Reusing processes and documenting processes: toward an integrated framework

TL;DR

This paper develops a unified cognitive framework for understanding and improving the processes of reuse and documentation in design and software development, based on empirical studies and cognitive models.

Contribution

It introduces an integrated cognitive typology for reuse and documenting processes, supported by empirical evidence and cognitive models of text processing.

Findings

Design involves cyclical planning, writing, and revising.

Documentation follows the hierarchy of cognitive entities.

Software reuse exploits different knowledge types depending on design phase.

Abstract

This paper presents a cognitive typology of reuse processes, and a cognitive typology of documenting processes. Empirical studies on design with reuse and on software documenting provide evidence for a generalized cognitive model. First, these studies emphasize the cyclical nature of design: cycles of planning, writing and revising occur. Second, natural language documentation follows the hierarchy of cognitive entities manipulated during design. Similarly software reuse involves exploiting various types of knowledge depending on the phase of design in which reuse is involved. We suggest that these observations can be explained based on cognitive models of text processing: the van Dijk and Kintsch (1983) model of text comprehension, and the Hayes and Flower (1980) model of text production. Based on our generalized cognitive model, we suggest a framework for documenting reusable components.