Complexity Definition

Complexity in software engineering is referring to how hard it is to develop or modify any particularly given software system. Without confusing it with the word “complicated” a complexity talks more about the large number of intertwined components that are difficult to understand and this choice of making software complex is willful.

There are several causes that exist to explain the profuseness of complexity in development. One of which is including introducing external or third-party code that the system depends on for proper functionality. Another cause could be related to making strong dependence between modules and classes resulting in the need to modify multiple components to implement only one.