Measurement of Cohesion and Coupling in OO Analysis Model Based on Crosscutting Concerns

Abstract: Separation of Concerns is a fundamental software engineering principle achievable through implementaiton of the software development quality patterns Low Coupling and High Cohesion throughout the software development life-cycle. This paper introduces measurements for controlling the coupling and cohesion of the Object-Oriented (OO) analysis model based on the notion of crosscutting concerns. Controlling the OO analysis model’s quality is crucial as errors introduced in the OO analysis model might propagate throughout the software development phases into the final product where their correction would require considerable additional effort and resources. The measurement control mechanisms for obtaining early feedback on the levels of coupling and cohesion in the analysis model help identify early crosscutting implications in the system. Associating the analysis model with these measurements leads to early feedback on the realization of the crosscuttings within the proposed system and thus an early possible treatment. The proposed cohesion measurement is new; the coupling measurement is an adoption of an existing OO design measure.