7. Modularity and reusability

In mechanical engineering or electronics, it's cheaper to assemble standard (i.e., existing) components than to develop new ones. This make-or-buy configuration management principle also applies to structured writing. Reuse is often synonymous with copy and paste: duplication is a quick and easy way to reuse content. In the long term, this is disastrous: how can we know where content is being used to measure impact in the event of change? If we don't know the impacts, we can't make the necessary...