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Loose and tight coupling - Exercise

Objective:Determine instances of loose and tight coupling.

Exercise scoring

This exercise is worth a total of 10 points.

Download files No downloadable files are required to complete this exercise.

Instructions

Given the following descriptions of the relationship between two entities, decide whether the description illustrates loose or tight coupling:
  1. A project manager assigns tasks to programmers according to their skills and experience. The programmers report their progress back to the project manager so that he or she can track the actual progress against the plan and make adjustments as needed.
  2. A project manager assigns tasks to programmers according to their skills and experience. The project manager uses the assignments to improve on and add to the skills of each programmer. As the programmer performs each task, the project manager periodically evaluates the progress and makes suggestions and/or corrections as needed.
  3. A project manager assigns tasks to programmers according to their skills and experience. The project manager reports to the payroll department the time that the team members spend on the project. The payroll department produces biweekly checks. The project manager distributes the checks to the team members.
  4. A project manager assigns tasks to programmers according to their skills and experience. The project manager reports to the payroll department the time that the team members spend on the project. The payroll department requires the project planned labor figures as well as the actual labor figures to update the company financial plan on a biweekly basis. When the payroll department identifies a deviation of more than 10%, it requests a formal justification from the project manager.

Hints

Use these definitions to select your answer:
  1. Loose coupling: low degree of dependency between objects
  2. Tight coupling: high degree of dependency between objects

Submitting your Exercise

In the textbox below, give a brief explanation as to why the description illustrates either loose or tight coupling.