Discovering determinants of high volatility software

This topic paper presents a line of research that we are proposing that incorporates, in a very explicit and intentional way, human and organizational aspects in the prediction of troublesome (defect-prone or changeprone or volatile, depending on the environment) software modules. Much previous research in this area tries to identify these modules by looking at their structural characteristics, so that increased effort can be concentrated on those modules in order to reduce future maintenance costs.