There is some initial investment that must be done with any reuse program. At MPO we started with a new product and then expanded it to other existing products. Both the initial startup and the expansion does require some effort in the development of the reuse code to begin with and the enhancement and maintenance of the reuse code as new products use the code.
As more and more products use the reuse code, the coordination effort between the products must be carefully managed. Impact assessment must be accurately done to ensure that we do not introduce defects to other products and rework is kept to a minimum.
A reuse program requires both an initial investment and an ongoing investment as new products and enhancement use the reuse code. In addition, the coordination effort must be carefully managed. In the beginning the investment may be high, but it is paid back in the long term by better quality, more code consistency, and better supportability.
The following summarizes the key benefits and the prerequisites to success:
| Benefits | Prerequisites to Success |
| High quality | High initial investment |
| Consistency and standardization | Detailed planning |
| Productivity | High coordination between engineering teams |
| Reduced support costs | Source code management system |
| Testing strategy | |
| Documentation of reuse routines | |
| Defined maintenance process | |
| Measurement system that supports reuse |