the success of major milestones 8

    Security
    RP: Prevention of system use, potential harm, or data loss by unauthorized individuals. In ?RequisitePro, users are given specific permissions that determine the level of access they have to projects. If you are a ?RequisitePro administrator or a member of a group with project security permissions, you can assign permissions.

    Smoke Test
    A phrase used to describe a subset of tests—typically limited in number—that can be run against each software build to determine whether the software has regressed in form or function since a previous build. (Synonyms: build validation test, build verification test, build acceptance test, build regression test and sanity check). 8
    Tag
    RP: The unique identifier for each requirement in a project. A requirement tag is composed of a tag prefix and a unique numerical value, such as "PR100.1.2." The tag prefix is always the requirement type, as defined in the Project Properties dialog box. The numerical value is generated by Rational ?RequisitePro. The tag prefix can include a maximum of 20 characters. Each requirement type in your project has a different tag prefix (for example, FEA, SR, TST) that you determine when you create a new project or add a new requirement type. When you add a requirement to a requirements document or database, ?RequisitePro assigns the requirement the appropriate tag prefix, dependent on its requirement type, and an incremental numerical value.

    Tag Prefix
    RP: The prefix for a requirement type. A tag is a unique identifier assigned to each requirement you create. The tag prefix can be up to 20 characters long, and it is defined as a part of the requirement type.
    Team
    Group of people fulfilling particular roles and working together in a coordinated fashion to meet a clear set of goals and objectives. 1 (p. 517)

    Team Leader
    The team leader is the interface between project management and developers. The team leader is responsible for ensuring that a task is allocated and monitored to completion. The team leader is responsible for ensuring that development staff follow project standards, and adhere to project schedules.8

    Template
    UML- A predefined structure for an artifact.
    RP: RP: A ?RequisitePro template that contains project structure including document types, requirement types, requirement attributes, users, groups, and security.

    Test Coverage
    A term used generically to refer to how the extent of testing should be or has been measured. Typical approaches to measuring, the extent of testing include: considering the degree to which a given set of tests address the formal specifications specified test cases for a given system or component 8

    Test Cycle
    A period of test activity that includes amongst other things the execution and evaluation of tests. Each iteration can contain from none to many test cycles, with the majority of iterations containing at least one. Each test cycle starts with the acceptance of a software build into the test environment.8

    Test Driver
    A software module or application used to invoke a test and, often, provide test data, control and monitor execution, and report test outcomes. A test driver sequences and controls the automated execution of one or more tests.8

    Test Environment
    A specific instance of a configuration of hardware and software established for the purpose of conducting tests under known and controlled conditions. 8

    Test Plan
    A plan that describes the testing strategies, resources, and schedule. 2 (p. 449)

    Test Scenario
    A specific instance of a test script, providing specific data values and following a single execution path. 8

    Test Script
    A collection of step-by-step instructions that realize a test, enabling its execution. Test scripts may take the form of either documented textual instructions that are executed manually or computer readable instructions that enable automated test execution.8

    Test Suite

    Testability
    The ability for the target test items to be appropriately tested: if the target item cannot have the required tests implemented against it, it is possibly lacking testability. Arguably, the two major aspects discussed in regard to testability are 1) the ability for the target test items to provide appropriate support for being tested and 2) the suitability of the process and tools employed by the test team - and the specific strategy taken to applying them.8

    Trace
    A dependency that indicates a historical or process relationship between two elements that represent the same concept without specific rules for deriving one from the other. 8

    Traceability
    The ability to trace a project element to other related project elements, especially those related to requirements. Project elements involved in traceability are called traceability items. 8

    Traceability Item
    Any project element which needs to be explicitly traced from another project element in order to keep track of the dependencies between them. With respect to Rational ?RequisitePro this definition can be rephrased as: any project element represented within ?RequisitePro by an instance of a ?RequisitePro requirement type.8

    Users

    Users Information
    RP: A Rational ?RequisitePro user's user name, password, and e-mail address. If you are an administrator or a member of a group with project security permissions, you can edit another user's information. In addition, a user can edit his or her own user information.

    Users Group
    RP: A security group that can, by default, read documents and requirements, create views, and participate in discussions. Administrators can modify Users group permissions.
    Velocity
    ProjectVelocity is the measurement of the event rate of a project. This is useful for a number of things, including the determination of whether a project is slowing down, high or low productivity, and many other factors. ProjectVelocity measurements can detect a minor downturn or a major pothole before other traditional means. Measures how fast work is getting done on a project. Total # work units (stories/Tasks/UC) completed in last iteration. Total up estimates each work unit received = Velocity.

    Wiki Page

    Wiki Web

    Workspace
    A separate scope of visibility for changes; Originates from a baseline; Access controlled. Workspaces are associated with a version and a system. Your membership to a team could determine what breadth of the workspace is displayed to you. Versions are copies + change requests

     

    1 Goldberg, Adele and Rubin, Kenneth S. Succeeding With Objects, Decision Frameworks for Project Management. Addison-Wesley, 1995.

    2 Jacobson, Ivar, Booch, Grady and Rumbaugh, James. The Unified Software Development Process. Addison-Wesley, 1999.

    3 Dorfman, Merline, and Richard H. Thayer. Standards, Guidelines and Examples of System and Software Requirements Engineering. IEE Computer Society Press, 1990.

    4 Leffingwell, Dean and Widrig, Don. Managing Software Requirements, Second Edition, A Use Case Approach. Addison-Wesley, 2003.

    5 Wiegers, Karl E. Software Requirements, 2nd Edition. Microsoft Press, 2003.

    6 Cockburn, Alistair Writing Effective Use Cases. Addison-Wesley, 2001.

    7 Cockburn, Alistair Agile Software Development. Addison-Wesley, 2002.

    8 Rational Unified Process, 2002.

    9 Poppendieck, Mary, Poppendieck, Tom. Lean Software Development An Agile Toolkit. Addison-Wesley, 2003.