Reusability as a strategic management practice in the computer industry

Summary form only given. In the hyperdynamic environment of today´s computer industry the standard practice of repeated custom development is overwhelmingly inflexible. In the market of tomorrow where this dynamic environment will continue to accelerate, flexibility will be the key to success. One of the most promising operational strategy technologies offered to replace the standard practice of repeated custom development is the practice of strategic reuse. Strategic reuse is the strategic practice of development through the creation and application of reusable components. While the foundations of this concept, reuse of previous work products and modular design, have been around for decades, strategic reuse implies that these efforts be performed on a systematic and comprehensive scale and with forethought to their later usefulness. Simply reusing something you have in hand is not strategic reuse. This paper attempts to present the reader with a brief yet comprehensive overview of where the practice of strategic reuse is being applied in today´s computer industry and what the relevant issues are for its implementation