Task: Plan for Reuse
This task plans for the identification of reusable elements and specifies how they will be reused.
Disciplines: Project Management
Purpose
The purpose of this task is to clarify the needs and plans for creating reusable assets and plans for how those assets will be reused within this and possibly future projects.
Relationships
RolesPrimary Performer: Additional Performers:
InputsMandatory:
    Optional:
    • None
    Outputs
      Steps
      Identify reuse needs
      In this step, the business needs for reuse must be elucidated. This might include the need to build a product line from a common repository of reusable units, to identify a set of reusable components for use in different products, etc. Reuse might be at different levels of artifacts, including specifications, templates, models, design patterns, individual classes, source code, test suites, test fixtures (e.g. simulators), etc.
      Identify reuse opportunities
      This step identifies both opportunities to reuse existing work products in the current project and to use the current project as a platform to create reusable work products for which there is a business need.
      Estimate cost for constructing reusable assets
      There is significant anecdotal evidence that the creation of reusable work products is on the order of three times the cost of special purpose work products. This step identifies the projected cost and effort required for the reusable assets to be constructed.
      Determine which reusable assets to construct
      This step scopes the project work that concerns the creation of reusable assets. The number and scope of the reusable work products are constrained by the available money and resources within the project.
      Evaluate impact of reuse plan on schedule
      Reusable elements cost more in both development and testing than special purpose work products. This step evaluates the impact of the set of reusable artifacts on the project schedule.
      Specify how reusable assets will be managed
      To effectively reuse assets, stakeholders must be able to identify and find the assets and understand the problem context properties required for the reuse of the assets, the needs the assets address and the costs of using the assets.
      Specify how assets will be reused
      For new reusable assets, the problem context requirements for the asset, the cost and benefits of the asset, and the means by which the asset is intended to be reused must be clarified.
      Capture the reuse planning aspects
      Identify the reusable assets, how they will be stored, managed, and reused.
      Update schedule to reflect reuse
      Once the scope and other properties of project reuse is established, the schedule must be updated to reflect the impact of the reuse plan.