Software Maintenance Criteria for Small Microprocessor-Based Systems

Criteria is provided for designing and implementing small microprocessor-based programs with the objective of enhancing their maintainability properties. Since microprocessor-based programs typically have relatively short schedules and low budgets. it is necessary to adapt maintainability enhancing practices for these projects in such a manner that their impact in these critical areas is not excessive. Since many of the practices which can be used to enhance maintainability actually coincide with those which improve productivity during software development, application of those practices should incur little or no added cost or duration to a microprocessor-based program. This paper suggests practical steps which can be applied to the software design and implementation activities, to the software documentation, and to the development environment which will enhance the maintainability of the resultant computer programs.