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CS577a Homework #3
Simplifiers and Complicators Analysis
30 Points - Due Weds, Sep. 11, 2002
Reading: "Requirements Engineering, Expectations Management and the Two Cultures" (EP-2) and “Using Multimedia Domain Specific Techniques” (EP-03)
1) Review the current list of project offerings on the class web site and choose a project that you most want to work on. Using the type of analysis in Table 1 of the Two Cultures paper (2Cult) and section 4 of the Using Multimedia Domain Specific Techniques (DSMM), find what sub-domain your project belongs to and do the tasks listed below. For more detailed project descriptions of previous CS577 projects see Domain Models: Risk and Expectations Management from the CS577a Projects for 1996/97 and 1997/98. Note that some projects may not fit well into any of the sub-domains listed. In such a case, modify a similar sub-domain suitably and use it for the exercises below. Warning: do not attempt to “force fit” a project into one of the existing sub-domains as it will appear artificial and your grade score will likely suffer. If an appropriate sub-domain does not exist, create a new one and document it. You will be graded according to the new sub-domain you create.
a) As indicated in DSMM section 4.1, determine the sub-domain classification for your project that fits the project best (e.g. Data Analysis). Provide the rationale for your classification choice. If none fit strongly enough, create a new sub-domain by adjusting a similar sub-domain and provide rationale for the adjustments you made.
b) Perform pre-architectural selection for your project as indicated in DSMM section 4.2 by providing a specific block diagram for the proposed system derived from the generic block diagram. If you have difficulty creating a specific block diagram for the category selected in step 1, it may indicate that you have chosen an inappropriate sub-domain. If you created a new sub-domain, provide the new generic block diagram for it in addition to a specific one for your project.
c) Perform a simplifier and complicator analysis as indicated in DSMM section 4.5. Using the list of generic simplifiers and generic complicators for that Project Type as a guide:
i) Provide specific simplifiers, inspired from the generic ones for your project. Refer to the relevant generic Simplifiers. See “specific simplifiers” in the Asian Film Archive example in DSMM.
ii) Provide specific complicators inspired from the generic ones for your project. Refer to the relevant generic Complicators. See “specific complicators” ” in the Asian Film Archive example in DSMM.
iii) For each simplifier/complicator, explain the overall implied risks and trade-offs as exemplified in the Asian Film Archive example from DSMM.
You should consider all apparent complicators and simplifiers. Use the suggested generic Simplifiers and Complicators, clearly excluding irrelevant ones (not applicable to this particular project), or adding any other simplifiers or complicators you may think of. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to find a specific simplifier/complicator for every generic simplifier/complicator respectively. Note that for every complicator, there is an inverse simplifier. But for every simplifier, there might not be an inverse complicator. Explain this when it's relevant and provide rationale for any generic simplifiers or complecators you excluded
2) Refer to Table 2 on page 7 of the Two Culutures (EP2) paper
a) For your project play the role of your customer and list specific client side simplifiers and complicators. This is to try to help you gain an understanding of your client’s perspective.
b) Explain the trade-off relationships between the client side and developer simplifiers and complicators. For example, not using NLP (Natural Language Processing) means the users must provide complex queries to search for archive items which means people need to be trained. Also, using a COTS (Consumer-Off-the-Shelf) product may simplify implementation but have too many features that you don't use but need to know which will require additional training.
3) As indicated in DSMM section 4.3, refine your projects corresponding sub-domain WinWin taxonomy (found on the WinWin sub-domain taxonomy list) for your project by adding items specific to your project and removing irrelevant items.