Top Application

Development Terms
Fifteen essential definitions you need to know

Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

We know its not always easy to keep up-to-date

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with the latest application development terms. Thats why

we have put together the top fifteen terms and definitions
that you and your peers need to know.

PERT chart

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

What is PERT chart (Program Evaluation Review

Technique)?

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)

A PERT chart is a project management tool used to schedule, organize, and

coordinate tasks within a project. PERT stands for Program Evaluation

Use case

Review Technique, a methodology developed by the U.S. Navy in the 1950s

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)

to manage the Polaris submarine missile program. A similar methodology,

the Critical Path Method (CPM) was developed for project management in
the private sector at about the same time.

Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart
Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)
Requirements analysis
3-tier application
Unit testing
Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

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Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

A PERT chart presents a graphic illustration of a project as a network

diagram consisting of numbered nodes (either circles or rectangles)
representing events, or milestones in the project linked by labeled vectors

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(directional lines) representing tasks in the project. The direction of the

arrows on the lines indicates the sequence of tasks. In the diagram, for

PERT chart

example, the tasks between nodes 1, 2, 4, 8, and 10 must be completed in

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

sequence. These are called dependent or serial tasks. The tasks between
nodes 1 and 2, and nodes 1 and 3 are not dependent on the completion of
one to start the other and can be undertaken simultaneously. These tasks

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)

are called parallel or concurrent tasks. Tasks that must be completed in

Use case

to have event dependency. These are represented by dotted lines with

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)

linking nodes 6 and 9 indicates that the system files must be converted

Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

sequence but that don't require resources or completion time are considered
arrows and are called dummy activities. For example, the dashed arrow
before the user test can take place, but that the resources and time required
to prepare for the user test (writing the user manual and user training) are on
another path. Numbers on the opposite sides of the vectors indicate the time
allotted for the task.
The PERT chart is sometimes preferred over the Gantt chart, another
popular project management charting method, because it clearly illustrates
task dependencies. On the other hand, the PERT chart can be much more
difficult to interpret, especially on complex projects. Frequently, project

Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)

managers use both techniques.

What is systems development lifecycle (SDLC)?

Requirements analysis
3-tier application
Unit testing

The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model used in

project management that describes the stages involved in an information
system development project, from an initial feasibility study through
maintenance of the completed application.

Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

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Various SDLC methodologies have been developed to guide the processes

involved, including the waterfall model (which was the original SDLC
method); rapid application development (RAD); joint application development

Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

(JAD); the fountain model; the spiral model; build and fix; and synchronizeand-stabilize. Frequently, several models are combined into some sort of
hybrid methodology. Documentation is crucial regardless of the type of model

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chosen or devised for any application, and is usually done in parallel with the
development process. Some methods work better for specific types of

PERT chart

projects, but in the final analysis, the most important factor for the success of

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

a project may be how closely the particular plan was followed.

In general, an SDLC methodology follows the following steps:

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)
Use case
Work breakdown
structure (WBS)
Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

1. The existing system is evaluated. Deficiencies are identified. This

can be done by interviewing users of the system and consulting with
support personnel.
2. The new system requirements are defined. In particular, the
deficiencies in the existing system must be addressed with specific
proposals for improvement.
3. The proposed system is designed. Plans are laid out concerning the
physical construction, hardware, operating systems, programming,
communications, and security issues.
4. The new system is developed. The new components and programs
must be obtained and installed. Users of the system must be trained
in its use, and all aspects of performance must be tested. If
necessary, adjustments must be made at this stage.

Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)
Requirements analysis

5. The system is put into use. This can be done in various ways. The
new system can phased in, according to application or location, and
the old system gradually replaced. In some cases, it may be more
cost-effective to shut down the old system and implement the new
system all at once.
6. Once the new system is up and running for a while, it should be

3-tier application

exhaustively evaluated. Maintenance must be kept up rigorously at

Unit testing

all times. Users of the system should be kept up-to-date concerning

the latest modifications and procedures.

Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

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Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

What is quality assurance (QA)?

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In developing products and services, quality assurance is any systematic

process of checking to see whether a product or service being developed is

PERT chart

meeting specified requirements. Many companies have a separate

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

department devoted to quality assurance. A quality assurance system is said

to increase customer confidence and a company's credibility, to improve
work processes and efficiency, and to enable a company to better compete

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)

with others. Quality assurance was initially introduced in World War II when

Use case

Today's quality assurance systems emphasize catching defects before they

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)
Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

munitions were inspected and tested for defects after they were made.
get into the final product.
ISO 9000 is an international standard that many companies use to ensure
that their quality assurance system is in place and effective. Conformance to
ISO 9000 is said to guarantee that a company delivers quality products and
services. To follow ISO 9000, a company's management team decides
quality assurance policies and objectives. Next, the company or an external
consultant formally writes down the company's policies and requirements
and how the staff can implement the quality assurance system. Once this
guideline is in place and the quality assurance procedures are implemented,
an outside assessor examines the company's quality assurance system to

Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)

make sure it complies with ISO 9000. A detailed report describes the parts of
the standard the company missed, and the company agrees to correct any
problems within a specific time. Once the problems are corrected, the
company is certified as in conformance with the standard.

Requirements analysis
3-tier application
Unit testing

What is use case?

Collaboration diagram

A use case is a methodology used in system analysis to identify, clarify, and

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organize system requirements. The use case is made up of a set of possible

sequences of interactions between systems and users in a particular
environment and related to a particular goal. It consists of a group of

Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

elements (for example, classes and interfaces) that can be used together in a
way that will have an effect larger than the sum of the separate elements
combined. The use case should contain all system activities that have

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significance to the users. A use case can be thought of as a collection of

possible scenarios related to a particular goal, indeed, the use case and goal

PERT chart

are sometimes considered to be synonymous.

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

A use case (or set of use cases) has these characteristics:

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)
Use case

Organizes functional requirements

Models the goals of system/actor (user) interactions

Records paths (called scenarios) from trigger events to goals

Describes one main flow of events (also called a basic course of

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)
Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering

action), and possibly other ones, called exceptional flows of events

(also called alternate courses of action)

Is multi-level, so that one use case can use the functionality of

another one.

Use cases can be employed during several stages of software development,

such as planning system requirements, validating design, testing software,
and creating an outline for online help and user manuals.

Gantt Chart
Debugging

What is breakdown structure (WBS)?

Software requirements
specification (SRS)

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a chart in which the critical work

Requirements analysis

relationships to each other and to the project as a whole. The graphical

3-tier application

elements, called tasks, of a project are illustrated to portray their

nature of the WBS can help a project manager predict outcomes based on
various scenarios, which can ensure that optimum decisions are made about

Unit testing

whether or not to adopt suggested procedures or changes.

Collaboration diagram

When creating a WBS, the project manager defines the key objectives first

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Development Glossary

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and then identifies the tasks required to reach those goals. A WBS takes the
form of a tree diagram with the "trunk" at the top and the "branches" below.

Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

The primary requirement or objective is shown at the top, with increasingly

specific details shown as the observer reads down.

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When completed, a well-structured WBS resembles a flowchart in which all

elements are logically connected, redundancy is avoided and no critical

PERT chart

elements are left out. Elements can be rendered as plain text or as text within

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

boxes. The elements at the bottom of the diagram represent tasks small
enough to be easily understood and carried out. Interactions are shown as
lines connecting the elements. A change in one of the critical elements may

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)
Use case
Work breakdown
structure (WBS)
Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

affect one or more of the others. If necessary, these lines can include
arrowheads to indicate time progression or cause-and-effect.
A well-organized, detailed WBS can assist key personnel in the effective
allocation of resources, project budgeting, procurement management,
scheduling, quality assurance, quality control, risk management, product
delivery and service oriented management.

What is regression testing?

Regression testing is the process of testing changes to computer programs
to make sure that the older programming still works with the new changes.
Regression testing is a normal part of the program development process

Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)
Requirements analysis
3-tier application
Unit testing
Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

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and, in larger companies, is done by code testing specialists. Test

department coders develop code test scenarios and exercises that will test
new units of code after they have been written. These test cases form what
becomes the test bucket. Before a new version of a software product is
released, the old test cases are run against the new version to make sure
that all the old capabilities still work. The reason they might not work is
because changing or adding new code to a program can easily introduce
errors into code that is not intended to be changed.

Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

What is sprint (software development)?

In product development, a sprint is a set period of time during which specific

Contents

work has to be completed and made ready for review.

PERT chart

Each sprint begins with a planning meeting. During the meeting, the product

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

owner (the person requesting the work) and the development team agree
upon exactly what work will be accomplished during the sprint. The
development team has the final say when it comes to determining how much

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)

work can realistically be accomplished during the sprint, and the product

Use case

approved and accepted.

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)

facilitator. Once the team reaches a consensus for how many days a sprint

Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

owner has the final say on what criteria needs to be met for the work to be
The duration of a sprint is determined by the scrum master, the team's
should last, all future sprints should be the same. Traditionally, a sprint lasts
30 days.
After a sprint begins, the product owner must step back and let the team do
their work. During the sprint, the team holds daily stand up meeting to
discuss progress and brainstorm solutions to challenges. The project owner
may attend these meetings as an observer but is not allowed to participate
unless it is to answer questions. (See pigs and chickens). The project owner
may not make requests for changes during a sprint and only the scrum

Debugging

master or project manager has the power to interrupt or stop the sprint.

Software requirements
specification (SRS)

At the end of the sprint, the team presents its completed work to the project

Requirements analysis

planning meeting to either accept or reject the work.

owner and the project owner uses the criteria established at the sprint

3-tier application
Unit testing

What is reverse engineering?

Collaboration diagram

Reverse engineering is taking apart an object to see how it works in order to

Application
Development Glossary

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duplicate or enhance the object. The practice, taken from older industries, is
now frequently used on computer hardware and software. Software reverse
engineering involves reversing a program's machine code (the string of 0s

Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

and 1s that are sent to the logic processor) back into the source code that it
was written in, using program language statements.

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Software reverse engineering is done to retrieve the source code of a

program because the source code was lost, to study how the program

PERT chart

performs certain operations, to improve the performance of a program, to fix

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

a bug (correct an error in the program when the source code is not
available), to identify malicious content in a program such as a virus or to
adapt a program written for use with one microprocessor for use with

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)

another. Reverse engineering for the purpose of copying or duplicating

Use case

use of software specifically prohibits reverse engineering.

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)

Someone doing reverse engineering on software may use several tools to

Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

programs may constitute a copyright violation. In some cases, the licensed

disassemble a program. One tool is a hexadecimal dumper, which prints or

displays the binary numbers of a program in hexadecimal format (which is
easier to read than a binary format). By knowing the bit patterns that
represent the processor instructions as well as the instruction lengths, the
reverse engineer can identify certain portions of a program to see how they
work. Another common tool is the disassembler. The disassembler reads the
binary code and then displays each executable instruction in text form. A
disassembler cannot tell the difference between an executable instruction
and the data used by the program so a debugger is used, which allows the

Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)
Requirements analysis
3-tier application
Unit testing
Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

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disassembler to avoid disassembling the data portions of a program. These

tools might be used by a cracker to modify code and gain entry to a computer
system or cause other harm.

Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

What is Gantt chart?

A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart developed as a production control tool

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in 1917 by Henry L. Gantt, an American engineer and social scientist.

Frequently used in project management, a Gantt chart provides a graphical

PERT chart

illustration of a schedule that helps to plan, coordinate, and track specific

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

tasks in a project.

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)
Use case
Work breakdown
structure (WBS)
Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart
Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)
Requirements analysis
3-tier application

Gantt charts may be simple versions created on graph paper or more

complex automated versions created using project management applications

Unit testing
Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

such as Microsoft Project or Excel.

A Gantt chart is constructed with a horizontal axis representing the total time
span of the project, broken down into increments (for example, days, weeks,
or months) and a vertical axis representing the tasks that make up the project
(for example, if the project is outfitting your computer with new software, the

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Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

major tasks involved might be: conduct research, choose software, install
software). Horizontal bars of varying lengths represent the sequences,
timing, and time span for each task. Using the same example, you would put

Contents

"conduct research" at the top of the verticle axis and draw a bar on the graph
that represents the amount of time you expect to spend on the research, and

PERT chart

then enter the other tasks below the first one and representative bars at the

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

points in time when you expect to undertake them. The bar spans may
overlap, as, for example, you may conduct research and choose software
during the same time span. As the project progresses, secondary bars,

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)

arrowheads, or darkened bars may be added to indicate completed tasks, or

Use case

represent the report date.

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)

Gantt charts give a clear illustration of project status, but one problem with

Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

the portions of tasks that have been completed. A vertical line is used to

them is that they don't indicate task dependencies - you cannot tell how one
task falling behind schedule affects other tasks. The PERT chart, another
popular project management charting method, is designed to do this.
Automated Gantt charts store more information about tasks, such as the
individuals assigned to specific tasks, and notes about the procedures. They
also offer the benefit of being easy to change, which is helpful. Charts may
be adjusted frequently to reflect the actual status of project tasks as, almost
inevitably, they diverge from the original plan.

Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)
Requirements analysis
3-tier application
Unit testing

What is debugging?
In computers, debugging is the process of locating and fixing or bypassing
bugs (errors) in computer program code or the engineering of a hardware
device. To debug a program or hardware device is to start with a problem,
isolate the source of the problem, and then fix it. A user of a program that
does not know how to fix the problem may learn enough about the problem
to be able to avoid it until it is permanently fixed. When someone says

Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

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they've debugged a program or "worked the bugs out" of a program, they

imply that they fixed it so that the bugs no longer exist.

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Development Terms

Debugging is a necessary process in almost any new software or hardware

development process, whether a commercial product or an enterprise or
personal application program. For complex products, debugging is done as

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the result of the unit test for the smallest unit of a system, again at
component test when parts are brought together, again at system test when

PERT chart

the product is used with other existing products, and again during customer

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

beta test, when users try the product out in a real world situation. Because
most computer programs and many programmed hardware devices contain
thousands of lines of code, almost any new product is likely to contain a few

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)

bugs. Invariably, the bugs in the functions that get most use are found and

Use case

"buggy."

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)

Debugging tools (called debuggers) help identify coding errors at various

Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

fixed first. An early version of a program that has lots of bugs is referred to as

development stages. Some programming language packages include a

facility for checking the code for errors as it is being written.

What is software requirements specification (SRS)?

A software requirements specification (SRS) is a comprehensive description
of the intended purpose and environment for software under development.
The SRS fully describes what the software will do and how it will be expected

Debugging

to perform.

Software requirements
specification (SRS)

An SRS minimizes the time and effort required by developers to achieve

Requirements analysis

how an application will interact with system hardware, other programs and

3-tier application
Unit testing

desired goals and also minimizes the development cost. A good SRS defines
human users in a wide variety of real-world situations. Parameters such as
operating speed, response time, availability, portability, maintainability,
footprint, security and speed of recovery from adverse events are evaluated.
Methods of defining an SRS are described by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical

Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

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and Electronics Engineers) specification 830-1998.

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Development Terms

What is requirements analysis (requirements engineering)?

Requirements analysis, also called requirements engineering, is the process

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of determining user expectations for a new or modified product. These

features, called requirements, must be quantifiable, relevant and detailed. In

PERT chart

software engineering, such requirements are often called functional

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

specifications. Requirements analysis is an important aspect of project

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)

Requirements analysis involves frequent communication with system users

Use case

in requirements as demanded by the various users or groups of users,

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)

development process from start to finish. Energy should be directed towards

Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

management.

to determine specific feature expectations, resolution of conflict or ambiguity

avoidance of feature creep and documentation of all aspects of the project
ensuring that the final system or product conforms to client needs rather than
attempting to mold user expectations to fit the requirements.
Requirements analysis is a team effort that demands a combination of
hardware, software and human factors engineering expertise as well as skills
in dealing with people.

What is 3-tier application?

Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)

A 3-tier application is an application program that is organized into three

major parts, each of which is distributed to a different place or places in a
network. The three parts are:

Requirements analysis
3-tier application
Unit testing
Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

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The workstation or presentation interface

The business logic

The database and programming related to managing it

In a typical 3-tier application, the application user's workstation contains the

programming that provides the graphical user interface (GUI) and
application-specific entry forms or interactive windows. (Some data that is
local or unique for the workstation user is also kept on the local hard disk.)

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Development Terms

Business logic is located on a local area network (LAN) server or other

shared computer. The business logic acts as the server for client requests

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from workstations. In turn, it determines what data is needed (and where it is

located) and acts as a client in relation to a third tier of programming that

PERT chart

might be located on a mainframe computer.

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

The third tier includes the database and a program to manage read and write
access to it. While the organization of an application can be more

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)

complicated than this, the 3-tier view is a convenient way to think about the
parts in a large-scale program.

Use case
Work breakdown
structure (WBS)
Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering

What is unit testing?

Unit testing is a software development process in which the smallest testable
parts of an application, called units, are individually and independently
scrutinized for proper operation. Unit testing is often automated but it can
also be done manually. This testing mode is a component of Extreme
Programming (XP), a pragmatic method of software development that takes
a meticulous approach to building a product by means of continual testing

Gantt Chart

and revision.

Debugging

Unit testing involves only those characteristics that are vital to the

Software requirements
specification (SRS)
Requirements analysis
3-tier application

performance of the unit under test. This encourages developers to modify the
source code without immediate concerns about how such changes might
affect the functioning of other units or the program as a whole. Once all of the
units in a program have been found to be working in the most efficient and
error-free manner possible, larger components of the program can be
evaluated by means of integration testing.

Unit testing
Unit testing can be time-consuming and tedious. It demands patience and

Collaboration diagram
Application
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thoroughness on the part of the development team. Rigorous documentation

must be maintained. Unit testing must be done with an awareness that it may
not be possible to test a unit for every input scenario that will occur when the
program is run in a real-world environment.

Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

What is collaboration diagram?

Contents
PERT chart

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)

A collaboration diagram, also called a communication diagram or interaction

diagram, is an illustration of the relationships and interactions among
software objects in the Unified Modeling Language (UML). The concept is
more than a decade old although it has been refined as modeling paradigms
have evolved.

Quality assurance (QA

surance (QA)
Use case

A collaboration diagram resembles a flowchart that portrays the roles,

functionality and behavior of individual objects as well as the overall
operation of the system in real time. Objects are shown as rectangles with

Work breakdown
structure (WBS)
Regression testing
Sprint (software
development)
Reverse engineering
Gantt Chart

naming labels inside. These labels are preceded by colons and may be
underlined. The relationships between the objects are shown as lines
connecting the rectangles. The messages between objects are shown as
arrows connecting the relevant rectangles along with labels that define the
message sequencing.
Collaboration diagrams are best suited to the portrayal of simple interactions
among relatively small numbers of objects. As the number of objects and
messages grows, a collaboration diagram can become difficult to read.
Several vendors offer software for creating and editing collaboration

Debugging
Software requirements
specification (SRS)
Requirements analysis
3-tier application
Unit testing
Collaboration diagram
Application
Development Glossary

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diagrams.

Want more? View our Application Development Glossary:

http://whatis.techtarget.com/glossary/Application-Development

Fifteen Essential Application

Development Terms

Contents
PERT chart

Systems development
lifecycle (SDLC)
Quality assurance (QA
surance (QA)
Use case

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Sprint (software
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Reverse engineering

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