Identifying risky areas of software code in Agile/Lean software development: An industrial experience report

Modern software development relies on incremental delivery to facilitate quick response to customers´ requests. In this dynamic environment the continuous modifications of software code can cause risks for software developers; when developing a new feature increment, the added or modified code may contain fault-prone or difficult-to-maintain elements. The outcome of these risks can be defective software or decreased development velocity. This study presents a method to identify the risky areas and assess the risk when developing software code in Lean/Agile environment. We have conducted an action research project in two large companies, Ericsson AB and Volvo Group Truck Technology. During the study we have measured a set of code properties and investigated their influence on risk. The results show that the superposition of two metrics, complexity and revisions of a source code file, can effectively enable identification and assessment of the risk. We also illustrate how this kind of assessment can be successfully used by software developers to manage risks on a weekly basis as well as release-wise. A measurement system for systematic risk assessment has been introduced to two companies.