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Practical Limits of Reengineering

publish date: 2026/06/24 21:21:55.834230 UTC

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What is a key practical limitation of software reengineering compared to building a brand-new system?

Major architectural changes, such as converting a functional system to an object-oriented one, cannot be carried out automatically and are very expensive

Reengineering can be performed without any cost whatsoever using fully automated tools in all cases

Reengineering always produces a system that is more maintainable than a newly developed system

Reengineering is illegal for systems older than 10 years

Correct Answer

Major architectural changes, such as converting a functional system to an object-oriented one, cannot be carried out automatically and are very expensive

Explanation

There are practical limits to reengineering. It is not possible, for example, to convert a system written using a functional approach into an object-oriented system through automated means alone. Major architectural changes or radical data reorganization cannot be automated and are therefore very expensive, and the reengineered system will probably still be less maintainable than a new system built with modern methods.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 10th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

Software Reengineering - Process and Advantages