MDA Distilled: Principles of Model-Driven Architecture

Models as Assets

Some years ago, one of us was working with a large telecommunications company that was implementing a level-four protocol stack not once, but three times. There were three groups, each in a different part of the U.S., each building essentially the same system. As it turned out, each team was working a slightly different subset on top of different technologies (operating systems, languages, and the like) for different markets. We were able to bring these groups together somewhat, but the reuse we achieved was limited to concepts as expressed informally through the models. Geographical distribution, divergent goals, and just plain politics resulted in three almost completely separate projects.

The cost of building systems this ...