Software Development Fundamentals

Fluency in the process of software development is a prerequisite to the study of most of computer science. In order to use computers to solve problems effectively, students must be competent at reading and writing programs in multiple programming languages. Beyond programming skills, however, they must be able to design and analyze algorithms, select appropriate paradigms, and utilize modern development and testing tools. This knowledge area brings together those fundamental concepts and skills related to the software development process. As such, it provides a foundation for other software-oriented knowledge areas, most notably Programming Languages, Algorithms and Complexity, and Software Engineering.

It focuses on the entire software development process, identifying those concepts and skills that should be mastered in the first year of a computer science program. This includes the design and simple analysis of algorithms, fundamental programming concepts and data structures, and basic software development methods and tools. As a result of its broader purpose, the Software Development Fundamentals knowledge area includes fundamental concepts and skills that could naturally be listed in other software-oriented knowledge areas (e.g., programming constructs from Programming Languages, simple algorithm analysis from Algorithms & Complexity, simple development methodologies from Software Engineering). Likewise, each of these knowledge areas will contain more advanced material that builds upon the fundamental concepts and skills listed here.