TY - JOUR
T1 - Change impact analysis for evolving configuration decisions in product line use case models
AU - Hajri, Ines
AU - Goknil, Arda
AU - Briand, Lionel C.
AU - Stephany, Thierry
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2018/5
Y1 - 2018/5
N2 - Product Line Engineering is becoming a key practice in many software development environments where complex systems are developed for multiple customers with varying needs. In many business contexts, use cases are the main artifacts for communicating requirements among stakeholders. In such contexts, Product Line (PL) use cases capture variable and common requirements while use case-driven configuration generates Product Specific (PS) use cases for each new customer in a product family. In this paper, we propose, apply, and assess a change impact analysis approach for evolving configuration decisions in PL use case models. Our approach includes: (1) automated support to identify the impact of decision changes on prior and subsequent decisions in PL use case diagrams and (2) automated incremental regeneration of PS use case models from PL use case models and evolving configuration decisions. Our tool support is integrated with IBM Doors. Our approach has been evaluated in an industrial case study, which provides evidence that it is practical and beneficial to analyze the impact of decision changes and to incrementally regenerate PS use case models in industrial settings.
AB - Product Line Engineering is becoming a key practice in many software development environments where complex systems are developed for multiple customers with varying needs. In many business contexts, use cases are the main artifacts for communicating requirements among stakeholders. In such contexts, Product Line (PL) use cases capture variable and common requirements while use case-driven configuration generates Product Specific (PS) use cases for each new customer in a product family. In this paper, we propose, apply, and assess a change impact analysis approach for evolving configuration decisions in PL use case models. Our approach includes: (1) automated support to identify the impact of decision changes on prior and subsequent decisions in PL use case diagrams and (2) automated incremental regeneration of PS use case models from PL use case models and evolving configuration decisions. Our tool support is integrated with IBM Doors. Our approach has been evaluated in an industrial case study, which provides evidence that it is practical and beneficial to analyze the impact of decision changes and to incrementally regenerate PS use case models in industrial settings.
KW - Change impact analysis
KW - Evolving decisions
KW - Incremental reconfiguration
KW - Product line engineering
KW - Use case configurator
KW - Use case driven development
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85042435912&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jss.2018.02.021
DO - 10.1016/j.jss.2018.02.021
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85042435912
SN - 0164-1212
VL - 139
SP - 211
EP - 237
JO - Journal of Systems and Software
JF - Journal of Systems and Software
ER -