Program slices as an abstraction for cohesion measurement

Abstract The basis for measuring many attributes in the physical world, such as size and mass, is fairly obvious when compared to the measurement of software attributes. Software has a very complex structure, and this makes it difficult to define meaningful measures that actually quantify attributes of interest. Program slices provide an abstraction that can be used to define important software attributes that can serve as a basis for measurement. We have successfully used program slices to define objective, meaningful, and valid measures of cohesion. Previously, cohesion was viewed as an attribute that could not be objectively measured; cohesion assessment relied on subjective evaluations. In this paper we review the original slice-based cohesion measures defined to measure functional cohesion in the procedural paradigm as well as the derivative work aimed at measuring cohesion in other paradigms and situations. By viewing software products at differing levels of abstraction or granularity, it is possible to define measures which are available at different points in the software life cycle and/or suitable for varying purposes.