Component identification method with coupling and cohesion

Abstract

Since the introduction of component-based development (CBD), an effective component identification technique is an important factor for successful CBD projects. As in the CORBA component model of OMG, a component consists of one or more related objects, carrying out a homogeneous functionality. Most of the CBD methodologies utilize UML as the basic notational convention. A component diagram or its variation is used to depict components. However, current CBD methodologies lack a systematic component identification algorithm that can be effectively used to group related use-cases and classes into components. In this paper, we introduce a component identification method that considers component coupling, cohesion, dependency, interface, granularity, and architecture. We also provide a case study on a large-scale real CBD project, in which the proposed method was applied.