This book prepares students for software engineering careers by bridging the gap between academic learning and industry demands. It introduces software engineering methods and demonstrates how they augment the software development lifecycle. The book helps readers arriving at a software engineering method for a software development/maintenance engagement using a step-by-step approach.

Software Engineering Methods: A Design Thinking Based Approach introduces readers to the importance of software engineering methods and how to arrive at a method for their specific software development using contemporary techniques. It distinguishes between the software development lifecycle and software engineering methods, providing clarity on the role of software engineers. It introduces various influencers on methods such as technology, problem domain, contemporary engineering practices, industry standard optimisation techniques (e.g., Lean), organisational maturity, and quality requirements. The author examines contemporary practice-driven software development methods and describes key practices. Through the use of a consistent example problem, the book demonstrates how to apply design thinking techniques to identify optimal solutions, while also examining contemporary, practice-driven methodologies. Each chapter builds on the previous one, culminating in the development of a comprehensive software engineering method tailored to the example problem. This practical, hands-on approach ensures readers can apply the concepts to their own projects effectively.

This book targets students and early-career professionals in software development. It helps readers identify appropriate software engineering methodologies for their projects, particularly benefiting those in startups and IT-inexperienced organisations. It also helps professionals in larger organisations understand the rationale behind their company’s development methodologies.