Design Reuse

Definition

Design reuse is the design task during which existing designs are reused.

Objectives

The typical objectives of design reuse are to:

• Improve the quality (e.g., reliability, interoperability) of the designs.
• Decrease the time, effort, and cost spent developing designs.

Preconditions

Design reuse can typically begin when the following preconditions hold:

• Reusable designs exist in the reuse repository.
• The database team, software development team, and user experience team are staffed and trained in design reuse.

Completion Criteria

Design reuse is typically complete when the following postconditions hold:

• The database team has reused database designs.
• The software development team has reused software component designs.
• The user experience team has reused user interface designs.

Steps

Design reuse typically involves the appropriate design teams performing the following steps in an iterative, incremental, and parallel manner:

• Identify potentially reusable designs.
• Evaluate potentially reusable designs for suitability.
• Select potentially reusable designs for reuse.
• Tailor selected designs for suitability.

Techniques

Design reuse can typically be performed using the following techniques:

• Reuse repository.

Work Products

Design reuse typically results in the production of the following work products in an iterative, incremental, parallel, and time-boxed manner:

• Database Design Document
• Human Interface Design Document
• Human Interface Prototype
• Software Design Document

Guidelines

• TBD