Title: Modularity in Design: on the Synergy of Software Architecture, Evolution and Collaboration.
Speaker: Yuanfang Cai，Assistant Professor at Drexel University

Time: 10am-11:30am, July 3rd
Location: Lecture Room, 3rd Floor, Building 5#, Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Abstract:
Many advances in software design and architecture, such as abstract data types, object orientation, aspects, and services, have been expressions of modularity, arguably the single most important design principle in software engineering. The problem is that the economic value of modularity is not well understood. The costs of modularization activities such as refactoring are significant and immediate, but the benefits are largely invisible, intangible, and long-term. However, delaying refactoring causes modularity decay, which is blamed for significantly reduced productivity, operational failures and even canceled projects. Our work explores the economic implication of software modularity in the form of real options and technical debts, and assesses software modularity through the synergy of software architecture, evolution and collaboration.

Bio:
Dr. Yuanfang Cai is an Assistant Professor at Drexel University. She received her M.S. and Ph.D degrees in 2002 and 2006 respectively from the University of Virginia. Dr. Cai’s research areas include software evolution, software modularity, software economics and socio-technical congruence. Her recent work focuses on assessing software design quality based on the synergy of software artifacts, evolution history and the associated team structure. Dr. Cai has served on program committees and organizing committees for multiple prestigious conferences in the area of software engineering.