Visual impact analysis

The Surgeon´s Assistant is a CASE tool for software maintainers and developers of ANSI C programs. It is based on the premises that maintainers need to be able to limit the scope of changes and that (most) development starts from some existing, similar system. The Decomposition Slice Display System (DSDS-XVCG), a component of the Surgeon´s Assistant, automates and visualizes impact analysis by displaying the relationships among a program´s decomposition slices. It allows the software maintainer to visually comprehend the relationships between the decomposition slices. The DSDS-XVCG uses the interface of a tool for Visualizing Compiler Graphs, VCG, to present the lattice of the decomposition slices for the user´s perusal. It allows the user to manipulate the graph by deleting and coloring nodes, and by collapsing regions. The software maintainer is provided with a visualization of the impact of proposed changes and can plan maintenance accordingly