A Reference Framework for Variability Management of Software Product Lines

Authors

Saiqa Aleem, Thompson Rivers UniversityFollow
Luiz Fernando Capretz, University of Western OntarioFollow
Faheem Ahmed, Thompson Rivers UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2023

Volume

16

Issue

1

Journal

Computer and Information Science

First Page

1

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.5539/cis.v16n1p1

Last Page

24

Abstract

Variability management (VM) in software product line engineering (SPLE) is introduced as an abstraction that enables the reuse and customization of assets. VM is a complex task involving the identification, representation, and instantiation of variability for specific products, as well as the evolution of variability itself. This work presents a comparison and contrast between existing VM approaches using “qualitative meta-synthesis” to determine the underlying perspectives, metaphors, and concepts of existing methods. A common frame of reference for the VM was proposed as the result of this analysis. Putting metaphors in the context of the dimensions in which variability occurs and identifying its key concepts provides a better understanding of its management and enables several analyses and evaluation opportunities. Finally, the proposed framework was evaluated using a qualitative study approach. The results of the evaluation phase suggest that the organizations in practice only focus on one dimension. The presented frame of reference will help the organization to cover this gap in practice.

Notes

https://doi.org/10.5539/cis.v16n1p1

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Citation of this paper:

Saiqa Aleem, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Faheem Ahmed, A Reference Framework for Variability Management of Software Product Lines, Computer and Information Science, Volume 16, Issue 1, pp. 1-24, Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2023.