Better not to exceed 143 lines in a routine

Research Findings
What should you look for?
Entry Level Compliance
Better not to exceed 143 lines in a routine

Research Finding:
Routines with 143 lines or less are 2.4 times less expensive to fix than larger routines.

IfSQ Defect Indicators based on this finding:

SP-1—Routine Too Long
Routines longer than 150 lines (excluding comments and blank lines) have been shown to be less stable, more subject to change, and more expensive to fix than shorter routines.

Source:

Cover of IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering

Analyzing Error-Prone System Structure

Recorded 1991 in IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, SE-17, no. 2, February
Pages 141-52
Richard W. Selby, and Victor R. Basili

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