Software re-use has been gaining importance during the recent years, as it offers companies a range of advantages and helps to retain a competitive advantage.
This seminar paper focuses on the software re-use in particular, which is also a part of the service oriented architecture. After implementing software re-use, companies have to measure their success in the first place and later monitor if the desired company goals have been met. Metrics and models that are able to capture the business value of service re-use are the central part of this seminar paper. It concludes with presenting empirical studies that are focusing on software re-use measurement aspects, such as customer satisfaction, defect-density and stability of re-use and the intension to re-use from the software developers’ point of view.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. BACKGROUND
2.1. SERVICE ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE (SOA)
2.2. SOFTWARE RE-USE
2.3. BUSINESS VALUE ASSESSMENT OF SOFTWARE RE-USE IN GENERAL
3. MEASURING BUSINESS VALUE OF SOFTWARE RE-USE: METRICS AND MODELS
3.1. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS
3.2. MATURITY ASSESSMENT
3.3. AMOUNT OF RE-USE
3.4. FAILURE MODES ANALYSIS
3.5. REUSABILITY ASSESSMENT
3.6. RE-USE LIBRARY METRICS
3.7. BREAK-EVEN-POINT ANALYSIS
4. EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF RE-USE BUSINESS VALUE ASSESSMENT
5. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper aims to explore the strategic importance of software re-use within a service-oriented architecture (SOA) by examining the methodologies used to quantify its business value and reviewing empirical evidence regarding its organizational impact.
- Strategic benefits of software re-use in electronic business.
- Key metrics and models for assessing re-use success and maturity.
- Identification of organizational, technical, and management-related adoption barriers.
- Empirical analysis of re-use impacts on customer satisfaction and defect density.
- Factors influencing software developer intentions regarding re-use.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. Cost-benefit Analysis
The cost-benefit analysis is an approach to systematically calculate the investment costs and benefits in the form of payoffs. The difference between these two values indicates whether the re-use should be implemented. In order to calculate the investment costs properly it is of crucial importance to firstly estimate the costs without re-use and then compare them to those with re-use. To achieve a high cost-effectiveness every company should try to increase the re-use, reduce its costs or try to reduce the investment needed for the desired benefits.
There exist two models that are suitable for a cost-productivity analysis, the simple and the cost-of-development model. Using the simple model the cost of the software development can be calculated by adding the multiplied relative costs of all new code with the proportion of all new code to the multiplied relative costs of reused software with a proportion of reused software. C refers to the overall software development costs, b stands for the costs relative to those of an all-new code and finally R represents the proportion of the re-use code. The relative costs of all new code are supposed to be 1.
It is necessary to underline that b has to be lower than 1 taking into account the life cycle of a software re-use component in order to be cost-effective. A value equal or higher 1 would mean that the reused software is as costly or even more costly than developing an all-new code.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Discusses the necessity of implementing new technologies like software re-use in electronic business to achieve agility and a competitive advantage.
2. BACKGROUND: Provides a theoretical overview of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and the general challenges and definitions surrounding software re-use implementation.
3. MEASURING BUSINESS VALUE OF SOFTWARE RE-USE: METRICS AND MODELS: Details various quantitative models, such as cost-benefit, maturity, and failure modes analysis, used to monitor the effectiveness of re-use strategies.
4. EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF RE-USE BUSINESS VALUE ASSESSMENT: Reviews specific case studies and experiments that analyze the relationship between software re-use, quality indicators, and developer intentions.
5. CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the core findings and reiterates the importance of selecting appropriate evaluation methods for successful software re-use projects.
Keywords
Software re-use, Service Oriented Architecture, SOA, Business Value Assessment, Cost-benefit Analysis, Maturity Assessment, Reusability, Metrics, Software Engineering, Electronic Business, Empirical Studies, Defect Density, Customer Satisfaction, Business Agility, Investment Return.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this seminar paper?
The paper examines how companies can measure and assess the business value and impact of implementing software re-use strategies, particularly within Service Oriented Architectures (SOA).
What are the central thematic areas covered?
The document covers technical definitions of SOA, practical metrics for re-use, adoption barriers, and empirical studies concerning software quality and developer behavior.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of how businesses can evaluate the effectiveness and ROI of software re-use to ensure it contributes to long-term competitive success.
Which scientific methods are analyzed?
The paper presents a variety of analytical models including cost-benefit analysis, maturity modeling (like the RiSE model), failure modes analysis, and break-even point analysis.
What does the main part of the paper focus on?
The main section (Chapter 3) provides a deep dive into specific quantitative metrics and models used to track re-use performance and library efficiency.
How would you characterize this work through keywords?
The work is characterized by its focus on software engineering economics, SOA governance, and empirical performance metrics in enterprise IT.
How does the author define the relationship between SOA and re-use?
The author views SOA as a primary technical framework that facilitates modular, reusable services, which in turn drives business agility and development productivity.
What role do empirical studies play in the paper?
Empirical studies serve to validate theoretical claims by providing real-world evidence of how re-use affects specific metrics like defect density, system stability, and customer satisfaction.
- Citar trabajo
- Alexandra Barokova (Autor), 2013, Business Value Assessment of Software Re-use, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/340148
