Producing reusable object-oriented components: a domain-and-organization-specific perspective

Abstract

Developing reusable object-oriented software requires a designer to determine how to structure a software system so as to achieve the necessary functionality, while at the same time increasing the reuse potential of the software. We introduce a set of reusability metrics intended to be iteratively applied during the design and implementation parts of the software life-cycle to help guide the production and identification of reusable components. Component identification centers on the application's domain, with reuse focusing specifically on an organization's future systems. Our approach requires the developer to subjectively categorize classes, identify component boundaries, and specify where components are related. Our metrics provide reuse valuations on the couplings between components. Based upon the results of applying our metrics, we provide refactoring guidelines to increase the separation between components in a manner that improves component reusability. We include an application of our metrics to a commercial objec-oriented framework.