Based on informal discussions with personnel at selected federal agencies and private sector organizations and on additional research, this publication addresses issues and problems of software maintenance and suggests actions and procedures which can help software maintenance organizations meet the growing demands of maintaining existing systems. Software maintenance is defined as the performance of perfective, adaptive, and corrective maintenance activities required to keep a software system operational and responsive after it is accepted and placed into production. The software maintenance process and the qualities of an ideal maintainer are briefly outlined. Also discussed are factors to be weighed when deciding on system maintenance or redesign, control of software changes, and the improvement of software maintenance as a result of the policies, standards, procedures, and techniques instituted and enforced by management. Software maintenance tools, or computer programs that can be useful in maintaining other computer programs and their documentation, are described. In a final section on management, emphasis is placed on the need for strong, effective technical management control of the software maintenance process. An 80-item bibliography and examples of software maintenance definitions found in other publications are provided. (Author/ESR)