Guide to Project for Supervisors
School of Engineering and Information Technology
ITECH7410 - Software Engineering Methodologies Assignment 1, 2018/17
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Assignment 1 – Analysis of Real-Time
System
Overview
The purpose of this assessment is to provide students with the opportunity to deepen, extend and apply the
knowledge and skills developed from the first 3 weeks of material. Students complete the assignment individually.
As described in this course’s third study guide - Software Analysis, Modelling and Specification - there are two main
approaches to systems analysis specification – structured (or classical analysis) and object-oriented analysis. Your
text, Software Engineering: A Practitioners Approach (Pressman, 2010) identifies these two paths as different
approaches to requirements modelling.
There are special extensions to the structured approach to deal with real-time systems. Study guide three identifies a
eal-time system as “…a system that has to respond to external events in a pre-defined maximum time interval. Hence
such systems differ from the normal software system in that their temporal performance forms part of their
equirements”.
This assignment asks you to individually provide the requirements analysis specification for an example of a real-time
system. You will be required to complete Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) as
well as include RT-SASD modifications and components including Control Flow Diagram extensions (CFDs), updates
to Process Specifications (PSPECs) and Data/Requirements Dictionary as well as Control Specifications (CSPECs)
(using combinational or sequential FSMs as required and presented in an appropriate format as Process Activation
Tables (PATs) and/or State Transition (Machine) Diagrams (STDs)).
Timelines and Expectations
Marks: Assignment will be assessed based on a mark out of 100
The following information is a summary from your Course Description:
Percentage Value of Task: 20% of the course marks
Due: Week 6, Thursday 4:00pm
Minimum time expectation: 20 hours
This is an individual assignment. There is an expectation that no two submissions will be the same.
School of Engineering and Information Technology
ITECH7410 Software Engineering Methodologies Assignment 1, 2018/17
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Learning Outcomes Assessed
The following course learning outcomes are assessed by completing this assessment:
S1. Critically analyse and use complex decision making to research and determine the appropriate
Software Engineering tools and methodologies to utilize in a given situation
S2. Apply professional communication skills to support and manage the engineering of a large software
system
S3 Review, critically analyse and develop artefacts to define processes for quality assurance, risk
management and communication in large software development projects
S4 Implement quality assurance activities in order to verify user requirements and validate design
decisions
A1 Analysis of a large system development problem to decide upon the best methodological approach
Assessment Details
This assignment will be assessed by your lecture
tutor. The assignment requires you to produce an analysis report
containing five components identified under the Assessable Tasks/Requirements on page 9 of this document.
Background – Central Heating Control System V10 (CHCSV10) Project
You have been retained as a Software Engineering consultant to the Heating2 Company. The company produces
heating equipment for residential and non-residential facilities. Heating2 are planning to release a new line of gas
fired central heating systems and need to have a new version of a central heating control system (CHCSV10).
CHCSV10 is installed in conjunction with the physical central heating system and automates and controls the
heating processes. Your job is to oversee modelling of the real-time software required for the CHCSV10.
CHCSV10 will allow a single user to program, automate and monitor all aspects of the central heating of a facility. To
achieve this, CHCSV10 requires the installation of other components of the central heating system including a
heating unit, fan, gas supply, ducts and duct piping, temperature detector, clock, control panel and display.
Below is a schematic diagram (excluding duct piping) of an installed central heating unit package with WiFi
connectivity.
School of Engineering and Information Technology
ITECH7410 Software Engineering Methodologies Assignment 1, 2018/17
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School of Engineering and Information Technology
ITECH7410 Software Engineering Methodologies Assignment 1, 2018/17
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Conceptually, the central heating system has two major components – CHCSV10 and the central heating system
hardware sub-system. Some of the components of the hardware sub-system can be configured with either hard-
wired or wifi enabled controllers. The decision is up to the customer and is generally based on the cost of the more
expensive wifi controllers compared to the cheaper hard-wired controllers with additional labour and material costs of
cabling. In the schematic diagram, wifi controllers are shown for the Ducts, Heating Unit, Heating Unit Fan and Gas
Meter Supply. The controllers allow for two way communication (send commands
eceive information) and control of
the associated hardware component. Other components however - System Control Panel, System Temperature
Detector, System Clock and System Display are usually connected physically with hard-wired connections.
A process of setup, installation and testing of all hardware components precedes the setup, installation and testing
of CHCSV10 and is finalized by commissioning of the entire central heating system. The setup of CHCSV10
includes the setting of time periods and synchronizing of starting point for automatic controller messaging (see
elow). CHCSV10 facilitates all events of the central heating system including start up and stopping, configuration of
the system clock, setting of heating programs, allowing manual heating, monitoring of components, displaying
information about the system and actioning both system and manual events. Typically an owner of the system sets
up the clock date and time, configures a set of program schedules for a day of the week and lets the system look
after heating the premises. Further details of schedule examples and operation are given below.
There is constant communication between the other hardware components and control panel to monitor availability.
Where necessary control commands are issued to these hardware components e.g. stop, start, open, close, make
available, make unavailable. All communication and statuses from all components are displayed on the System
Display. Further details about specific events for each external entity of the system are given below.
Detailed Description – Central Heating Control System V10 (CHCSV10) Project
As you might imagine this system would be quite complicated in reality. Where possible the description below
attempts to simplify the system by stipulating assumptions and restricting scope.
Heating Duct
There can be up to 20 ducts installed in the top of the range system. In our example only four are shown and you
should model just four. A Heating Duct blows warm air that has been generated at the Heating Unit and blown
through all duct pipes by the Heating Unit Fan. A duct may be open or closed and these states can be set either by
CHCSV10 or manually. If a duct is closed manually it can only be reopened manually. This is to allow for situations
where a duct has been deliberately closed to an area. When the central heating system is operational, the Heating
Duct Controller reports on the cu
ent state of the duct on a pre-determined periodic basis (in our case we will say
every five minutes). The CHCSV10 system determines if a new status has been found and if it has displays that
School of Engineering and Information Technology
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information on the System Display.
Gas Meter Supply
A Gas Meter is the connection point between the outside gas supply and the gas supply for the premises. There is in
turn a connection supply from the Gas Meter to the Heating Unit where the gas is burnt to supply warm air to the
premises and this is the external point we will refer to. Ordinarily, gas is always available and the meter simply
ecords the number of cubic metres used (and the megajoule (MJ) equivalent). Sometimes the gas is not available
due to maintenance or problems with supply. There may be circumstances where the gas is available but there is a
need to stop gas being supplied to the Heating Unit. There may also be circumstances where the gas supply is
stopped to the Heating Unit as well as the gas being unavailable. Therefore a Gas Meter Supply may be available or
not available and stopped or flowing and these states can be set either by CHCSV10 or manually. When the central
heating system is operational, the Gas Meter Supply Controller reports on the cu
ent state of the Gas Meter Supply
on a pre-determined periodic basis (in our case we will say every 30 seconds). The CHCSV10 system determines if
a new status has been found and if it has, displays that information on the System Display.
Heating Unit
The Heating Unit supplies the warm air to the premises. The Heating Unit burns natural gas and a Heating Unit Fan
circulates the warm air along the duct pipes and out of the ducts within the premises. There are a number of different
units available with different burning and heating capacities. They all however contain the same functionality. A
Heating Unit may be in a state of available or unavailable and operating or not-operating either through the
functionality of CHCSV10 or by manual means. When the central heating system is operational, the Heating Unit
Controller reports on the cu
ent state of the Heating Unit on a pre-determined periodic basis (in our case we will say
every 30 seconds). The CHCSV10 system determines if a new status has been found and if it has, displays that
information on the System Display.
Heating Unit Fan
The Heating Unit Fan circulates warm air to the premises along the duct pipes and out of the ducts. There are a
number of different units available with different circulation capacities. They all however contain the same
functionality. A Heating Unit Fan in a state of available or unavailable and operating or not-operating either through
the functionality of CHCSV10 or by manual means. In each case of a change of state, a message should be sent
and displayed on the System Display signifying the new state. When the central heating system is operational, the
Heating Unit Fan Controller reports on the cu
ent state of the Heating Unit Fan on a pre-determined periodic basis
(in our case we will say every 30 seconds). The CHCSV10 system determines