MONITORING THE SOFTWARE ASSET: REPOSITORY EVALUATION OF SOFTWARE REUSE

Traditionally, software management has focused primarily upon cost control. Today, with the emerging capabilities of computer aided software engineering (CASE) and corresponding changes in the development process, the opportunity exists to view software development as an activity that creates reusable software assets, rather than just expenses, for the corporation. With this opportunity comes the need to monitor software at the corporate level, as well as at that of the individual software development project. Integrated CASE environments can support such monitoring. In this paper we propose the use of a new approach called repository evaluation, and illustrate it in an analysis of the evolving repository-based software assets of two large firms that have implemented integrated CASE development tools. The analysis shows that these tools have supported high levels of software reuse, but it also suggests that there remains considerable unexploited reuse potential. Our findings indicate that organizational changes will be required before the full potential of the new technology can be realized.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

FACTORS AFFECTING CODE REUSE: lMPLICATIONS FOR A MODEL OF COMPUTER AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT PERFORMANCE

An examination of code reuse at a large financial institution yields insights into the process of code reuse. The software development environment -- based on an integrated CASE system -- was designed to support code reuse, but at the end of its first two years we find that programmers are not taking full advantage of the reuse opportunities which the CASE environment provides, The organization has provided technical support for code reuse, but has not made organizational adjustments, and the technical solution alone does not suffice. We also review an existing economic model of CASE development performance that incorporates code reuse, suggesting refinements that are based upon our observations. Finally, we draw some conclusions about steps that managers can take to promote code reuse.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AUTOMATING OUTPUT SIZE AND REUSE METRICS IN A REPOSITORY-BASED COMPUTER AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (CASE) ENVIRONMENT

Measurement of software development productivity is needed in order to control software costs, but it is discouragingly labor-intensive and expensive. Computer aided software engineering (CASE) technologies -- especially repository-based, integrated CASE -- have the potential to support the automation of this measurement. In this paper, we discuss the development of automated analyzers for function point and software reuse measurement for object-based CASE. Both analyzers take advantage of the existence of a representation of the application system that is stored within an object repository, and that contains the necessary information about the application system. We also discuss metrics for software reuse measurement, including reuse leverage, reuse value and reuse classification, that are motivated by managerial requirements and the efforts, within industry and the IEEE, to standardize measurement. The functionality and the analytical capabilities of state-of-the-art automated software metrics analyzers are illustrated in the context of an investment banking industry application, that is similar to systems deployed at the New York City-based investment bank where these tools were developed and tested.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AUTOMATING OUTPUT SIZE AND REUSABILITY METRICS IN AN OBJECT-BASED COMPUTER AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (CASE) ENVIRONMENT

Measurement of software development productivity is needed in order to control software costs, but it is discouragingly labor-intensive and expensive. Computer aided software engineering (CASE) technologies -- especially object-oriented, integrated CASE -- have the potential to support the automation of this measurement. In this paper, we discuss the conceptual development of automated analyzers for function point and software reusability measurement for object-based CASE. Both analyzers take advantage of the existence of a representation of the application system that is stored within an object repository, and that contains the necessary information about the application system. We also propose new metrics for software reusability measurement, including reuse leverage, reuse value and reuse classification. The functionality and analytic capabilities of state-of-the-art automated software metrics analyzers are illustrated in the context of an investment banking industry application.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AUTOMATING OUTPUT SIZE AND REUSE METRICS IN A REPOSITORY-BASED COMPUTER AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (CASE) ENVIRONMENT

Measurement of software development productivity is needed in order to control software costs, but it is discouragingly labor-intensive and expensive. Computer aided software engineering (CASE) technologies -- especially repository-based, integrated CASE -- have the potential to support the automation of this measurement. In this paper, we discuss the development of automated analyzers for function point and software reuse measurement for object-based CASE. Both analyzers take advantage of the existence of a representation of the application system that is stored within an object repository, and that contains the necessary information about the application system. We also discuss metrics for software reuse measurement, including reuse leverage, reuse value and reuse classification, that are motivated by managerial requirements and the efforts, within industry and the IEEE, to standardize measurement. The functionality and the analytical capabilities of state-of-the-art automated software metrics analyzers are illustrated in the context of an investment banking industry application, that is similar to systems deployed at the New York City-based investment bank where these tools were developed and tested.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AUTOMATING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTIVITY METRICS

Measurement of software development productivity is needed in order to control software costs, but it is discouragingly labor-intensive and expensive. Computer aided software engineering (CASE) technologies -- especially object-oriented, integrated CASE -- have the potential to support the automation of this measurement. In this paper, we describe automated analyzers for function point and code reuse measurement. Both analyzers take advantage of the existence of a meta-model of the application system, stored within an object repository, which contains the necessary information about the application system. We also propose new metrics for code reuse analysis, including reuse leverage, reuse value and reuse classification. The state-of-the-art automated software metrics analyzers are illustrated in the context of an investment banking industry application.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

TOOLS FOR MANAGING REPOSITORY OBJECTS

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

REPOSITORY EVALUATION OF SOFTWARE REUSE

The traditional unit of analysis and control for software managers is the software project, and subsequently the resulting application system. Today, with the emerging capabilities of computer-aided software engineering (CASE) and corresponding changes in the development process, productivity gains can be realized by reusing portions of the organization's inventory of existing application designs and code. With this opportunity, however, comes the need to monitor software reuse at the corporate level, as well as at the level of the individual software development project. Integrated CASE environments can support such monitoring. We illustrate the use and benefits of repository evaluation of software reuse through an analysis of the evolving repositories of two large firms that recently implemented integrated CASE development tools. The analysis shows that these tools have supported high levels of software reuse, but it also suggests that there remains considerable unexploited reuse potential. Our findings indicate that organizational changes will be required before the full potential of the new technology can be realized.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AUTOMATING OUTPUT SIZE AND REUSE METRICS IN A REPOSITORY-BASED COMPUTER AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (CASE) ENVIRONMENT

Measurement of software development productivity is needed in order to control software costs, but it is discouragingly labor-intensive and expensive. Computer aided software engineering (CASE) technologies -- especially repository-based, integrated CASE -- have the potential to support the automation of this measurement. In this paper, we discuss the development of automated analyzers for function point and software reuse measurement for object-based CASE. Both analyzers take advantage of the existence of a representation of the application system that is stored within an object repository, and that contains the necessary information about the application system. We also discuss metrics for software reuse measurement, including reuse leverage, reuse value and reuse classification, that are motivated by managerial requirements and the efforts, within industry and the IEEE, to standardize measurement. The functionality and the analytical capabilities of state-of-the-art automated software metrics analyzers are illustrated in the context of an investment banking industry application, that is similar to systems deployed at the New York City-based investment bank where these tools were developed and tested.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AUTOMATING OUTPUT SIZE AND REUSE METRICS IN A REPOSITORY-BASED COMPUTER AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (CASE) ENVIRONMENT

Measurement of software development productivity is needed in order to control software costs, but it is discouragingly labor-intensive and expensive. Computer aided software engineering (CASE) technologies -- especially repository-based, integrated CASE -- have the potential to support the automation of this measurement. In this paper, we discuss the development of automated analyzers for function point and software reuse measurement for object-based CASE. Both analyzers take advantage of the existence of a representation of the application system that is stored within an object repository, and that contains the necessary information about the application system. We also discuss metrics for software reuse measurement, including reuse leverage, reuse value and reuse classification, that are motivated by managerial requirements and the efforts, within industry and the IEEE, to standardize measurement. The functionality and the analytical capabilities of state-of-the-art automated software metrics analyzers are illustrated in the context of an investment banking industry application, that is similar to systems deployed at the New York City-based investment bank where these tools were developed and tested.Information Systems Working Papers Serie