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Development and Maintenance — Modern View

publish date: 2026/05/30 21:32:23.082989 UTC

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The diagram below shows how the relationship between software development and software evolution is understood today.

Which statement best reflects this modern view?

Only safety-critical systems blur the boundary between development and maintenance

The distinction is increasingly irrelevant — it is more realistic to think of software engineering as an evolutionary process where software is continually changed over its lifetime

The distinction between development and maintenance is becoming more important as systems grow larger

Development and maintenance should always be managed as completely separate projects with different teams

Correct Answer

The distinction is increasingly irrelevant — it is more realistic to think of software engineering as an evolutionary process where software is continually changed over its lifetime

Explanation

The distinction between development and maintenance is increasingly irrelevant. Hardly any software systems are completely new, and it makes much more sense to see development and maintenance as a continuum — an evolutionary process where software is continually changed over its lifetime in response to changing requirements and customer needs.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 9th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

Software Evolution