Refinement of software product line architectures through recursive modeling techniques

Abstract

Currently, modeling methods applicable to software product line architectures do not explicitly comprise refinement, which implies dealing with a lot of complexity during their application to a high number of requirements. This paper suggests the extension of a modeling method applicable to product line architectural modeling, the 4SRS (Four Step Rule Set), to support the refinement of product lines. We have used the GoPhone case study to illustrate the approach and the recursion capability of the method as a solution to the challenges of modeling product line architectures. The strength of our approach resides in its stepwise nature and in allowing the modeler to work at the user requirements level without delving into lower abstraction concerns. © Springer-Verlag 2009.