Empirical Study on the Impact of Refactoring Strategies on Software Maintainability and Technical Debt Reduction
Keywords:
Refactoring, Technical Debt, Software Maintainability, Code Quality, Empirical Software EngineeringSynopsis
Refactoring is widely acknowledged as a key strategy to improve code quality and maintainability, yet its systematic impact on reducing technical debt remains underexplored in empirical contexts. This study investigates the efficacy of various refactoring strategies—such as extract method, modularization, and code smell removal—in enhancing software maintainability and mitigating technical debt in mid-sized industrial software systems. Through a controlled empirical evaluation involving software engineering teams and real-world codebases, this study quantifies the comparative benefits and trade-offs of strategic refactoring interventions.
Findings reveal that specific refactoring practices, especially those addressing architectural smells and code duplication, significantly improve maintainability metrics and reduce principal and interest components of technical debt. The results underscore the importance of integrating refactoring as a core activity in the software development lifecycle rather than treating it as a reactive or peripheral task.
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