582659 Software Factory Project (5 credits) +
582516 Software Factory Work Experience (5-7 credits)

Software Factory Project is a 7-week intensive software development course. Participants will develop a software prototype using the latest development tools and methods (eg. Scrum, Kanban, TDD, Ruby on Rails, etc.). Participants have the opportunity to directly influence the project activity and chosen methods. The course also includes participation in software production research as a research subject. The course is intensive but you are rewarded with course credits and a unique experience!

The course lasts 7 weeks during which participants work for a minimum of 4 days per week (mon-thu) in the Software Factory room in Exactum. The work time is always 6h/day.

The course is connected to the Software Factory Work Experience course, which yields 5-7 credits. The remaining 5 credits are given for the Software Factory Project course.

The course is international and the primary teaching language is english.

Only a limited number of participants are admitted. Admission is based on an interview (by email or in person) to which participants are invited after registering.

• 2010 period III
• 2010 period IV
• 2010 period V (summer)

Position in teaching

The course is an advanced (master's level) optional course in the software systems subprogramme.

Prerequisites

To enroll to this course, participants must have completed the following courses:

1. 581260 Software engineering project or its replacement by work experience (see work experience).
2. All courses that are prerequisites for the Software engineering project course.

Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis. Students who have completed their Bachelor's Degree (completion marked in study register) are given precedence to this course.

Goals

The goal of this course is to deepen students' practical knowledge and skills of software development. A large software program or part of a program is implemented using process models and methods suitable for each case. During the course, the students will familiarise themselves deeply with the group work aspects of software development and will have opportunities to learn more about themselves and their own work habits in relation to the group.

Research

During the course, large-scale software production research will be performed, in which course participants will participate as research subjects. The research angles will vary, but they include at least project and leadership studies, psychometric studies, usability and user experience studies and other kinds of studies according to situation. The facility is equipped with a video and audio capturing system that stores detailed information about the events in the Software Factory room.

Participating in the research as a research subject is part of the course. Participants are informed about data protection issues before the course begins.

License issues

To protect the rights of the participants, the department and any third parties, participants are required to sign a transfer contract. The contracts tranfers the rights of project results to the University of Helsinki or a possible third party depending on the nature of the project.

The contract is a prerequisite for participation. Participants are informed in detail about the contract before the course begins.

Contact

For more information about Software Factory and the Software Factory Project course, please contact:

Fabian Fagerholm (Factory Lead)