The Practical Use of Empirical Studies for Maintenance Process Improvement

Abstract

Many software maintenance organizations are currently attempting to improve their maintenance processes. Using empirical studies to drive and quantify such improvements is more rare, but can be seen at some organizations. During the International Workshop on Empirical Studies of Software Maintenance (WESS96), a group of people who were using empirical studies formed a panel to discuss the barriers to and successes of using such studies. This paper is a summary of that panel's discussion. As such, it uses the experiences of the participants to show that a significant amount of empirical research on industrial projects has been completed. It discusses the results of several of these studies, and their factors for success. The paper also describes key barriers that inhibit the use of empirical research in maintenance process improvement in practice and presents a set of ideas on potential areas for further empirical research in an industrial setting.