We provide an extensive overview of existing research in the field of software refactoring. This research is compared and discussed based on a number of different criteria: the refactoring activities that are supported, the specific techniques and formalisms that are used for supporting these activities, the types of software artifacts that are being refactored, the important issues that need to be taken into account when building refactoring tool support, and the effect of refactoring on the software process. A running example is used to explain and illustrate the main concepts.

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A survey of software refactoring

Survey research is believed to be well understood and applied by management information systems (MIS) scholars. It has been applied for several years and it has precise procedures which, when followed closely, yield valid and easily interpretable data. Our assessment of the use of survey research in the MIS field between 1980 and 1990 indicates that this perception is at odds with reality. Our analysis indicates that survey methodology is often misapplied and is plagued by five important weaknesses: (1) single-method designs where multiple methods are needed, (2) unsystematic and often inadequate sampling procedures, (3) low response rates, (4) weak linkages between units of analysis and respondents, and (5) overreliance on cross-sectional surveys where longitudinal surveys are really needed. Our assessment also shows that the quality of survey research varies considerably among studies of different purposes: explanatory studies are of good quality overall, exploratory and descriptive studies are of moderate to poor quality. This article presents a general framework for classifying and examining survey research and uses this framework to analyze the usage of survey research conducted in the past decade in the MIS field. In an effort to improve the quality of survey research, this article makes specific recommenoations that directly address the major problems highlighted in the review.

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Survey research methodology in management information systems: an assessment

SURVEY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY IN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS: AN ASSESSMENT Alain Pinsonneault Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales 5255 Decelles Avenue Montreal, Quebec Canada H3T 1V6 and Kenneth L. Kraemer Graduate School of Management University of California Irvine, California U.S.A. 92717 Working Paper #URB-022 The authors would like to thank the participants of the 1991 Queen's-HEC workshop and two anonymous reviewers and the Editor in chief of JMIS for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper. This study was supported financially by Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montreal and the University of California at Irvine.

Survey Research Methodology in Management Information Systems: An Assessment

Regression testing is an expensive but necessary maintenance activity performed on modified software to provide confidence that changes are correct and do not adversely affect other portions of the softwore. A regression test selection technique choses, from an existing test set, thests that are deemed necessary to validate modified software. We present a new technique for regression test selection. Our algorithms construct control flow graphs for a precedure or program and its modified version and use these graphs to select tests that execute changed code from the original test suite. We prove that, under certain conditions, the set of tests our technique selects includes every test from the original test suite that con expose faults in the modified procedfdure or program. Under these conditions our algorithms are safe. Moreover, although our algorithms may select some tests that cannot expose faults, they are at lease as precise as other safe regression test selection algorithms. Unlike many other regression test selection algorithms, our algorithms handle all language constructs and all types of program modifications. We have implemented our algorithms; initial empirical studies indicate that our technique can significantly reduce the cost of regression testing modified software.

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A safe, efficient regression test selection technique

A discussion is presented of the two primary ways of understanding software costs. The black-box or influence-function approach provides useful experimental and observational insights on the relative software productivity and quality leverage of various management, technical, environmental, and personnel options. The glass-box or cost distribution approach helps identify strategies for integrated software productivity and quality improvement programs using such structures as the value chain and the software productivity opportunity tree. The individual strategies for improving software productivity are identified. Issues related to software costs and controlling them are examined and discussed. It is pointed out that a good framework of techniques exists for controlling software budgets, schedules, and work completed, but that a great deal of further progress is needed to provide an overall set of planning and control techniques covering software product qualities and end-user system objectives. >

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Understanding and controlling software costs

Software Maintenance Management: A Study of the Maintenance of Computer Application Software in 487 Data Processing Organizations

The problems of application software maintenance in 487 data processing organizations were surveyed. Factor analysis resulted in the identification of six problem factors: user knowledge, programmer effectiveness, product quality, programmer time availability, machine requirements, and system reliability. User knowledge accounted for about 60 percent of the common problem variance, providing new evidence of the importance of the user relationship for system success or failure. Problems of programmer effectiveness and product quality were greater for older and larger systems and where more effort was spent in corrective maintenance. Larger scale data processing environments were significantly associated with greater problems or programmer effectiveness, but with no other problem factor. Product quality was seen as a lesser problem when certain productivity techniques were used in development.

Bennet P. Lientz

Papers

Software Maintenance Management: A Study of the Maintenance of Computer Application Software in 487 Data Processing Organizations

Problems in application software maintenance

Impact of development productivity aids on application system maintenance

Long range planning for information services

Assessing the impact of new technology in information systems