Systematic reuse can dramatically improve software development productivity and quality even though a software reuse methodology may require substantial investment. Some projects may fail to achieve the targeted amounts of reuse within organizations that are successful in employing reuse. This research explores the effects of project-level factors and characteristics of the methodology in the success of software reuse. A model that relates project factors to project reuse success is developed using an information-rich case study approach. The results are triangulated with the Nominal Group Technique, structured interviews, and comparative case studies. Success factors identified by the study relate to client influence, project culture, project attributes, and developer reuse experience. An organization that can successfully identify the factors affecting potential software reuse will be able to better target investments for the improvement of its reuse methodology and thus influence the software productivity and quality.
