A semi-automated framework for the identification and estimation of Architectural Technical Debt: A comparative case-study on the modularization of a software component

摘要

Context: Research and industry's attention has been focusing on developing systems that enable fast time to market in the short term, but would assure a sustainable delivery of business value and maintenance operations in the long run. A related phenomenon has been identified in Architectural Technical Debt: if the system architecture is sub-optimal for long-term business goals, it might need to be refactored. A key property of the system assuring long-term goals is its modularity, or else the degree to which components are decoupled: such property allows the product to be evolved without costly changes pervading the whole system. However, understanding the business benefits of refactoring to achieve modularity is not trivial, especially for large refactorings involving substantial architectural changes.