A Research Plan to Characterize, Evaluate, and Predict the Impacts of Behavioral Decay in Design Patterns

We propose a research plan to further the understanding of design pattern evolution. Current research into design pattern evolution focuses on the structural elements of decay, which is realized as structural grime. We plan to expand the current state of research by introducing the notion of behavioral grime, or unwanted artifacts that appear at run-time in a pattern. This form of grime may be transparent to the current analysis models. We seek to classify types of grime into taxonomy, evaluate each type in terms of impacts on technical debt and quality in the pattern and system as a whole, and predict future occurrences of behavioral grime. Studies are designed for each of these respective goals. The results of this research will further the understanding of design patterns, assisting practitioners and researchers alike.