The Mistakes every Software Engineering and Computer Science Student makes the Most.
Final year project (FYP): Software Engineering and Computer Science.
The final year project is the most important phase of the whole degree. This is the phase where the student brings into practice what they have been studying for the past years.
The placement of FYP is different in every institution. Some institutions or universities let the student start their final year project in the 6th semester of the degree, while in others it commences from the 7th semester.
The semester does not matter if it commences from the 6th or 7th. What matters is that the students do not put the efforts into this stage that are required.
What are the mistakes?
The students are usually unaware of the challenges of the software life cycle at all. They develop the projects given in assignments and assume that they have become engineers.
Being assumed engineers, the students open laptops, Google, and search “software engineering projects for bachelors”. This is the place when a student decides his fate. Without putting in the required efforts, they just pick one and then proceed with the proposal.
Then? … sleepless nights… boredom… frustration … so on …
If you or your friends are going to decide your final year project then STOP!
What you should do instead?
Not going into the standard and book-oriented discussion:
First of all, read the SOPs and requirements of your university. What are the limitations and what are the possibilities?
Once you know all the requirements of your university then make your goal or make your mind whatever you will develop has to be deployed by the end of the project (This will narrow down your list of choices automatically and help you make a rational decision).
What next? Assess and evaluate yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses and if you have a teammate assess him/her too. It’s better to write your strengths and weaknesses down on a page or wherever you can access it.
By this time, you have studied SOPs and already evaluated your team. Now, make a list of at least 3 projects for your FYP that you wish to develop.
Write down the requirement of each project on a separate page. Don’t forget to add even the minor details of the project. Add the technology that will be used for the project i.e., platform, language, development model, etc.
Repeat the same for all your 3 projects.
Now, compare and contrast all the projects. Choose the one that you think is the best.
This time compare your strengths and weaknesses against your chosen project. Do you have enough skills to develop the project? If yes then go ahead, otherwise, take out the next project on your list and repeat the cycle.
You know your strengths, limitations, the requirement of your university department, the requirements of the projects, and all. It shouldn’t be a problem to make the best decision at this stage.
Don’t forget to take your teammate onboard during this whole process.
One thing more, it feels so embarrassing when someone asks you about your FYP project and you reply with: “in the archive”.
Happy reading & stay tune :)