Static Analysis System for Source Code Developer Quality Metrics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current static analysis systems lack the ability to effectively attribute and visualize the productivity and quality of source code developers by tracking changes in coding violations over time, making it difficult to identify and improve team performance and code quality.
Innovation Solution
A static analysis system generates interactive user interface presentations that attribute coding violations to responsible entities by comparing snapshots of source code, calculating metrics such as churn and net new violations, and displaying these metrics in a graphical format to provide insights into developer productivity and quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If static analysis is performed on source code to identify violations, then code quality can be improved, but the ability to attribute and visualize developer productivity and quality remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the overall code analysis process into distinct components: violation detection, violation attribution to specific developers, and visualization of developer metrics. This segmentation allows the system to not only detect code violations but also track which developers introduced or removed them, thereby preserving developer performance information while improving code quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms by visualizing developer performance metrics (such as violations introduced vs. violations removed) in interactive presentations. This feedback loop allows managers to assess developer quality contributions and make informed decisions about team composition and training, thus preventing loss of performance information while maintaining code quality improvements.
2Measurement precision
If detailed tracking of violation changes is implemented, then developer quality metrics can be computed, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential information needed for developer quality assessment: the count of violations introduced and violations removed by each developer. By taking out only these critical metrics rather than tracking all possible code attributes, the system achieves precise developer quality measurement without excessive complexity in the analysis infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters being measured from detailed code-level metrics to aggregated developer-level metrics (violations introduced, violations removed). This parameter transformation simplifies the data structure and computation requirements while maintaining measurement precision for developer quality assessment.
3Loss of information
If interactive visualizations of developer metrics are provided, then team performance insights are improved, but information processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by providing visualizations for only the most relevant developer metrics (violations introduced and removed) rather than computing and displaying all possible code analysis metrics. This selective approach delivers valuable performance insights while minimizing computational resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates simplified visual representations (graphs and charts) that copy and display key performance data in an easily interpretable format. These visual copies allow users to quickly grasp team performance trends without the system needing to process and manage the full complexity of the underlying detailed violation data.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for evaluating source code developers. One of the methods includes receiving, from a user, a request for a user interface presentation representing an overall performance metric versus a second metric attributed to each responsible entity of a plurality of responsible entities that contributed source code to a project. A user interface presentation is generated, wherein each responsible entity is represented by a graphical element at a position in a display area, the position of the element having one coordinate corresponding to the first measure of the overall contributions contributed by the responsible entity and another coordinate corresponding to the second measure of the second metric attributed to the responsible entity.