Real-world design diversity: a case study on cost
K. Kanoun · IEEE Software · 2001
Developers sometimes use design diversity- producing two or more units, or variants, aimed at delivering the same services through separate designs and realizations-to check the dynamic behavior of their software during execution. Some say it's a waste of resources that might be better spent on the original design. This author describes a case study that analyzed work hours spent on variant design in an industrial development environment over a seven-year period. The results show that the costs did not double by developing a second variant.