Syllabus for SSE 674

Software Risk Management

Early version; changes are certain.

Summer Semester 2010 (10U)

Instructor: Dr. Paul E. MacNeil

Office:       Suite 223a, School of Engineering

Phone:       478-301-2185

                  478-301-2732

Email:        macneil_pe@mercer.edu

Textbooks and Supplies:

Texts (including web sites):

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Software (including web sites):

• Note that this course is intended to be OS neutral.
• An Internet ftp client of your choice.  Core FTP LE is free and works well http://www.coreftp.com/ .  (Required, but your choice)

Other Useful Resources (including web sites):

Catalog Description (Course Purpose):

Risk is inherent in virtually every software engineering project. Two kinds of risk are opportunity risk, which is the loss from avoiding risk, and failure risk, which is the loss from taking a risk, but failing to achieve the corresponding goal. The loss may be financial, or it may be competitiveness in a market, or the development and acquisition of reusable software components, or many other valuable things. This course covers topics such as people, process, infrastructure, and implementation in software risk management.

This course begins on May 24, 2010.

Course Objectives:

Breadth and Depth in Defining, Analyzing, and Solving Complex Problems:

• After successfully completing this course, you should be able to demonstrate a basic capability to apply software risk management techniques to solve complex problems.

Communicate Technical Aspects of the Solution for Complex Software Engineering Problems to a Technical Audience:

• After successfully completing this course, you should be able to demonstrate a basic ability to communicate regarding the application of software risk management techniques to a technical audience.

Prerequisites:

Permission of the SSE graduate chair.

Class Location:

• The Online Learning asynchronous "meetings" take place in Cyberspace; i.e., on the Internet.

Grading:

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Assignments:

• Purpose of projects:
• Use the projects to develop your capabilities, and
• Use the projects to demonstrate your capabilities.
• Deliverables for all projects:
• Your report should be a single, standalone document in wiki format.
• Your report should be organized in such a way as to make the topics that you want credit for covering easy to find, and demonstrate your capabilities clearly and convincingly. Everything you want considered for credit should be included in the report.
• Each project can be a single, integrated project that tries to actually do something, or a collection of exercises that demonstrate your capabilities but don't accomplish anything else, or any combination of these two alternatives that you find convenient.
• You may include other material outside of the report, if you wish, but this material may or may not be considered in evaluating your work.

• Some suggestions for doing a project are contained in the One Way to Do a Project page.

• Project Delivery

• The project reports will be delivered via the course wiki.

• Project 1 (solo):
• Demonstrate your capabilities in the topics covered in Hall Part II.
• Project 2 (solo):
• Demonstrate your capabilities in the topics covered in Hall Part III.
• Project 3 (solo):
• Demonstrate your capabilities in the topics covered in Hall Part IV.
• Project 4 (team):
• Demonstrate your capabilities in the topics covered in Software Risk Management. Previous projects focussed on single Parts of the text. For Project 4, you will have read Parts 2 - 5, and can focus on Software Risk Management as a single, integrated subject.
• TBD

Additional Information:

• Asynchronous Learning Nets (ALNs)
• Self Study: You study the texts and any other course study material on your own.
• Collaborative Projects: After your self-study, you collaborate (via the Internet [email, wiki]) with your partner(s) to produce a team product. Your collaborative work is substantial, asynchronous, and rapid.
• This course is an online learning course. Please read this Online Learning web page regarding online learning in this course and this program.

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• Subscribe to the course email listserv and be able to access our wiki your professor can tell you how to do this.
• Study the assigned material.
• Write and read email messages about ideas, problems and solutions to do with the assigned study material.
• Do the assigned work, deliver the assigned deliverables.
• Write and read email messages (to/from the listserv) about ideas, problems and solutions to do with the assigned homework.
• Review the deliverables produced by other people.

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Changes to this Syllabus:

There will be changes to this syllabus, so check back frequently, and don't forget to hit "Reload" or "Refresh".

Schedule of Events and Assignments:

Notes:

tbd

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List of all courses.

Contact Information

• My Name: Dr. Paul E. MacNeil (Atlanta, Macon and DL Section)
• My E-mail: macneil_pe@mercer.edu .
• My Office Phone: 478 301-2185
• My FAX: 478 301-2732
• US Mail:
 
• Dr. Paul E. MacNeil
• School of Engineering
• Mercer University
• 1400 Coleman Ave.
• Macon, GA 31207

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Important Additional Information:
Students requiring accommodations for a disability should inform the instructor at the close of the first class meeting or as soon as possible.  If you are not registered with Disability Services, the instructor will refer you to the Disability Support Services office for consultation regarding documentation of your disability and eligibility for accommodations under the ADA/504.  In order to receive accommodations, eligible students must provide each instructor with a “Faculty Accommodation Form” from Disability Services.  Students must return the completed and signed form to the Disability Services Coordinator on the 3rd floor of the Connell Student Center.  Students with a documented disability who do not wish to use academic accommodations are also strongly encouraged to register with Disability Services and complete a Faculty Accommodation Form each semester.  For further information, please contact Carole Burrowbridge, Disability Services Coordinator, at 301-2778 or visit the web site at http://www.mercer.edu/stu_support/swd.htm

Accreditation: Mercer University is accredited by SACS.