An incremental approach to software systems re-engineering

Software re-engineering can dramatically improve an organization’s ability to maintain and upgrade its legacy production systems. But the risks that accompany traditional re-engineering tend to offset the potential benefits. Incremental software re-engineering is the practice of re-engineering a system’s software components on a phased basis, and then re-incorporating those components into production also on a phased basis. Incremental software re-engineering allows for safer re-engineering, increased flexibility and more immediate return on investment. But commercial automation to support incremental software re-engineering is currently weak. In addition, project managers need a methodology to plan and implement software re-engineering projects based on the incremental approach. This paper covers the advantages of incremental software re-engineering and what is available concerning support technology. The paper describes a process methodology for planning and implementing incremental software re-engineering projects. Finally, gaps in the support technology are identified with suggestions for future tools from vendors.  1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.