The relationship between cognitive factors and maintainer performance in software maintenance
Yukun Hahm · 1995
A number of studies have been conducted to examine methods of developing and managing computer-based information systems. Most of these studies have, however, been devoted less to managing systems once implemented, while software maintenance has become a major burden of Information Systems (IS) departments. This study focuses on individual differences in the capability to perform software maintenance. The purpose of this study is to examine how the software maintainer's knowledge (i.e., schema) is related to his/her problem solving approach and, eventually, to his/her performance in being able to maintaining the software. Complexity of software is also considered in this process. A field study is conducted by survey and interviews. Most of the measures used in this study are modified from currently available instruments. According to regression analysis, it was confirmed that software complexity affected one aspect of performance, making errors during software maintenance. We found a significant effect of three schema-driven problem-solving approaches (self-regulatory control, episode retrieval, and task understanding) on all aspects of performance. We also found that schema was related to the problem solving approaches and performance. It is expected that the findings of this study will contribute to improving the understanding of how individual differences in software maintenance knowledge affect maintenance process and outcome and how effectively software maintenance can be managed by considering cognitive individual differences.