This paper presents the results of a study conducted at the University
of Maryland in which we assessed the impact of reuse on quality and
productivity in OO systems. Reuse is assumed to be a very effective
strategy for software industry to build high-quality
software. However, there is currently very little empirical
information about what we can expect from reuse in terms of
productivity and quality gains. This also applies to OO development
which is supposed to facilitate reuse. Our experiment is one step
towards a better understanding of the benefits of reuse in an OO
framework, considering currently available technology. Data was
collected, for four months, on the development of eight medium-size
management information systems with equivalent requirements. All eight
projects were developed using the Waterfall Software Engineering Life
Cycle Model, an Object-Oriented (OO) design method and the C++
programming language. This study indicates significant benefits from
reuse in terms of reduced defect density and rework as well as
increased productivity.
(Also cross-referenced as UMIACS-TR-95-2
