Challenges to and Solutions for Refactoring Adoption: An Industrial Perspective

Refactoring is a key approach for managing technical debt. In the past few years, refactoring techniques and tools have received considerable attention from researchers and tool vendors. However, several practical challenges must be overcome to facilitate the adoption of refactoring in industrial contexts. Results from a survey at the Siemens Corporate Development Center India highlight common challenges to refactoring adoption. The article also outlines ways to address these challenges and describes key initiatives the development center is planning and launching. This article is part of a special issue on Refactoring.