We have indicated above that development risks are actually be increased with reuse. This is probably the most compelling reason to develop systems 'from scratch'. However, the perceptions of risk may outweigh the actual risks, and social factors will tend to lead project managers towards the (perhaps illusory) feeling that developing 'from scratch' puts then in control' and hence minimises risk. We consider these apparent increased risks an unnecessary burden for reuse to carry and believe that given a broader definition of what is reusable from the software development process then reuse can actually serve to reduce development risks. Perhaps more importantly by enabling risk-based decision making about reuse to be explicit, we can help ensure that decisions about reuse are balanced and well supported.