Editing Software engineering (section)

{{short description|Engineering approach to software development}}
{{Software development process|Core activities}}
'''Software engineering''' is a branch of both [[computer science]] and [[engineering]] focused on designing, developing, testing, and maintaining [[Application software|software applications]]. It involves applying [[engineering design process|engineering principles]] and [[computer programming]] expertise to develop software systems that meet user needs.<ref name="BoDu04">{{harvnb |Abran |Moore |Bourque| Dupuis |2004}}</ref><ref name="ACM 2020">{{cite web |last=ACM |year=2007 |title=Computing Degrees & Careers |url=http://computingcareers.acm.org/?page_id=12 |url-status=dead |access-date=2010-11-23 |publisher=ACM |archive-date=2011-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617053818/http://computingcareers.acm.org/?page_id=12 }}</ref><ref name="Laplante 2007">{{cite book |last1=Laplante |first1=Phillip |year=2007 |title=What Every Engineer Should Know about Software Engineering |publisher=CRC |location=Boca Raton |isbn=978-0-8493-7228-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pFHYk0KWAEgC&q=What%20Every%20Engineer%20Should%20Know%20about%20Software%20Engineering.&pg=PA1 |access-date=2011-01-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coursera.org/articles/software-engineer|title=What Does a Software Engineer Do?|publisher=[[coursera]]|date=Oct 31, 2022}}</ref>

The terms ''[[programmer]]'' and ''coder'' overlap ''software engineer'', but they imply only the construction aspect of a typical software engineer workload.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Bogost |first1=Ian |date=5 November 2015 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/programmers-should-not-call-themselves-engineers/414271/ |title=Programmers: Stop Calling Yourselves Engineers |website=[[The Atlantic]]}}</ref>

A software engineer applies a [[software development process]],<ref name="BoDu04"/><ref name=swebokVol3>{{cite book |editor1-last=Bourque |editor1-first=Pierre |editor2-last=Fairley |editor2-first=Richard E. (Dick) |date=2014 |title=Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge Version 3.0 (SWEBOK) |url=https://www.computer.org/web/swebok/v3 |publisher=[[IEEE Computer Society]]}}</ref> which involves defining, [[Implementation|implementing]], [[Software testing|testing]], [[Project management|managing]], and [[Software maintenance|maintaining]] software systems, as well as developing the software development process itself.