Development metrics measurement level for component reusability evaluation approach (CREA)

The study of software component reuse is rising in software development field and one of the methods used to reduce the production cost and time. Among the problems faced by software developers in component reuse, is the difficulty to determine which set of components are suitable to use in new software development. Thus, this study was conducted with the purpose; to define the characteristics of software component reusability evaluation approach (CREA) based on experienced software developer’s feedback, and to estimate the measurement level for each of the predefined metric. Three characteristics and sub characteristics, namely understandability (documentation level and observality), adaptability (customizability), and portability (external dependency) were identified that have been used to develop the metrics for CREA. The result for all metrics will be used as an input to the fuzzy inference system (FIS) for measuring the reusability level of the component

Modelling Execution Tracing Quality by Means of Type-1 Fuzzy Logic

CCIExecution tracing quality is a crucial characteristic which contributes to the overall software product quality though the present quality frameworks neglect this property. In the scope of this pilot study the authors introduce a process to create a model for describing execution tracing as a quality property; moreover, the performance of four different models created is compared. The process and the models presented are capable of capturing subjective uncertainty which is an intrinsic part of the quality measurement process. In addition, the possibility of linking the presented models to software product quality frameworks is also illustrated

Fuzzy based component reusability evaluation approach to support component based software development

One of the contributions of Component Based Software Development (CBSD) is the reuse of software components across multiple systems by software developers. However, the developers often face a difficulty to determine the reusability of the components during the component selection process. Similarly, the component developers also have a problem to measure the component reusability during component development. Nowadays, even though many studies have been conducted in this field, which the researchers suggested many approaches with metrics but they still lack in empirical confirmation and evidences. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate and develop the component reusability evaluation approach to support CBSD. The proposed approach, which is called Component Reusability Evaluation Approach (CREA), is supported by the developed automated tool (CREATool) that may automate the reusability evaluation. CREA is then evaluated by applying five Java component in this approach and CREATool to the selected software components. The results from the application approach and then validated with results from the controlled experiment using statistical analysis. The results indicated that CREA able to provide an acceptable reusability measure, which it is confirmed by similarity results between evaluation using statistical analysis through the controlled experiment and by applying the CREATool. It shows that the proposed approach could be used as an alternative approach in component reusability evaluation. Although the developed approach are not intended to make a holistic and an ultimate decision whether the components can be reused or not, but it is useful enough to be considered as a guide for both component users and developers in making decisions related to reusable components

META-MODELING CONSTRUCTS FOR REQUIREMENTS REUSE (RR): SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS PATTERNS, VARIABILITY AND TRACEABILITY

Reuse is a fundamental activity, which increases quality and productivity of software products. Reuse of software artifacts, such as requirements, architectures, and codes can be employed at any developmental stage of software. However, reuse at a higher level of abstraction, for instance at requirements level, provides greater benefits in software development than when applied at lower level of abstraction for example at coding level. To achieve full benefits of reuse, a systematic approach and appropriate strategy need to be followed. Although several reuse approaches are reported in the literature, these approaches lack a key strategy to synergize some essential drivers of reuse, which include reusable structure, variability management (VM) and traceability of software artifacts. In line with this, we make our contribution in this paper by (1) presenting the concepts and importance of software requirements patterns (SRP) for reusable structure; (2) proposing a strategy, which combines three sub-disciplines of Software Engineering (SE) such as Requirements Engineering (RE), Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) and Model-driven Engineering (MDE); (3) proposing a meta-modeling constructs, which include SRP, VM and traceability and; (4) Relationship amongst the three sub-disciplines of the SE. This is a novel approach and we believe it can support and guide researchers and practitioners in SE community to have greater benefits of reuse during software developments

Fuzzy Logic Based Software Product Quality Model for Execution Tracing

This report presents the research carried out in the area of software product quality modelling. Its main endeavour is to consider software product quality with regard to maintainability. Supporting this aim, execution tracing quality, which is a neglected property of the software product quality at present in the quality frameworks under investigation, needs to be described by a model that offers possibilities to link to the overall software product quality frameworks. The report includes concise description of the research objectives: (1) the thorough investigation of software product quality frameworks from the point of view of the quality property analysability with regard to execution tracing; (2) moreover, extension possibilities of software product quality frameworks, and (3) a pilot quality model developed for execution tracing quality, which is capable to capture subjective uncertainty associated with the software quality measurement. The report closes with concluding remarks: (1) the present software quality frameworks do not exhibit any property to describe execution tracing quality, (2) execution tracing has a significant impact on the analysability of software systems that increases with the complexity, and (3) the uncertainty associated with execution tracing quality can adequately be expressed by type-1 fuzzy logic. The section potential future work outlines directions into which the research could be continued. Findings of the research were summarized in two research reports, which were also incorporated in the thesis, and submitted for publication: 1. Tamas Galli, Francisco Chiclana, Jenny Carter, Helge Janicke, “Towards Introducing Execution Tracing to Software Product Quality Frameworks,” Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 5-24, 2014. doi: 10.12700/APH.11.03.2014.03.1 2. Tamas Galli, Francisco Chiclana, Jenny Carter, Helge Janicke “Modelling Execution Tracing Quality by Means of Type-1 Fuzzy Logic,” Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, vol. 10, no. 8, pp. 49-67, 2013. doi: 10.12700/APH.10.08.2013.8.