Software complexity and its impact on software reliability

Abstract

To produce reliable software, its complexity must be controlled by suitably decomposing the software system into smaller subsystems. A software complexity metric is developed that includes both the internal and external complexity of a module. This allows analysis of a software system during its development and provides a guide to system decomposition. The basis of this complexity metric is in the development of an external complexity measure that characterizes module interaction.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>