SHF: Medium: Collaborative Research: An Economics-Based Framework for Assessing Software Modularization Decisions

SHF：媒介：协作研究：基于经济学的软件模块化决策评估框架

• 批准号: 1065189
• 负责人: Yuanfang Cai
• 金额: $ 49.94万
• 依托单位: Drexel University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-05-01 至 2016-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1065189&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SHF; Medium; Collaborative; Research; Economics

The research goal of this grant is to provide a scientific foundation for the economic implications of software modularization activities during software development and maintenance. A difficult question during software development is when to perform software code refactoring to restructure the code to achieve better modularity for the purpose of improving reducing complexity, improving code readability, and achieving other, so-called nonfunctional properties. The costs of modularization activities such as refactoring is significant and immediate, and the benefits are largely invisible, intangible, and long-term. However, delaying refactoring causes modularity decay, which is blamed for significantly reduced productivity, operational failures and even canceled projects. Knowing when to refactor is a long-standing, important and difficult question. This research will conduct extensive empirical studies to establish quantitative relationships between software project parameters and software modularity decisions. Based on the empirical data, the project will develop modularity violation detection techniques to locate modularity debts and evaluate a proposed modularization activity by combining Monte Carlo simulation based on Datar-Mathews option valuation method. These scientific foundations for economic decision-making will lead to a better understanding of the costs and benefits of modularization activities, with a goal of providing tools that will better support such decisions. The research will be performed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in software engineering and economics.

该赠款的研究目标是为软件开发和维护过程中软件模块化活动的经济影响提供科学基础。软件开发过程中的一个困难问题是何时执行软件代码重构以重组代码以实现更好的模块化，以改善降低复杂性，改善代码可读性并实现其他所谓的非功能性属性。重构等模块化活动的成本是显着和直接的，其好处在很大程度上是无形的，无形的和长期的。 但是，延迟重构会导致模块化衰减，这被指责为显着降低生产率，操作失败甚至取消项目。知道何时进行重构是一个长期，重要且难以置信的问题。 这项研究将进行广泛的经验研究，以在软件项目参数和软件模块化决策之间建立定量关系。基于经验数据，该项目将开发模块化检测技术来定位模块化债务并通过结合基于Datar-Mathews选项估值方法的蒙特卡洛模拟方法来评估所提出的模块化活动。这些用于经济决策的科学基础将使人们更好地了解模块化活动的成本和收益，并提供可以更好地支持此类决策的工具。该研究将由具有软件工程和经济学专业知识的研究人员跨学科团队进行。