Real-world software development is a dynamically complex activity involving uncertainty, people, technology and processes interacting within a similarly complex environment of clients, users and other stakeholders as well as evolving technological, physical, social, legal, ethical and other constraints.

This course will empower students with the ability and confidence necessary to exercise critical thinking and professional judgment to select and apply appropriate knowledge, practices and tools to the development of non-trivial software systems within such complex environments.
This will be achieved by first introducing students to key ideas and tools for dealing with complexity and uncertainty including Design Thinking. We will then build on previous programming and architecture courses to deepen and broaden student knowledge and understanding of the practices and tools used to build software systems within complex environments. We will use examples of real-time, distributed, web-based, high-integrity, games and other types of projects from local industry, published case studies and past software engineering student projects, to develop an understanding of when and why particular practices and tools are appropriate and when they are not.
Students will also learn how practices and tools can be adapted to suit specific project needs and contexts. Knowledge, practices and tools considered in this course will cover process models, requirements engineering, design, modelling, construction, verification and validation, human-computer interaction, professional ethics, teamwork and social context.