Multi-dimensional approach for measuring logical couplings to decrease software development and maintenance cost

This paper presents an approach to measuring logical couplings between software entities that takes into account multiple aspects of each transaction: time, volume and the developer's expertise. Logical coupling is the degree of logical relationships between software entities considered from an evolutionary point of view; it is used to comprehend and analyze software systems to help reduce maintenance costs. In the proposed approach, related revision groups defined as transactions are first identified, then significance factors are computed relating to the time, volume and expertise dimensions of each transaction, and finally, logical couplings between software entities are calculated by using the three factors. We have developed a tool to support our approach, called the Multi-dimensional Logical Coupling Measurement Tool (MDT) and have demonstrated its feasibility by using it to analyze three open-source projects.