Reuse / Variety Management & Systems Engineering

this paper aims to share industry experience in managing the reuse and variability in the industry and to analyze the linkage between this topic and system engineering. Reuse and variability management are two faces of the same coin and strongly influence business performance. Hard products industries (where mechanical and structural engineering were historically dominant) and soft systems industries (where electronic and software engineering are dominant) addressed the questions from different perspectives. After describing the observed practices for managing the reuse and variability from the physical product standpoint, and taking in account concepts and approaches used in “Soft” industries, we analyze how systemic approach should help in better mastering the variability. In conclusion, we identify some principles and rules which would need to be investigated through research to better link PLM and systemic approach in variability management