Knowledge for Software Maintenance
本文指出软件维护占IT系统生命周期工作量的80%，将维护所需知识分为业务环境知识和技术系统知识两类，并讨论提升这些知识的技巧，基于对31个英国IT部门的案例研究。
Studies have shown that maintenance is up to 80% of the life-cycle effort of developing and maintaining a business information technology (IT) system. There are several factors which significantly affect maintenance work. This paper concentrates on one of these factors which is the knowledge staff require for effective and efficient systems maintenance. The knowledge required is split into two categories. Firstly, there is the knowledge of the business environment within which an IT system operates. Secondly, there is the knowledge of the technical IT system, particularly the details of the software structure. It is argued that both categories of knowledge are equally important and difficult to acquire. Examples of techniques for improving this knowledge are discussed. The article is partly based on case-study research into the actual practice of systems development and maintenance in 31 UK IT departments.