Software Engineering Essentials

Software Engineering is defined by IEEE as "the application a systematic, controlled, and quantifiable approach for the development, operation and maintenance of software; that's, the application engineering to software." Software engineering covers the entire lifecycle of software, from the initial phases of system specifications to the maintenance after deployment. Why use an engineering approach when designing software? Simply put, an engineering approach to software is better than an ad-hoc or chaotic one. Engineering means that you can predict and quantify results by using theories, methodologies, frameworks and tools. The result is high quality software that can be used efficiently and cost-effectively.