Concept: Variability Point
A variability point is a location in an asset, and specifically an artifact that can be modified or extended as part of being reused. It is a planned for, controlled extension point of the asset.
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Main Description

Variability points may be exposed on the asset, or on specific artifacts of the asset. The nature of the variability point changes depending on the type of artifact. For example, if an asset has a use case model (an artifact), the variability point on that model could be the location in the model where the Asset Consumer could extend the model as needed. Or, if the asset contains a test script, the variability point could be the test data provided to the script.

In general, the more variability points on an asset, the more difficult it is to create and use. A balance should be found between flexibility and customization (i.e., more variability points) and ease of use (i.e., fewer variability points).

The need for balance also exists at the Repository level. Decreasing the variability points on an asset typically means increasing the number of similar assets in the Repository. Increasing the number of similar assets in the repository often increases the level of effort for evaluation on the part of the Asset Consumer, which can increase the reuse cost.

This is a balance to be monitored by the administrators and asset owners.