Introduction

In order to help convey an idea of our past and present efforts in software reuse in the USC System Factory Project, I have prepared this working paper. However, I do want to point out that software reuse, per se, has not been a distinct research topic for us in the SF Project. Instead, we think of software reuse as a basic strategy for improving our software development productivity. Thus, we seek to make frequent and widespread application of software reuse techniques and mechanisms in our R&D activities.

First, I will identify the categories of software reuse techniques and mechanisms that are relevant, then follow with a brief description of our efforts within each. Then, I will briefly describe some strategies for organizing software reuse activities. Overall, we have a number of research publications, available from the author, that provide more detailed descriptions of our efforts than appropriate here.