Implementing Product Line Engineering in Industry: Feedback from the Field to Research

Abstract

Software product line engineering refers to methods (tools and techniques) for creating sets of similar software systems by taking advantage of their commonalities and predicted variabilities. After successfully installing product line engineering in practice, organizations typically experience a great improvement with respect to productivity or quality. Product line engineering is a proactive and strategic approach towards software reuse that requires the involvement of whole organizations to be successful. Implementing product line engineering in practice thus corresponds to identifying a strategy that transforms an existing organization into an organization that is fully centered around their product line(s), Although this transformation impacts nearly everything in an organization, it is often realized in an incremental way to manage risks and to ensure that production continues during the change process.