volume_mute

Program Understanding in Separate-Team Evolution

publish date: 2026/06/23 00:27:34.642651 UTC

volume_mute

When a different team is responsible for evolution than the team that built the original system, what additional activity becomes the critical first stage of change implementation?

Program understanding, where the new team has to learn how the program is structured and how it delivers functionality

Re-writing the entire codebase from scratch before any changes are made

Hiring a completely new quality assurance department

A formal legal review of the original development contract

Correct Answer

Program understanding, where the new team has to learn how the program is structured and how it delivers functionality

Explanation

Where different teams are involved, the critical first stage of change implementation is program understanding. New developers must understand how the program is structured, how it delivers functionality, and how the proposed change might affect it, to avoid introducing new problems.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 10th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

The Evolution Process - Change Proposals and Activities