Reengineering Software: A Case Study

  • Authors:

  • Megan Graham;Michael J. Oudshoorn

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Computer Science, Montana State University, Bozeman MT, USA;Department of Computer Science, Montana State University, Bozeman MT, USA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 2005 conference on New Trends in Software Methodologies, Tools and Techniques: Proceedings of the fourth SoMeT_W05
  • Year:
  • 2005

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Abstract

Optimally software design should be robust enough to handle any future additions or code changes, however it is not always possible to predict the direction a software project will go in. In research projects and in-house projects, where the user and creator are often the same, software design may be overlooked entirely. If software is complex, or has not been designed for its current modifications, it may merit reengineering. The future use and needs of the program must be evaluated. There are many metrics that are used to make this decision, but these metrics only act as a guide. Most of the decision to redesign a software system is subjective, and is often made as the development of the program becomes increasingly difficult. In this paper, the redesign of a complex piece of software is examined. The process of redesign is evaluated to determine if the work put into it was worth the benefits accrued by the new design.