Knowledge Management Processes in Software Reuse: A Rapid Review
TL;DR
Analysis of the recent literature on SR from a KM perspective indicates a predominance of storage and codification, followed by application and sharing, and highlights the need to deepen research on knowledge evaluation, test reuse, and the organisational conditions that help sustain software reuse initiatives over time.
Abstract
Software development is a knowledge-intensive activity, and managing knowledge effectively is essential to ensuring productivity and quality. Software reuse (SR) is a strategic approach that improves efficiency and return on investment, but sustaining reuse programs remains challenging. Organisations often struggle to manage the knowledge embedded in software assets such as code, designs, and test cases. Knowledge management (KM) processes—identification, acquisition, sharing, storage, codification, creation, application, and evaluation—offer a promising lens for addressing these challenges. Yet, recent work has paid limited attention to their explicit role in SR. This exploratory work analyses the recent literature on SR from a KM perspective, seeking to understand how the main knowledge processes support SR. To this end, a rapid literature review was conducted to identify studies that explicitly discuss KM aspects of SR. The review applied inclusion criteria focused on studies that explicitly discuss KM for SR, and exclusion criteria that removed unavailable studies, review-only studies, and studies that did not answer the research questions. Each selected study was then mapped, categorised, and analysed using a protocol aligned with the research questions, considering the KM processes addressed, the types of assets reused at each reuse level (specification reuse, design reuse, code reuse, application system reuse, and test reuse), and the research method employed. By structuring the evidence around these dimensions, the review helps characterise how knowledge processes are discussed in relation to different forms of reuse, different reusable artefacts, and both operational and strategic reuse concerns. Rather than consolidating a mature theory, the results indicate tentative paths for connecting KM and SR research. In particular, the analysis indicates a predominance of storage and codification, followed by application and sharing. At the same time, the findings highlight the need to deepen research on knowledge evaluation, test reuse, and the organisational conditions that help sustain software reuse initiatives over time.