Architecture-Centric Traceability for Stakeholders (ACTS) Hazeline Asuncion Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Informatics Advisor: Richard N. Taylor Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences University of California, Irvine

Abstract

In software development, information is scattered across numerous interrelated artifacts, e.g. as requirements, design, code, and test cases. These artifacts are often isolated by tools, development groups, and geographic locations. Software traceability aims to cross these barriers, explicitly linking related artifacts to facilitate software development tasks, such as impact analysis, system comprehension, system debugging, and to lower maintenance costs. Software traceability is recognized as a “critical success factor” in software development, but current approaches are generally infeasible or laborious to use in an industry setting. We present a practical approach to software traceability: Architecture-Centric Traceability for Stakeholders (ACTS). ACTS focuses traceability links to the architecture since many design factors such as domain constraints, user requirements, and governmental regulations are addressed at the architectural level. By automating the capture of trace links, we support the existing work practices of users and enable them to directly benefit from the trace information.

 

Bio

Hazeline Asuncion is a Ph.D. candidate under Professor Richard N. Taylor in the Institute for Software Research at the University of California, Irvine. Her research emphasis is software traceability and how it can support various software development tasks by increasing the accessibility of relevant information. She has also worked in the software industry in a variety of roles. One of her industry projects involved designing and implementing an in-house software traceability system at Wonderware Corporation, a business unit of Invensys and a leading supplier of industrial automation and information software. More recently, she investigated the tracing of software license conflicts in heterogeneously composed software systems, in collaboration with Thomas Alspaugh and Walt Scacchi.