Unit outline_

SOFT2412: Agile Software Development Practices

Semester 2, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit builds students skills to follow defined processes in software development, in particular, working in small teams in an agile approach. Content covers the underlying concepts and principles of software processes, their analysis, measurement and improvement. Students will practice with a variety of professional-strength tool support for the practices that ensure quality outcomes. The unit requires students to enter already skilled in individual programming; instead this unit focuses on the complexities in a team setting.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Computer Science
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
INFO1113 or INFO1103 or INFO1105 or INFO1905
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
COMP9412
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Rahul Gopinath, rahul.gopinath@sydney.edu.au
The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025
Type Description Weight Due Length Use of AI
Written exam
? 
hurdle task
Final Exam
Supervised exam that tests all concepts.
50% Formal exam period 2 hours AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
Creative work A2: Scrum Software Development -- Reports
Software development using Scrum and agile methodologies; Individual contribution via reports
5% Multiple weeks multiple weeks AI allowed
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO10 LO11
Creative work group assignment A3: Scrum Software Development -- Project
Software development using Scrum and agile tools; Group work for project.
10% Multiple weeks Multiple weeks AI allowed
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
Out-of-class quiz Early Feedback Task Early Feedback Task
Early feedback task -- MCQs testing Java & OOP Knowledge #earlyfeedbacktask
5% Week 03
Due date: 18 Aug 2025 at 23:59

Closing date: 25 Aug 2025
N/A AI allowed
Outcomes assessed: LO1
Creative work A1: Tools for agile development
Assignment tools to manage software development
10% Week 06
Due date: 08 Sep 2025 at 23:59

Closing date: 15 Sep 2025
N/A AI allowed
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO4 LO10 LO11
Creative work A4: Examination preparation
Example questions similar to what you can expect in the examination for practice.
10% Week 12
Due date: 27 Oct 2025 at 23:59

Closing date: 03 Nov 2025
2 weeks AI allowed
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
In-class quiz Tutorial Participation
Tutorial participation, marked by the tutor
5% Weekly During the tutorial, every tutorial AI allowed
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO9 LO1 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO10 LO11
Out-of-class quiz Lecture Knoweldge Quiz
MCQ, submitted in canvas
5% Weekly Before the lecture, every lecture AI allowed
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
group assignment = group assignment ?
early feedback task = early feedback task ?

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the Canvas site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

N/A

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

** In order to pass the unit, you must obtain at least 40% on exam, and at least 50% overall!

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

Minimum Pass Requirement

It is a policy of the School of Computer Science that in order to pass this unit, a student must achieve at least 40% in the final examination. A student must also achieve an overall final mark of 50 or more. Any student not meeting these requirements may be given a maximum final mark of no more than 45 regardless of their average.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After 10 calendar days late, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Late Policy: For weekly quizzes, late work is not accepted. For assignments submitted late without special consideration or a simple extension, and before the closing date, a penalty of 5% of the available marks is applied for each calendar day late. Late work is not accepted after the closing date, as solutions are released at that time.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

N/A

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Course introduction, Introduction to software development processes Lecture (2 hr) LO8 LO9
Introduction to software development processes Tutorial (2 hr) LO8 LO9
Week 02 Introduction to Version Control Systems (VCS) Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO10
Introduction to Version Control Systems (VCS) Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO10
Week 03 Advanced Version Control and collaborative development Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO10
Advanced Version Control and collaborative development Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO10
Week 04 Automating software build processes Lecture (2 hr) LO8 LO10
Automating software build processes Tutorial (2 hr) LO8 LO10
Week 05 Introduction to software quality assurance, verification and validation Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO8 LO11
Introduction to software quality assurance, verification and validation Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO8 LO11
Week 06 Continuous integration and Continuous delivery -- CI/CD Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO10 LO11
Continuous integration and Continuous delivery -- CI/CD Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO10 LO11
Week 07 Group dynamics, tools and technologies for teamwork, issue tracking, Scrum method and agile team structure. Lecture (2 hr) LO3 LO6 LO8 LO9 LO10
Group dynamics, tools and technologies for teamwork, issue tracking, Scrum method and agile team structure Tutorial (2 hr) LO3 LO6 LO8 LO9 LO10
Week 08 Scrum method: expressing requirements. Lecture (2 hr) LO3 LO7 LO9
Scrum method: expressing requirements Tutorial (2 hr) LO3 LO7 LO9
Week 09 Scrum method: planning and estimation Lecture (2 hr) LO3 LO5 LO9
Scrum method: planning and estimation Tutorial (2 hr) LO3 LO5 LO9
Week 10 Ethics, intellectual property, licensing and open source software; Lecture (2 hr) LO2
Ethics, intellectual property, licensing and open source software; Tutorial (2 hr) LO2
Week 11 Industry Speaker Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
Week 12 Reflection: project experiences and lessons learned. Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
Reflection, project experiences and lessons learned Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
Reflection, project experiences and lessons learned Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
Week 13 Unit Review and Exam Preparation Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
Unit review and exam preparation and practice Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene. Learning Agile: Understanding Scrum, XP, Lean, and Kanban. O'Reilly, 2014.

Armando; Patterson, David Fox. Engineering Software As A Service: An Agile Approach Using Cloud Computing. Amazon Kindle. 

Mythical Man-Month, The: Essays on Software Engineering, Frederick Brooks Jr. 1995

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. understand good coding practices including documentation, contracts, regression tests and daily builds
  • LO2. understand legal and ethical aspects of software development
  • LO3. apply agile methods in software development
  • LO4. identify issues and challenges in planning and estimating project effort
  • LO5. examine the characteristics of software projects that make them a challenge to partition
  • LO6. examine roles and responsibilities in a software team, and management issues of teams
  • LO7. elicit requirements from a client and specify them
  • LO8. describe software development phases and life-cycle
  • LO9. compare software process standards and presses (e.g. waterfall, incremental, spiral, prototyping, empirical and agile methods)
  • LO10. use tools for collaborative processes (version control, issue tracking, collaborative editing of documents, project planning and progress tracking)
  • LO11. use quality assurance techniques including unit testing, functional testing and automated analysis tools.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Lectures have been moved to Ed. Lab. exercises have been moved to Ed (students can run code exercises in workspace and discuss with tutors and classmates) Weekly lecture and lab quizzes have been introduced Evaluation of individual contributions to group group project under report

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.