Software reuse increases productivity, reduces costs, and improves quality.
Object-oriented (OO) software has been shown to be inherently more reusabl
e than functionally decomposed software; however, most OO software was not
specifically designed for reuse [Software Reuse Guidelines and Methods, Ple
num Press, New York, 1991]. This paper describes the analysis, in terms of
quality factors related to reusability, contained in an approach that aids
significantly in assessing existing OO software for reusability. An automat
ed tool implementing the approach is validated by comparing the tool's qual
ity determinations to that of human experts. This comparison provides insig
ht into how OO software metrics should be interpreted in relation to the qu
ality factors they purport to measure. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All r
ights reserved.