Inheritance graph assessment using metrics

Presents a new method integrated in Bell Canada´s software acquisition process to assess software. This paper is focused on the assessment of the understandability of the inheritance graph of object-oriented software. The method is based on metrics and on the graphical illustration of the inheritance graph. A technique to decompose the inheritance graph of an object-oriented program into sub-graphs using metrics is described. Metrics are also used to identify complex sub-graphs. On the selected graphs, a technique to improve the understandability of the graphical illustration representing the inheritance graph is also described. This technique is based on extracting the main tree on the inheritance graph. A C++ case study containing 1080 classes is presented, on which this assessment method was applied