Unit Eight Negotiating Assignments

1. Unit Eight Negotiating Assignments

2. Contents • NegotiationsListening & speaking • Testing by the developersTechnical conversations • Unit test plansReading • E-mail & technical writingWriting

3. Objectives This unit will teach you– • To learn negotiation skills; • To negotiate with co-workers; • To conduct unit testing; • To read and write unit test plans; • Tosign e-mails; • To choose the right words and expressions.

4. 8.1 Negotiations A. Warm-up Listen to the audio and answer these questions: Young IT Professionals Get Advice on “Soft” Skills The BCS Young Professionals Group is running two events to help its members develop ______________________they need to be successful in a modern business/IT environment. The first event will be held in conjunction with the group’s annual general meeting in London this Saturday, the 5th of March. Another meeting, on April 14, is dedicated to honing __________________to boost career development. Chris Moxon of the BCS Young Professionals Group, who is organizing the April event, said, “It is widely acknowledged that ________________ are no longer enough to sustain a competitive edge in the continually diversifying IT industry.” communication skills negotiating skills technical skills

5. 8.1 Negotiations “Even if you are not looking for a role change, there is still competition from colleagues, from other teams in your organization, or from third parties. “Being able to successfully negotiate with ______________________is an important skill that is often overlooked by many IT recruiters. “For sales and marketing professionals, good negotiation skills are perhaps their most important asset. Yet, for many IT professionals __________________ can also be a powerful tool. These skills can be utilized on a daily basis: working with clients to secure contracts, dealing with support issues or coordinating with suppliers for service delivery.” Moxon added that the April Young Professionals Group event was just one of a series of events aimed to improve the “soft” skills which are now, more than ever, demanded by employers. co-workers and management the power of persuasion

6. 8.1 Negotiations Lead-in Think about other situations where you negotiate: • You negotiate with co-workers about work schedules. • You negotiate with your employer about your salary. • You negotiate with family members about housework and the budget.

7. 8.1 Negotiations B. Negotiations • In this conversation an employee, Mavis, is trying to persuade his superior, Bob, to raise her salary. Two versions are provided here. Please listen to the audio and identify their differences. 2.In the next conversation, two employees are negotiating staffing requirements.

8. 8.1 Negotiations B. Negotiations Sentence patterns Learn to use these expressions to • Give feedback; • Recode messages.

9. 8.1 Negotiations C. Exercises Dictation 1 The Negotiating Process 1.preparation 2.persuasion 3.completing the deal 4.reflect your ideal outcome 5.link items 6.isolate separate issues 7.make a full statement 8.interactive 9.reflecting 10.summarize 11.the unexpected 12.acceptable

10. 8.1 Negotiations C. Exercises Oral practice Suppose you are negotiating with a client on the project’s deadline. Practice the role play with a partner. Your conversation needs to cover the details given below.

11. 8.1 Negotiations Points for Party B: a) Show understanding to Party A’s points; b) Emphasize punctuality; c) Seek common understanding; d) Agree to give Party A two more months. Points for Party A: a) Reject the deadline proposed by Party B; b) The schedule can’t be too tight; c) Party A needs to hire three more employees; d) Quality is more important than punctuality; e) Ask for at least two more months.

12. 8.2 Testing by the developers A. Introducing unit tests Annie and Sam are engaged in programming a tool for the SPRACH project. They have invited Chris King, the test team lead, to have a discussion about the unit testing process. carry out put more time and effort into … • Language points: allot oneself to … no more than sorry to be so blunt • Technical terms: unit testing

13. 8.2 Testing by the developers B. Improving the unit testing process Annie and Frank have unit tested the codes they programmed. Now they are having a discussion with Jacky about their progress. Jacky is in charge of coding the SPRACH system. consult with put our/your/their heads together • Language points: put … on hold leave out go over • Technical terms: test case

14. 8.2 Testing by the developers C. Fill in the blanks 1. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the given expressions. a) – I feel I really can’t ________ all these documents today. They are too long. – Why don’t we _____________________ on this? Two heads are better than one. b) – I would very much like to _________________________ this project, but I already have another project at hand, so I have no choice but to select someone else who has the time, talent, knowledge and skills to complete it. – Well, you can largely ____ this project _______, and resume it after the other is completed. go over put our heads together put more time and effort into put on hold

15. 8.2 Testing by the developers c) – _________________, but you guys have to learn to listen or this whole project will continue to get bad comments and eventually it will die. – The point is, we have _______________ five people on our team. How the hell can we succeed? d) – I guess some of you would still question the decision to ______ him _____ of our team, right? – I just think you should ____________ more shareholders before you make such an important decision. e) – Actually, we just need to know how much time to ________________ unit test. We have no idea at all. – You can ______ it ____ soon after an important module is finished, or you may wait till all the modules are finished and do it once for all. Sorry to be so blunt no more than leave out consult with allot ourselves to carry out

16. 8.2 Testing by the developers 2. Suppose you are in the following situations. What should you say? Sample Answers: • Express your anxiety about programming in a new language, and ask a colleague for his advice on how to overcome the steep learning curve. • _________________________________________________________ • _________________________________________________________ • b) You are explaining the procedure of unit testing: 1) write test cases, 2) specify the outputs, 3) do the tests, 4) compare the outputs, and 5) write a report. _________________________________________________________ • _________________________________________________________ • _________________________________________________________ You know, I’m quite anxious about the new language, so could you tell me how I can overcome the steep learning curve as soon as possible? The procedure of unit testing is as follows: first, write test cases; second, specify the output of those cases; then, do the tests; after that, compare the outputs with expected ones; and last, write a testing report.

17. 8.2 Testing by the developers c) Explain why testing are so important to a software product’s life cycle. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ d) You learnt a lot from a colleague—Frank—about a new programming language, and you got praised for your good work. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ e) You need your boss to understand that designing test packages according to the test plan will be too time-consuming. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Successful unit testing will make the later steps much easier, and help ensure the quality of the programs. It’s also an effective way to speed up the development process. Actually, I often consulted with Frank about the new programming language, and most of my knowledge really came from him. It’s taking up way too much time to design test packages according to the test plan.

18. 8.2 Testing by the developers D. Work in pairs Imagine you and your partner are in a group discussion. Sit together, and make up conversations according to the following information. Take turns playing different roles. 1. Role A You argue it’s too much for a programmer to do unit tests in view of his/her heavy workload in coding. It’s may be better if the test team can carry out unit testing instead of the programmers. Role B Partially disagree with the other speaker. You think it may be very boring to programmers to test their own codes, but it’s of great importance and necessity. However, two cooperating programmers may help each other in unit tests.

19. 8.2 Testing by the developers 2. Role A You think building a special bug tracking system is an urgent matter for your team. The system contains not only software, but also a wholesome “feed and feedback” mechanism. Role B Agree with the other speaker, but you still have your own concerns: building a comprehensive system just for bug tracking may be too expensive. You suggest using currently valid methods for the time being.

20. 8.2 Testing by the developers E. Group work 1. Form groups and hold a group discussion according to the following information. Change the roles when you’ve done with one version. Remember to vary your language with your creativity. Role A You are chairing a group discussion on what to test in unit testing a video player. Introduce the topic, and lead the discussion toward a positive condition. Role B You think the team has to test the interfaces as well as the functionality of the codecs your team is using. Support your opinion with more arguments. Role C You don’t think you have to test the codecs because they are from third party providers, and your team doesn’t have any liability for their functions. Support your opinion with more arguments.

21. 8.2 Testing by the developers 2. Form a group with other members of your class. Locate a piece of source code developed by any one of you, and initiate a group discussion about whether it needs any further unit testing. More importantly, try to test the code with the test cases you agreed on.

22. 8.3 Unit Test Plans A. An overview Read the overview and answer these questions: • What is unit testing? • What is a Unit Test Plan? • How many types of testing are there in unit testing?

23. 8.3 Unit Test Plans B. A sample Unit Test Plan Before you scan the whole document, keep these questions in mind: • What is this document mainly talking about? • Why should we do unit tests according to this Unit Test Plan? • How many test cases are mentioned here? • What different tasks are necessary for preparing and performing a specific unit test?

24. 8.3 Unit Test Plans Words & expressions GLOSSARY

25. 8.3 Unit Test Plans Words & expressions GLOSSARY

26. 8.3 Unit Test Plans C. Post-reading exercises • What are the main differences between low-level code modules and high-level code modules? • A low level code module normally is a single class, which is saved as a source file. The classes are defined in the ADD and the DDD. • A high-level code module is represented by a component. Components are composed of one or more low-level code modules and are described in the ADD and DDD.

27. 8.3 Unit Test Plans 2. What should be tested before a high level code module is unit tested? Why? Before a high level code module is to be unit-tested, all corresponding low-level code modules have to be unit-tested before. Reason: When a high level code module is unit-tested, it means that the low-level code modules are unit tested and that the integration between these low-level code modules is tested. Because the integration between low-level code modules is, if applicable, so fine-grained and simple of nature, it is put into the unit test of the high level code module. This way superfluous integration tests are prevented and the Integration Test Plan is more efficient.

28. 8.3 Unit Test Plans • Please connect the following modules with the level which they belong to. Code Module Level GUI TGUID a. Low level Model DataStorage Event Router b. High level Model Verifier TXML Parser Undo Assistant

29. 8.3 Unit Test Plans 4. Fill in the following blanks. Architectural Design Document Susan Thomson, Jane Baker, Wang Li Susan Thomson, Jane Baker, Wang Li DDD Susan Thomson, Jane Baker, Wang Li Integration Test Plan SCMP David Zhang User Requirements Document John Smith, Liu Feng, Michael James Sam Carter and Frank Jefferson UTP

30. 8.3 Unit Test Plans 5. Translations. a) This document describes the Unit Test Plan (UTP) for the project and was made according to the software engineering standard provided by the General Computers Corporation. b) The purpose of the unit tests is to make sure that the software units, or code modules, developed by the Interface Specification Tool project team comply with the requirements as stated in Chapter 4 of the ADD and Chapter 3 of the DDD. 这份文档说明了项目的单元测试计划，是根据通用电脑公司提供的软件工程标准制定的。 单元测试的目的是保证接口说明工具项目组开发的软件单元或代码模块满足架构设计文档第4章和详细设计文档第3章中提到的需求。

31. 8.3 Unit Test Plans • The software to be tested consists of all the code modules developed for the IST project. • A low level code module normally is a single class, which is saved as a source file. • Components are composed of one or more low-level code modules and are described in the ADD and DDD. 将要测试的软件包括所有为IST项目开发的代码模块。 一个低级代码模块通常是以源文件形式保存的单个类。 构件由一个或多个低级代码模块组成，这些构件在架构设计文档和详细设计文档中加以说明。

32. 8.3 Unit Test Plans f) Before a high level code module is to be unit tested, all corresponding low-level code modules have to be unit tested. g) When a high level code module is unit tested, it means that the low-level code modules are unit tested and that the integration between these low-level code modules is tested. h) A computer with at least the following specifications: 192 MB main memory, Intel Pentium III equivalent processor or better, 250 MB of free hard disc space. 在对高级代码模块进行单元测试之前，必须先完成对所有相应的低级代码模块的单元测试。 当一个高级代码模块完成单元测试时，意味着低级代码模块的单元测试和这些模块之间的集成测试已经测试完成了。 一台至少有如下配置的计算机：192M内存，相当于Intel Pentium III或更快的处理器，250M空闲空间的硬盘。

33. 8.4 E-mail & technical writing A. Signing your e-mails Key points: • End your e-mails with your signature. • Include a complimentary closing before your signature. • Keep your signature short. • Include your e-mail address and organization when writing to recipients outside the organization. • Be caution of fancy signatures. • Use the automated signature function. • Include excessive information when writing to colleagues. • Make the signature longer than seven lines. • Use embellished or silly signatures.

34. B. Exercises on e-mails writing Assignments: 8.4 E-mail & technical writing • Study signatures from business correspondence on paper and in e-mails. Compare them. Are they different? How? Compose an e-mail to your instructor about your findings. • A letter to a partner.

35. 8.4 E-mail & technical writing C. Guide to technical writing Choosing the right words & expressions, Guidelines: • Replace difficult words and phrases with simpler alternatives. • Use verbs instead of nouns if possible. • Use jargon only if it helps you communicate better. • Be consistent in naming the same subject or object.

36. 8.4 E-mail & technical writing D. Technical writing exercises • Improve the economy and directness of the following sentences by replacing difficult words and phrases with simpler alternatives, and replacing nouns with verbs. a) Do not hesitate to contact us in the event that you are in need of assistance for the computer software application at any time. Do not hesitate to contact us in the event that you need help with the computer software application at any time.

37. 8.4 E-mail & technical writing b) Bill made the suggestion that we hire an additional systems analyst. c) We request the formation of a committee of experienced software engineers for the review of quality discrepancies. Bill suggested that we hire an additional systems analyst. We request the formation of a committee of experienced software engineers to review quality discrepancies.

38. 8.4 E-mail & technical writing • Revise the following paragraph to make it more internally consistent and readable. Good software engineering is based on a number of key principles. One such principle is for the group to get a good understanding of the customer requirements. It is also important to deliver in regular increments, involving the client as much as possible. Another rule is that it is necessary to do unit testing, black box and white box testing throughout, with unit testing being especially crucial. In addition to the previous doctrines, a programmer needs to be able to maintain good communication within the software team (and also with the user).

39. 8.4 E-mail & technical writing Good software engineering is based on a number of key rules. One such rule is for the group to get a good understanding of the customer requirements. It is also important to deliver in regular increments, involving the customer as much as possible. Another rule is that it is necessary to do unit testing, black box and white box testing throughout, with unit testing being especially crucial. In addition to the previous rules, a programmer needs to be able to maintain good communication within the group (and also with the customer).

40. 8.4 E-mail & technical writing • Imagine you are designing a test case for the GUI of a program developed by you. Fill in the prepared form with your design.

41. Q & A Thank you! For further information, please visit http://www.eptip.org.