Role of Software Readability on Software Development Cost
Emilio Collar, Ricardo Valerdi · DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) · 2006
This paper explores the role of software readability on software development cost. We argue that the up front cost of incorporating software readability pays off handsomely at later stages in the life cycle, especially at the maintenance phase which is where most of the life cycle cost of software is expended. Our analysis of different software development activities shows that software readability has a global effect on software development cost and is independent of software size (i.e., KSLOC). Moreover, we explore the links between software readability and programming domain knowledge. This paper is organized into the following three sections: overview of software readability, how readability fits into the context of software cost estimation, and how results can lead to the development of a new COCOMO cost driver focused on software readability. Background on Software Readability One of the major challenges faced by the information technology industry is the high cost of software development, especially during the maintenance phase. The high cost of