diff --git a/proposal/myrmidon/src/test/org/apache/myrmidon/DependencyMetricsTest.java b/proposal/myrmidon/src/test/org/apache/myrmidon/DependencyMetricsTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..69055ade2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/proposal/myrmidon/src/test/org/apache/myrmidon/DependencyMetricsTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,215 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) The Apache Software Foundation. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This software is published under the terms of the Apache Software License
+ * version 1.1, a copy of which has been included  with this distribution in
+ * the LICENSE.txt file.
+ */
+package org.apache.myrmidon;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Iterator;
+import jdepend.framework.JDepend;
+import jdepend.framework.JavaPackage;
+import junit.framework.TestCase;
+
+/**
+ * An abstract Unit test that can be used to test Dependency metrics
+ * fall in acceptable limits.
+ *
+ * @author <a href="mailto:peter@apache.org">Peter Donald</a>
+ * @version $Revision$ $Date$
+ */
+public class DependencyMetricsTest
+    extends TestCase
+{
+    private JDepend m_jDepend;
+
+    public DependencyMetricsTest( final String name )
+    {
+        super( name );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Sets up the test fixture.
+     *
+     * Called before every test case method.
+     */
+    protected void setUp()
+    {
+        m_jDepend = new JDepend();
+
+        try
+        {
+
+            m_jDepend.addDirectory( "src/java" );
+            //m_jDepend.addDirectory( "src/main" );
+        }
+        catch( final IOException ioe )
+        {
+            fail( ioe.getMessage() );
+        }
+
+        m_jDepend.analyze();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Tears down the test fixture.
+     *
+     * Called after every test case method.
+     */
+    protected void tearDown()
+    {
+        m_jDepend = null;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Utility method to retrieve JDpenden instance that contains statistics.
+     */
+    protected final JDepend getJDepend()
+    {
+        return m_jDepend;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Make sure that the launcher classes in org.apache.myrmidon.launcher.*
+     * are completely decoupled from the rest of the system.
+     */
+    public void testLauncherDecoupled()
+    {
+        final JDepend jDepend = getJDepend();
+        final String name = "org.apache.myrmidon.launcher";
+        final JavaPackage javaPackage = jDepend.getPackage( name );
+
+        final Collection afferentSet = javaPackage.getAfferents();
+        final Iterator afferents = afferentSet.iterator();
+        while( afferents.hasNext() )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage afferent = (JavaPackage)afferents.next();
+            final String afferentName = afferent.getName();
+            if( !afferentName.startsWith( name ) )
+            {
+                fail( "The launcher package " + name + " depends on external classes " +
+                      "contained in " + afferentName + ". No classes besides " +
+                      "those in the launcher hierarchy should be referenced" );
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Make sure that the implementations of the myrmidon kernel components
+     * (ie org.apache.myrmidon.component.X.*) are not referenced by anyone
+     * except by other objects in the same package or child packages.
+     */
+    public void testNoComponentImplSharing()
+    {
+        final JDepend jDepend = getJDepend();
+        final Collection packageSet = jDepend.getPackages();
+
+        final Iterator packages = packageSet.iterator();
+        while( packages.hasNext() )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage javaPackage = (JavaPackage)packages.next();
+            final String name = javaPackage.getName();
+            final String componentPackage = "org.apache.myrmidon.component.";
+            if( !name.startsWith( componentPackage ) )
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+            final int start = componentPackage.length() + 1;
+            final int end = name.indexOf( '.', start );
+            final String component = name.substring( end );
+
+            final Collection afferentSet = javaPackage.getAfferents();
+            final Iterator afferents = afferentSet.iterator();
+            while( afferents.hasNext() )
+            {
+                final JavaPackage efferent = (JavaPackage)afferents.next();
+                final String efferentName = efferent.getName();
+                if( !efferentName.startsWith( component ) )
+                {
+                    fail( "The package " + name + " is referred to by classes " +
+                          "contained in " + efferentName + ". No classes besides " +
+                          "those part of the particular implementation of kernel " +
+                          "component should reference the implementations" );
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Make sure that aut does not depend on any other ant classes
+     * and thus can be cleanly decoupled.
+     */
+    public void testAutDecoupled()
+    {
+        final JDepend jDepend = getJDepend();
+        final Collection packageSet = jDepend.getPackages();
+
+        final Iterator packages = packageSet.iterator();
+        while( packages.hasNext() )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage javaPackage = (JavaPackage)packages.next();
+            final String name = javaPackage.getName();
+            if( !name.startsWith( "org.apache.aut" ) )
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            final Collection efferentSet = javaPackage.getEfferents();
+            final Iterator efferents = efferentSet.iterator();
+            while( efferents.hasNext() )
+            {
+                final JavaPackage efferent = (JavaPackage)efferents.next();
+                final String efferentName = efferent.getName();
+                if( efferentName.startsWith( "org.apache.myrmidon" ) ||
+                    efferentName.startsWith( "org.apache.antlib" ) ||
+                    efferentName.startsWith( "org.apache.tools.ant" ) )
+                {
+                    fail( "The package " + name + " depends on classes " +
+                          "contained in " + efferentName );
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Make sure there are no circular dependencies between packages because
+     * circular dependencies are evil!!!
+     */
+    public void testNoCircularity()
+    {
+        final JDepend jDepend = getJDepend();
+        final Collection packageSet = jDepend.getPackages();
+        final Iterator packages = packageSet.iterator();
+        while( packages.hasNext() )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage javaPackage = (JavaPackage)packages.next();
+            if( javaPackage.containsCycle() )
+            {
+                final ArrayList cycle = new ArrayList();
+                javaPackage.collectCycle( cycle );
+
+                final ArrayList names = getPackageNames( cycle );
+                fail( "The package " + javaPackage.getName() + " contains a cycle " +
+                      "with a path " + names );
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private ArrayList getPackageNames( final ArrayList cycle )
+    {
+        final ArrayList names = new ArrayList();
+
+        final int size = cycle.size();
+        for( int i = 0; i < size; i++ )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage javaPackage = (JavaPackage)cycle.get( i );
+            names.add( javaPackage.getName() );
+        }
+
+        return names;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/proposal/myrmidon/src/testcases/org/apache/myrmidon/DependencyMetricsTest.java b/proposal/myrmidon/src/testcases/org/apache/myrmidon/DependencyMetricsTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..69055ade2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/proposal/myrmidon/src/testcases/org/apache/myrmidon/DependencyMetricsTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,215 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) The Apache Software Foundation. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This software is published under the terms of the Apache Software License
+ * version 1.1, a copy of which has been included  with this distribution in
+ * the LICENSE.txt file.
+ */
+package org.apache.myrmidon;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Iterator;
+import jdepend.framework.JDepend;
+import jdepend.framework.JavaPackage;
+import junit.framework.TestCase;
+
+/**
+ * An abstract Unit test that can be used to test Dependency metrics
+ * fall in acceptable limits.
+ *
+ * @author <a href="mailto:peter@apache.org">Peter Donald</a>
+ * @version $Revision$ $Date$
+ */
+public class DependencyMetricsTest
+    extends TestCase
+{
+    private JDepend m_jDepend;
+
+    public DependencyMetricsTest( final String name )
+    {
+        super( name );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Sets up the test fixture.
+     *
+     * Called before every test case method.
+     */
+    protected void setUp()
+    {
+        m_jDepend = new JDepend();
+
+        try
+        {
+
+            m_jDepend.addDirectory( "src/java" );
+            //m_jDepend.addDirectory( "src/main" );
+        }
+        catch( final IOException ioe )
+        {
+            fail( ioe.getMessage() );
+        }
+
+        m_jDepend.analyze();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Tears down the test fixture.
+     *
+     * Called after every test case method.
+     */
+    protected void tearDown()
+    {
+        m_jDepend = null;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Utility method to retrieve JDpenden instance that contains statistics.
+     */
+    protected final JDepend getJDepend()
+    {
+        return m_jDepend;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Make sure that the launcher classes in org.apache.myrmidon.launcher.*
+     * are completely decoupled from the rest of the system.
+     */
+    public void testLauncherDecoupled()
+    {
+        final JDepend jDepend = getJDepend();
+        final String name = "org.apache.myrmidon.launcher";
+        final JavaPackage javaPackage = jDepend.getPackage( name );
+
+        final Collection afferentSet = javaPackage.getAfferents();
+        final Iterator afferents = afferentSet.iterator();
+        while( afferents.hasNext() )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage afferent = (JavaPackage)afferents.next();
+            final String afferentName = afferent.getName();
+            if( !afferentName.startsWith( name ) )
+            {
+                fail( "The launcher package " + name + " depends on external classes " +
+                      "contained in " + afferentName + ". No classes besides " +
+                      "those in the launcher hierarchy should be referenced" );
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Make sure that the implementations of the myrmidon kernel components
+     * (ie org.apache.myrmidon.component.X.*) are not referenced by anyone
+     * except by other objects in the same package or child packages.
+     */
+    public void testNoComponentImplSharing()
+    {
+        final JDepend jDepend = getJDepend();
+        final Collection packageSet = jDepend.getPackages();
+
+        final Iterator packages = packageSet.iterator();
+        while( packages.hasNext() )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage javaPackage = (JavaPackage)packages.next();
+            final String name = javaPackage.getName();
+            final String componentPackage = "org.apache.myrmidon.component.";
+            if( !name.startsWith( componentPackage ) )
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+            final int start = componentPackage.length() + 1;
+            final int end = name.indexOf( '.', start );
+            final String component = name.substring( end );
+
+            final Collection afferentSet = javaPackage.getAfferents();
+            final Iterator afferents = afferentSet.iterator();
+            while( afferents.hasNext() )
+            {
+                final JavaPackage efferent = (JavaPackage)afferents.next();
+                final String efferentName = efferent.getName();
+                if( !efferentName.startsWith( component ) )
+                {
+                    fail( "The package " + name + " is referred to by classes " +
+                          "contained in " + efferentName + ". No classes besides " +
+                          "those part of the particular implementation of kernel " +
+                          "component should reference the implementations" );
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Make sure that aut does not depend on any other ant classes
+     * and thus can be cleanly decoupled.
+     */
+    public void testAutDecoupled()
+    {
+        final JDepend jDepend = getJDepend();
+        final Collection packageSet = jDepend.getPackages();
+
+        final Iterator packages = packageSet.iterator();
+        while( packages.hasNext() )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage javaPackage = (JavaPackage)packages.next();
+            final String name = javaPackage.getName();
+            if( !name.startsWith( "org.apache.aut" ) )
+            {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            final Collection efferentSet = javaPackage.getEfferents();
+            final Iterator efferents = efferentSet.iterator();
+            while( efferents.hasNext() )
+            {
+                final JavaPackage efferent = (JavaPackage)efferents.next();
+                final String efferentName = efferent.getName();
+                if( efferentName.startsWith( "org.apache.myrmidon" ) ||
+                    efferentName.startsWith( "org.apache.antlib" ) ||
+                    efferentName.startsWith( "org.apache.tools.ant" ) )
+                {
+                    fail( "The package " + name + " depends on classes " +
+                          "contained in " + efferentName );
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Make sure there are no circular dependencies between packages because
+     * circular dependencies are evil!!!
+     */
+    public void testNoCircularity()
+    {
+        final JDepend jDepend = getJDepend();
+        final Collection packageSet = jDepend.getPackages();
+        final Iterator packages = packageSet.iterator();
+        while( packages.hasNext() )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage javaPackage = (JavaPackage)packages.next();
+            if( javaPackage.containsCycle() )
+            {
+                final ArrayList cycle = new ArrayList();
+                javaPackage.collectCycle( cycle );
+
+                final ArrayList names = getPackageNames( cycle );
+                fail( "The package " + javaPackage.getName() + " contains a cycle " +
+                      "with a path " + names );
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private ArrayList getPackageNames( final ArrayList cycle )
+    {
+        final ArrayList names = new ArrayList();
+
+        final int size = cycle.size();
+        for( int i = 0; i < size; i++ )
+        {
+            final JavaPackage javaPackage = (JavaPackage)cycle.get( i );
+            names.add( javaPackage.getName() );
+        }
+
+        return names;
+    }
+}