DocumentCode :
2266286
Title :
Using concept mapping for maintainability assessments
Author :
Yamashita, Aiko Fallas ; Benestad, Hans Christian ; Anda, Bente ; Arnstad, Per Einar ; Sjoberg, Dag I. K. ; Moonen, Leon
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Inf., Univ. of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
fYear :
2009
fDate :
15-16 Oct. 2009
Firstpage :
378
Lastpage :
389
Abstract :
Many important phenomena within software engineering are difficult to define and measure. One example is software maintainability, which has been the subject of considerable research and is believed to be a critical determinant of total software costs. We propose using concept mapping, a well-grounded method used in social research, to operationalize the concept of software maintainability according to a given goal and perspective in a concrete setting. We apply this method to describe four systems that were developed as part of an industrial multiple-case study. The outcome is a conceptual map that displays an arrangement of maintainability constructs, their interrelations, and corresponding measures. Our experience is that concept mapping (1) provides a structured way of combining static code analysis and expert judgment; (2) helps in the tailoring of the choice of measures to a particular system context; and (3) supports the mapping between software measures and aspects of software maintainability. As such, it constitutes a useful addition to existing frameworks for evaluating quality, such as ISO/IEC 9126 and GQM, and tools for static measurement of software code. Overall, concept mapping provides a systematic, structured, and repeatable method for developing constructs and measures, not only of maintainability, but also of software engineering phenomena in general.
Keywords :
program diagnostics; software maintenance; software metrics; concept mapping; expert judgment; software costs; software engineering; software maintainability; software measures; static code analysis; Concrete; Costs; Displays; IEC standards; ISO standards; Particle measurements; Software engineering; Software maintenance; Software measurement; Software quality;
fLanguage :
English
Publisher :
ieee
Conference_Titel :
Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement, 2009. ESEM 2009. 3rd International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Lake Buena Vista, FL
ISSN :
1938-6451
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-4842-5
Electronic_ISBN :
1938-6451
Type :
conf
DOI :
10.1109/ESEM.2009.5314234
Filename :
5314234
Link To Document :
بازگشت