Managing Software Reuse--An Experience Report

Schlumberger Oilfield Services started a software reuse effort at its Austin System Center (ASC) in 1988. ASC is responsible for computer systems integrated into products used within Schlumberger or sold to oil companies for oil data acquisition, transmission, and analysis. The group responsible for this reuse effort, known as the Common Software Library (CSL), is composed of 10 engineers who manage 17 common software component libraries used in several Oilfield Services products. The CSL has approximately 2 million lines of code; the 16 products, into which some or all of the CSL libraries are built, have 1 million to 10 million lines of code each. Since its inception, the group has found that a successful reuse strategy requires as much effort in dealing with people management issues as it does with technical issues. This article offers one model for how to introduce a software reuse program into an organization, how such a program can be efficiently managed, and what major challenges and achievements may be expected.