How can you ensure software reusability meets user and business needs?
Software reusability is the ability to use existing code or components in new or different contexts, reducing development time, cost, and errors. However, reusing software is not as simple as copying and pasting. You need to apply object oriented design principles and practices to ensure that your reusable software meets user and business needs. In this article, you will learn how to do that by following these steps:
The first step is to identify what parts of your software can be reused in different scenarios or projects. You can do this by analyzing the requirements, functionality, and dependencies of your software, and looking for common patterns, abstractions, and generalizations. For example, you can reuse a component that performs authentication, validation, or logging across different applications. You can also reuse a component that implements a common design pattern, such as singleton, factory, or observer.
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You are more likely to identify reusable components during the system's development rather than by predicting reuse opportunities before coding begins. However, this process becomes challenging if your system lacks the necessary flexibility, making it difficult to implement changes required for reusing components. This is why it's crucial for your system to be flexible. When a system is easy to change, it's more feasible to identify and extract reusable components. Including discovery of potential reuse options into a development cycle can positively contribute to the robustness and efficiency of the system.
The second step is to design your reusable components using object oriented design principles, such as encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and abstraction. These principles help you create modular, cohesive, and loosely coupled components that can be easily integrated, extended, and maintained. For example, you can use encapsulation to hide the implementation details of your component and expose only the relevant interface to the users. You can use inheritance to create subclasses that inherit the behavior and attributes of a superclass, and override or add new features as needed. You can use polymorphism to enable different subclasses to respond differently to the same message or method call. You can use abstraction to create a simplified representation of a complex concept or system.
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Test Driven Development (TDD) can be used as a design tool to enhance reusability, in addition to its other benefits. Your tests become the first clients of your components. By using this technique, you put yourself into shoes of someone who will be using your components, which leads to a more user-friendly design. The ease of use increases the likelihood of re-use.
The third step is to implement your reusable components using object oriented programming languages and tools, such as Java, C#, or Python. You need to follow coding standards and conventions, document your code, and test your components thoroughly. You also need to consider the performance, security, and compatibility of your components, and optimize them accordingly. For example, you can use code analysis tools to detect and fix potential bugs, memory leaks, or vulnerabilities. You can use code refactoring tools to improve the readability, structure, and quality of your code. You can use code reuse tools to store, manage, and access your reusable components.
The fourth step is to evaluate your reusable components based on user and business needs, such as functionality, usability, reliability, and maintainability. You need to collect feedback from the users and stakeholders of your software, and measure the benefits and costs of reusing your components. You also need to monitor and update your components regularly, and address any issues or changes that may arise. For example, you can use user testing methods to assess the satisfaction, efficiency, and effectiveness of your components. You can use metrics and indicators to quantify the savings, productivity, and quality of your components. You can use version control systems to track and manage the changes and revisions of your components.
The fifth step is to share your reusable components with other developers or teams within or outside your organization, and promote a culture of reuse. You need to make your components accessible, discoverable, and understandable for potential users, and provide adequate support and guidance. You also need to collaborate and communicate with other developers or teams, and learn from their experiences and best practices. For example, you can use repositories or libraries to store and distribute your components. You can use documentation, tutorials, or demos to explain and demonstrate your components. You can use forums, blogs, or social media to showcase and discuss your components.
The final step is to improve your reusable components based on the feedback, metrics, and trends that you collect and analyze. You need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your components, and look for opportunities to enhance or modify them. You also need to keep up with the evolving user and business needs, and the changing technologies and standards. For example, you can use surveys, reviews, or ratings to gather user opinions and suggestions. You can use benchmarks, reports, or dashboards to compare and contrast your components. You can use research, training, or innovation to learn and adopt new techniques or methods.
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