Establishing a software product line in an immature domain

Abstract

Often product lines are applied to “stable domains” (i.e., a set of common features is identifiable in advance and the evolution of the domain is manageable during the lifetime of the product line). These prerequisites are not always given. But there may be market pressure that requires developing products with systematic and preplanned reuse in a domain that is difficult to grasp. In such a case the product line approach also offers a set of methods that helps to overcome the risks of an immature domain. In this paper we discuss some risks in context of immature domains. For some challenges we present approaches to manage them. The considerations are substantiated by experiences in the domain of entertainment and infotainment systems in an automotive context. The development is deeply influenced by technological changes (e.g., Internet, MP3-player, UMTS) that challenge the successful deployment of product line technology.