Using a Hypertext Model for Traceability Link Conformance Analysis

A number of techniques for semi-automated traceability link recovery between source code and documentation have recently been proposed to support the reverse engineering and maintenance of legacy systems. This is only the first step in supporting the long term maintainability of such systems. A crucial issue, after recovering traceability links is analyzing their general conformance over time. That is, as a system is changed during evolution the validity and conformance of the links may change. Thus, conformance analysis must be performed to identify possible non-conformance of the links. The paper presents a holistic view of how to combine link recovery with conformance analysis that is facilitated by a formal hypertext model. This hypertext model not only supports complex linking structures (e.g., multi links) but also supports versioning of individual links. Such a model preserves and maintains over time the results of the reverse engineered traceability links.