Analyzing the Evolution of Large-Scale Software Systems Using Design Structure Matrices and Design Rule Theory: Two Exploratory

Software modularization activities remain without the guidance of formal theories and models. According to Baldwin and Clark's [1] design rule theory (DRT) , modular architectures add value to system designs by creating options to improve the system by substituting or experimenting on individual modules. In this paper, we examine the design evolution of two software product platforms through the modeling lens of DRT and design structure matrices (DSMs). We show that DSM models and DRT precisely explain how realworld modularization activities in one case allowed for different rates of evolution in different software modules and in another case conferred distinct strategic advantages on a firm (by permitting substitution of an at-risk software module without substantial change to the rest of the system). Our results provide positive evidence that DSM and DRT can inform important aspects of large-scale software structure and evolution, having the potential to guide software architec...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: WICSA
• Authors: Matthew J. LaMantia, Yuanfang Cai, Alan MacCormack, John Rusnak
• Keywords: Modularization Activities, Software Engineering, Software Modularization Activities, Software Module, WICSA 2008