Case studies in software reuse

Abstract

The authors present the results of six case studies of software reuse performed in five organizations: Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), BTG Inc., the US Army, Raytheon Company and Hartford Insurance. The authors' objectives are to (1) report on reuse efforts currently under way and (2) identify recurring factors among these efforts. Perhaps the most important observation made by the authors is that there is no right or wrong way to practice software reuse. In some organizations, a more formal approach is appropriate, while in others less formal approaches work. It seems more important to find an approach that fits the culture than to follow some textbook method. Eighteen hypotheses concerning reuse efforts are formulated on the basis of these observations.<>