Comprehension and Visualisation of Object-Oriented Code for Inspections

This paper considers the role of comprehension during the preparation and defect detection phases of the software inspection process. Software inspection is generally accepted as a useful technique for finding errors in both documents and code. However, there is no general agreement on how defects are best detected and, in particular, how much understanding of the product is required and how that understanding is best achieved. Some inspection processes provide no guidance. Many advocate fairly informal aids such as checklists. Recently more structured techniques, in the form of scenarios, have been proposed. The need for increased comprehension seems particularly relevant to object-oriented technology as a result of inherent features, which appear to increase inter-component dependencies. This paper reviews the Software Engineering literature investigating the role of comprehension and the related topic of program visualisation during the preparation and defect detection phases of inspection. It considers particular features of object-oriented technology that may require enhanced comprehension during inspection. It draws on similarities between software maintenance and software inspection to suggest that there are potential benefits to be obtained in using comprehension techniques and tools, developed for maintenance, during inspection.