CoPAM: A Component-Oriented Platform Architecting Method Family for Product Family Engineering

Abstract

In this paper we describe a family of methods that enable thedevelopment of product family architectures. These methods have incommon that they offer support in developing a family ofsoftware-intensive products on the basis of one or more commonplatforms, that they use component technology to build the platforms andthe products, and that they use several well-defined softwaredevelopment processes. The methods differ in many important decisionsregarding processes and architecture, which are tuned carefully to thebusiness and organizational context. In this way the method familyestablishes a significant synergy in the development of several productfamilies in a large and diverse industrial company.