The ripple effect of a change to the source code of a software system is defined as the consequential effects on other parts of the system resulting from that change. These effects can be classified into a number of categories such as logical effects, performance effects or understanding effects. For example a logical ripple effect may be caused by a change in the definition of a data item, which may then cause inconsistencies in the definition and use of other data items.
Impact analysis is the assessment of the effect of a change, to the source code of a module, on the other modules of the system. It determines the scope of a change and provides a measure of its complexity. This type of analysis allows the maintenance managers and programmers to assess the consequences of a particular change and allows management to make a tradeoff between alternative chan ...