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Dependency Structure Matrix

Last modified: 11 October 2024

Working on complicated projects with numerous dependencies makes it difficult to understand where to look for problems. You might encounter complex relationships, or cyclic dependencies, that may seriously affect application performance and behavior. This is where DSM helps.

DSM stands for Dependency Structure Matrix – a method that helps you visualize dependencies between the parts of your project (modules, classes, and so on) and highlight the information flow.

DSM analysis can be used to see how changes will affect the project. For example, if one of the classes needs to be changed, you can identify all dependencies and see how this change will propagate through the project.