CAB302 Agile Software Engineering


To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.


Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Gardens Point, Internal

Unit code:CAB302
Credit points:12
Pre-requisite:CAB201
Equivalent:CAZ302
Coordinators:Alessandro Soro | alessandro.soro@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

This unit teaches you how to work effectively in a team to develop large-scale software systems. It includes principles of teamwork, modern software development methodologies, agile project management, and tools that are needed when working in a team on a large project. You will learn how to design and implement an accessible and usable application, testing the code quality through industry-relevant practices and methodologies. You will learn how to work and thrive in a diverse and interdisciplinary team, and will work on industry-inspired projects, receiving feedback and support to your learning throughout the project journey. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

  1. Manage a software development project using an agile approach
    Relates to: ACS CBOK: 1, 1.6; SFIA: PROG
  2. Apply industry best practice tools and techniques including object-oriented design and test-driven development and continuous integration
    Relates to: ACS CBOK: 1, 1.2; SFIA: PROG
  3. Apply high performing team concepts to proactively build an effective team
    Relates to: ACS CBOK: 1, 1.3; SFIA: PROG
  4. Justify appropriateness of technical choices and designs using written and oral communication
    Relates to: ACS CBOK: 1, 1.4; SFIA: PROG
  5. Apply agile software methodologies and understand how these facilitate synergy and interplay of IT innovation and business
    Relates to: ACS CBOK: 4, 4.3
  6. Apply human-centric design practices to assess the quality of a software system from the users' perspective

Content

• Software engineering
• Project Management
• Agile software development methodology
• Working in a team for software development
• Test-driven development
• Continuous integration
• Distributed version control
• Designing and learning new APIs

Learning Approaches

This unit is available for you to study in either on-campus or online mode. You can expect to spend 10 - 15 hours per week involved in preparing for and attending scheduled classes, preparing and completing assessment tasks as well as independent study and consolidation of your learning. 

This unit is a mainly practical and artefact-driven unit, with a strong emphasis on developing practical skills. Given the practical focus of the unit, in class material is frequently supplemented by readings and discussions from the development community.

Each week, the learning material is presented in Canvas and in class will introduce you to the key concepts. These key concepts and procedures will be applied in practical sessions where you will engage in collaborative activities with peers and tutors designed to consolidate your learning.

Industry representatives participate in the unit design and delivery through a program of feedback, mentoring, and informing case-based learning activities that focus on the workplace and employability in the IT industry. They inform assignments and assessment rubrics to ensure industry relevance and real-world applicability. Industry partners are also invited to provide formative feedback on student projects through reviewing a sample of group submissions. 

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:

  • Exercises are discussed in class and on-line.
  • Written comments are provided on code and test suites.
  • On-line interactive discussion tool.
  • Additional feedback from tutors and peers.

Assessment

Overview

The practical assessment items for this unit are designed to extend your understanding and experience of development and testing across the semester. The first practical assessment item maps your progress while building a substantial application and managing the development process through testing tools, source control systems, and an integrated build management system. Preparation for this project is provided by the practical exercises for the relevant APIs, version control and build management.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Project Progress and Performance

Your team will be allocated a large group-based project building a software solution following an Agile methodology using User Stories, Object-Oriented Design, Test Driven Development, and Distributed Version Control. You are required to demonstrate regular progress and submit your project for assessment twice in the semester. You will be expected to share your plan for the entire project, details of blockages, and how these have been or will be overcome.

To demonstrate regular progress, you will show your code, tests, plans, and notes to your tutor progressively throughout the semester. 

You will additionally submit your project for marking twice in the semester (a preliminary prototype and a final prototype. Your teamwork skills will be assessed as part of this task.

Each of the above is subject to minimal requirements, detailed in Canvas. 

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions'

Weight: 60
Individual/Group: Individual and group
Due (indicative): Progress checkpoints: Week 5, 7, 9, 11, Project Prototypes Week 9 and 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4
Related Standards: EASTG1CMP: 1, 1.5, 2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3, 3.2, 3.5, 3.6

Assessment: Final Presentation

You will present orally your progress in the project, and will discuss with peers the strategies you used to manage the project, reflecting on the strengths and limits of these practices. Your teamwork skills will be assessed as part of this task.

Weight: 40
Length: Approximately 10 mins including Presentation and Q & A
Individual/Group: Individual and group
Due (indicative): Week 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 3, 4, 5, 6
Related Standards: EASTG1CMP: 1, 1.5, 2, 2.2, 3, 3.2

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Costs

No extraordinary charges or costs are associated with the requirements for this unit.

Resources

There is no set text for this unit, and students are provided with a substantial list of on-line resources associated with each topic. 

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no unusual health or safety risks associated with this unit.
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

Australian Computer Society Core Body of Knowledge

1: ICT Professional Knowledge

  1. Professional expectations
    Relates to: ULO2
  2. Teamwork concepts and issues
    Relates to: ULO3
  3. Interpersonal communication
    Relates to: ULO4
  4. Understanding the ICT profession
    Relates to: ULO1

4: Technology Building

  1. Systems development and acquisition
    Relates to: ULO5

Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineer

1: Knowledge and Skill Base


  1. Relates to: Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation

2: Engineering Application Ability


  1. Relates to: Project Progress and Performance

  2. Relates to: Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation

  3. Relates to: Project Progress and Performance

3: Professional and Personal Attributes


  1. Relates to: Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation

  2. Relates to: Project Progress and Performance

  3. Relates to: Project Progress and Performance

The Global Skills and Competency framework for a digital world

PROG: Programming/Software Development 

Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO3, ULO4

Course Learning Outcomes

This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.

EN01 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

  1. Engage stakeholders professionally and communicate the outcomes of your work effectively to expert and non-expert audiences using appropriate modes.
    Relates to: ULO4, Project Progress and Performance
  2. Display leadership, creativity, and initiative in both self-directed and collaborative contexts of professional engineering practice.
    Relates to: ULO3, Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation
  3. Manage projects to solve complex engineering problems, using appropriate information, engineering methods, and technologies.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO5, Project Progress and Performance
  4. Deploy appropriate approaches to engineering design and quality.
    Relates to: ULO1, Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation

EV01 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

  1. Engage stakeholders professionally and communicate the outcomes of your work effectively to expert and non-expert audiences using appropriate modes.
    Relates to: ULO4, Project Progress and Performance
  2. Display leadership, creativity, and initiative in both self-directed and collaborative contexts of professional engineering practice.
    Relates to: ULO3, Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation
  3. Manage projects to solve complex engineering problems, using appropriate information, engineering methods, and technologies.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO5, Project Progress and Performance
  4. Deploy appropriate approaches to engineering design and quality.
    Relates to: ULO1, Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation

IN01 Bachelor of Information Technology

  1. Integrate and apply technical knowledge and skills to analyse, design, build, operate and maintain sustainable, secure IT systems using industry-standard tools, technologies, platforms, and processes.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO6, Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of IT in enabling business outcomes and how business realities shape IT decisions.
    Relates to: ULO5, Final Presentation
  3. Demonstrate initiative, autonomy and personal responsibility for continuous learning, working both independently and collaboratively within multi-disciplinary teams, employing state-of-the-art IT project management methodologies to plan and manage time, resources, and risk.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, ULO5, Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation
  4. Communicate professionally and effectively in written, verbal and visual formats to a diverse range of stakeholders, considering the audience and explaining complex ideas in a simple and understandable manner in a range of IT-related contexts.
    Relates to: ULO4, Project Progress and Performance, Final Presentation
  5. Critically reflect, using a human-centric approach, on the social, cultural, ethical, privacy, legal, sustainability, and accessibility issues shaping the development and use of IT, including respecting the perspectives and knowledge systems of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, ensuring IT solutions empower and support people with disabilities, and fostering inclusive and equitable digital technologies that serve diverse communities.
    Relates to: ULO6, Final Presentation