SE 390Design Project Planning
- Units
- 0.50
- Subject
- Software Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Students undertake a substantial customer-driven group project as part of the SE 390/490/491 design-project sequence covering all major phases of the software-engineering lifecycle. Lectures describe expectations and project-planning fundamentals. Students form groups, decide on a project concept, complete a project-approval process, develop high-level requirements for the project, perform a risk assessment, develop a test plan, and complete a first-iteration prototype. Social, legal, and economic factors are considered.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed the following:
- PD10 - Professional Responsibility in Computing (0.50)
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Enrolled in H-Software Engineering
- Must have completed the following:
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 7602 | 108 / 135 | Th 16:30–18:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
51% liked it87% easy52% useful
From 85 ratings and 18 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Easiest course ever!! Forces you to brainstorm ideas (which is a good thing) for 4th year design project. Show up to class once in a while and get 100%!
Aug 2014 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
3 mini projects throughout the term, meant for trying out different ideas to get you thinking about capstone. You could take it seriously or get by with quick side project demos. Ends up being a time crunch sometimes and expectations rise with each mini project, but nothing crazy
Dec 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
I wouldn't make significant changes to the structure of the course. But the expectations are a bit ridiculous. It's very hard to get an A+ in any of the mini project's components. Being in the most difficult term for SE students, meeting the required weekly time commitment is a challenge. Finding a good team where everyone is willing to contribute and has a clue about what's going on is extremely important.
Dec 2023 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
A course with solid potential that's a complete train wreck in practice. The idea is to have two three-week software projects: one internal and one external (interacting with the world, i.e. open-source, consulting, or research). Multiple times, the Fred Brooks quote "plan to throw one away; you will, anyhow" was drilled into us as the motivation behind the mini-projects. Then the final three weeks of the course is initial work on the actual capstone FYDP. Unfortunately, the course is extremely disorganized, which is impressive given how little work is actually needed to keep a course like this on track. There is a 200+ page capstone handbook PDF that discusses the philosophy behind this…
Dec 2018 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
This is a prep course for your actual capstone design project (SE 490 and SE 491). You work on a few mini-projects with the goal of finding a topic you like and a group you work with well. By the end of the course, you should have made some progress on your final capstone project. Most marks are for showing an honest effort.
Aug 2018 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
4 posts and comments in 4 threads mention SE 390, August 2016 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2018
What are your post-exams plans? 17 points, 49 comments
u/computerdl: “Finally have time to contribute to Git. Too bad there's no side-project course. Oh, and I guess there's a backlog of newsletters to write.”
u/I-Can-Explain: “SE 390?”
Fall 2017
Why is it that the class you're most worried about is the mark that takes longest to come out?? 52 points, 9 comments
“This is stressing me out so much. I'm freaking out over this one class and I'm checking Quest like 8 times a day. I'M LOSING MY MIND HERE!!”
u/UWSE2019: “I find that the mark that takes the longest to come out is always the course that's easiest to mark. I.e. CHE 102 (all MC final), ECON 101 (MC), SE 390”
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “… SDS 450R SDS 451R SDS 490R SDS 495R SDS 499A SDS 499B SE 101 SE 201 SE 212 SE 302 SE 380 SE 390 SE 463 SE 464 SE 490 SE 499 SEQ 1 SEQ 2 SEQ 3 SEQ 4 SEQ 5DD SEQ 6CA SI 101R SI 120R SI 121R SI 131R SI 201R SI 221R SI 231R SI 250R SI 301R SMF 101 SMF 204 SMF 208 SMF 213 SMF 220 SMF …”
Spring 2016
[Serious] Switching from SE to CS? Advice appreciated. 12 points, 20 comments
u/switch_from_SE_to_CS: “… We also have SE 390 to kick start our FYDP as well as SE 464 which looks to be an extension of CS 246/247, but my hopes aren't high for this course after experiencing CS 247 this term. The usefulness rating for this course on flow is also pretty poor. …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them