Domain specific feature modeling for software product lines

Abstract

This paper summarizes our experience with introducing feature modeling into a product line for imaging and therapy systems in the Siemens Healthcare Sector. Determining and negotiating the scope in a product line that spans several business units with their own economic goals is challenging. Feature modeling offers a good way to do variability/commonality analysis for complex product lines. A precondition for feature modeling is the identification of all features supporting the product line. To identify these features, we developed a method for systematically deriving a feature model top down based on domain know-how. We call this method domain specific feature modeling. As the primary artifact to describe the problem space, a domain specific feature model additionally improves the requirement understanding for all stakeholders by considerably improving the scoping, traceability, testing, efficiency and transparency of planning activities and making the development efforts easier to estimate. In this paper, we share our experience with domain specific feature modeling in a large platform project and describe the lessons learned. We describe our general approach that can also be used for other domains.