Prefer Exploration Rather Than Perfection

In the zeal to create a reusable component, you should be careful not to over-engineer i.e. pursue perfection. The functional needs have to be at the core of the reusable asset’s ability to solve a particular problem. When in doubt, remember that as time goes on, the team will learn the nuances of the problem domain and will be able to make better design decisions. Explore the domain with the team rather than force a solution. How exactly do we do that? We can:

• Practice creation of simple, domain-aligned abstractions
• Continuously validate the domain with functional experts in the team
• Consciously exclude aspects of the domain that aren’t relevant / well understood when defining reusable components

It is critical for the team to discover and stumble upon reusable assets – rather than big design up front efforts lasting for months. Keep it agile and continuously evolving and improving.