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Software Architecture Understandability in Object-Oriented Systems

Turki F. Alshammary *, Mamdouh Alenezi**

* College of Computer & Information Sciences, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

** Chief Information and Technology Officer (CITO), Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Periodicity:October - December'2017
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jse.12.2.14062

Abstract

Software Architecture plays a vital role in the success or failure of software systems. Architecture understandability is a very important factor for managing and improving the system architecture. In this work, understandability of software architectures at the component-level will be explored. This study examines software structural properties of size, coupling, stability, and complexity against the effort spent by a developer to study a component. Number of software design metrics have been explored in the same context in the literature before, however, this work would explore a different combination of design metrics. A case study has been adopted from the literature that used an open source software system, which comprises of seven components. Analyses of Correlation, Collinearity, and Multivariate regression have been performed. The results of the statistical analyses indicate a correlation between most of the metrics used and the required effort needed to understand a component.

Keywords

Software Engineering, Software Architecture, Understandability, Object Oriented, Size, Coupling, Stability, Complexity, Software Design Metrics, Number of Methods, Loose Class Coupling, Tight Class Coupling, McCabe's Cyclomatic Complexity.

How to Cite this Article?

Alshammary, F., and Alenezi, M. (2017). Software Architecture Understandability in Object-Oriented Systems. i-manager’s Journal on Software Engineering, 12(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.26634/jse.12.2.14062

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