On the definition of a framework for an architecting process supporting product family development

Abstract

Product families are an important system development paradigm that can yield significant improvements in time-to-market, cost reduction, and quality. In order to gain such improvements, a product family must be built based on a common architecture. The architecture is a key artifact of the development process because all product family members make use of it. However, not all requirements on designing such architectures have been addressed in depth within current research. This paper presents QUASAR, a process framework that supports the design of high-quality product family architectures. QUASAR deals with early architectural considerations, guides the modelling of architectural views and variability, and documents how to evaluate the achievement of architectural qualities. The paper describes fundamental concepts, activities, and benefits of the QUASAR framework.