Reuse, not so illusive anymore, thanks to process
Although often sought after, software component reuse historically has been difficult to realize on a grand scale. Component-Based Development or CBD, for example, applied focus centered narrowly on the reuse of software artifacts in the application development process, in other words it was a purely technical exercise and often was not collaborated across IT teams and worse, business stake holders. As a result, the reuse of components was illusive and often not realized.
In order to achieve reuse, a collaborative process must be leveraged. Organizations adopting SOA’s in particular can take advantage of the agility and flexibility inherent in the service oriented approach and combine a collaboration process to make reuse a reality. The process must properly manage expectations, drive appropriate behavior throughout the entire IT organization, define accountabilities, define communication flow, and position reuse as a means to an end, not an end in itself, in other words reuse is more about a process than a deployment.
As the business stake holders historically have been left out of software decisions below the highest level of an application (what the user sees), it’s critical the business requirements process get inserted into the process iteratively and incrementally. In a clear collaborative model involving teams across functional areas, reuse of software components or services becomes a reality.