Academic Journal
The broken windows theory applies to technical debt
| Title: | The broken windows theory applies to technical debt |
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| Authors: | Levén, William, Author, Broman, Hampus, Author, Besker, Terese, Author, Torkar, Richard, Author |
| Contributors: | Levén, William, Author, Broman, Hampus, Author, Besker, Terese, Author, Torkar, Richard, Author |
| Source: | Empirical Software Engineering. 29(4) |
| Subject Terms: | Boiling water reactors, Software design, Bayesian data analysis, Broken windows theory, Causal relationships, Controlled experiment, Criminal activities, Software development projects, Software-systems, Suboptimal solution, Technical debts, Thematic analysis, Computer software reusability |
| Description: | Context: The term technical debt (TD) describes the aggregation of sub-optimal solutions that serve to impede the evolution and maintenance of a system. Some claim that the broken windows theory (BWT), a concept borrowed from criminology, also applies to software development projects. The theory states that the presence of indications of previous crime (such as a broken window) will increase the likelihood of further criminal activity; TD could be considered the broken windows of software systems. Objective: To empirically investigate the causal relationship between the TD density of a system and the propensity of developers to introduce new TD during the extension of that system. Method: The study used a mixed-methods research strategy consisting of a controlled experiment with an accompanying survey and follow-up interviews. The experiment had a total of 29 developers of varying experience levels completing system extension tasks in already existing systems with high or low TD density. Results: The analysis revealed significant effects of TD level on the subjects’ tendency to re-implement (rather than reuse) functionality, choose non-descriptive variable names, and introduce other code smells identified by the software tool SonarQube, all with at least 95% credible intervals. Coclusions: Three separate significant results along with a validating qualitative result combine to form substantial evidence of the BWT’s existence in software engineering contexts. This study finds that existing TD can have a major impact on developers propensity to introduce new TD of various types during development. |
| File Description: | electronic |
| Access URL: | https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-73613 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-024-10456-6 |
| Database: | SwePub |
| ISSN: | 13823256 15737616 |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/s10664-024-10456-6 |