Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
4.2 General Comments
For many years, software industry has applied different techniques for the require-
ment modeling and definition of conceptual models in order to identify and correct
software defects. Otherwise, these defects could propagate to later development
phases, which imply an extra cost to fix them. This situation is also present in the new
software production processes, such as MDD methods. Therefore, it is very important
to use different techniques in order to found defects in the conceptual models, avoid-
ing their propagation to the final application. The use of a unique technique to found
defects does not guarantee that all the defects be found. Thus, it is recommended that
organizations use several verification techniques [36].
Since in MDD approaches the quality of conceptual models has a direct impact in
the quality of generated applications, the use of the OOmCFP measurement procedure
for defects detection provides a new technique to improve the quality of conceptual
models, and hence, the quality of final applications.
The defect types presented in sub-section 4.1 where identified by applying the
OOmCFP FSM procedure to five different case studies of the OO-Method approach,
which correspond to a publishing system, a rent-a-car system, an invoice system, a
camping system, and a photography agency system. These five case studies have been
selected because they (all together) cover all the modeling possibilities of the OO-
Method approach. However, it is important to perform controlled experiments to
compare our results with the results obtained from other subjects in order to complete
the list of defects that can be identified using the OOmCFP measurement procedure.
In addition, the OOmCFP measurement procedure has a tool that automates its ap-
plication. Therefore, this tool can be adapted to automatically report the defects that
may have the conceptual models, and, once the model is free of defects, to obtain the
functional size of the final application. This helps to demonstrate that the OOmCFP
measurement procedure is not based on an unreal assumption, and that it could really
help in the quality improvement of conceptual models used in software projects.
With regard to the generalization of this approach, in spite of the OOmCFP meas-
urement procedure has been developed for a specific MDD environment (called OO-
Method), many of the conceptual constructs used in the conceptual model of this
environment can be found in other object-oriented MDD approaches, specially in
those oriented to the development of management information systems. Thus, the
OOmCFP procedure can be easily generalized to other MDD approaches.
5 Conclusion
In this paper, we have presented the applicability of the COSMIC standard method to
perform the detection of defects of object-oriented conceptual models used in MDD
environments. This identification is obtained through the application of a FSM proce-
dure (called OOmCFP), which allows the measurement of functional size from con-
ceptual models related to an MDD approach called OO-Method. This approach has
been selected because it allows the whole specification of the final application in a
conceptual level, and because it has been successfully applied to industrial software
development.
