Knowledge-related processes critical to the enabling of systematic software asset reuse in a global IT company

Abstract

This research presents a case study on the knowledge management processes critical for achieving systematic software asset reuse in a global IT company. Reusing a software asset and its related artefacts at selected other business clients drives innovation, increases efficiency and can generate several million dollars in revenue from just one reuse. To date, known software asset reuse success is limited. Despite practical relevance, research has stagnated by mainly investigating technical reuse aspects. This thesis addresses three gaps in the literature by looking from a business perspective at the intellectual capital required for software asset reuse, presenting five real-life software asset reuses and detailing the knowledge management processes towards systematic software asset reuse. The answers to the research questions advance the academic literature in the fields of intellectual capital, circular economy and knowledge. Theoretical implications are: The intellectual capital required for systematic software asset reuse is a particular software asset, the reusable software asset, further defined here. The circular economy is enriched by adding a two-step distribution task to the reuse process. The thesis refines knowledge management concerning intangible reuse. A new finding is that software asset reuse requires a proactive decision to anticipate a scarcity of knowledge in space or time, which has been identified as the software asset reuse trigger. Reuse sets in before the life end of the software asset is reached. It creates parallel software instances via abstraction, repurposing and adaptation. These boost the asset lifetime as they are logically linked. They represent tailored solutions for a heterogeneous client base and, therefore, target business-to-business niche markets. This thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge by identifying that collaborative sharing of the change required for one client with existing reusers leads to improved software quality, surpassing that of other software constructs. Further, it claims that reusable software assets target a parallel market to software products. This research significantly contributes to practice: First, by demonstrating that reuse is only feasible if the software asset can be adapted. Second, one reason for being of some reusable software assets is to stop the flood of less funded individual software trying to serve the same need. Third, a managerial guide provides advice on building reuse capabilities in the IT organisation to support the change that drives software asset reuse