1. Systems and Software Product Line Engineering
Charles W. Krueger, PhD
CEO, BigLever Software
INCOSE Chicagoland Chapter
Oct 21, 2010

2. Agenda Systems and Software Product Lines (SPL)
BigLever Software Gears SPL Framework and Methodology
Gears Demo

3. BigLever at a Glance
Industry leader in Systems and Software Product Line engineering tools and services
9 years of commercial practice with GearsTM technology and methods
Strategic partner of IBM Rational
Proven success
BigLever customer case studies illustrate successful transitions
SPL Hall of Fame: Salion (2004), LSI Logic (2006), HomeAway (2009)
Large-scale deployments: Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, GM, ...
Best ROI metrics in the industry

4. Systems and Software Product Lines
The key to business success depends on the infusion of new ideas about how products and systems are brought to market
To achieve this goal, today's product development organizations must deliver a product line
A portfolio of similar products or systems with variations in features and functions
Not just an individual product or system

5. Product Lines and Profitability
Companies need economy of scale in their product lines
In manufacturing, greater profitability is achieved by investing in an efficient means of production – manufacturing infrastructure and shared product assets – that can be used to deploy different “flavors” of a product
As product differentiation and innovation move from the physical attributes to software-based features, the need for an efficient means of production for systems and software product lines has become universal

6. An Efficient Means of Production for Systems and Software Product Lines

7. Overview of Systems and Software Product Line Engineering and Delivery

8. Systems and Software Product Line Engineering and Delivery
Systems and software product line (SPL) engineering and delivery has emerged as a new approach that
provides an efficient means of production for systems and software product lines
supports the full product line development and delivery lifecycle

9. Complexity of Product-centric Thinking Impedes Portfolio Production
Order N2 Complexity
“Vertical” Product Perspective

10. The Challenge of Product Line Engineering: Harnessing Complexity
Time
Processes, tools and techniques cannot overcome the exponential complexity
A new approach is required...
Engineering Complexity
Engineering Capability

11. Shift in Perspective: Efficient Means of Production

12. Shift in Perspective: Efficient Means of Production

13. Benefits of a Software Production Line
Economy of Scale from Automated Production
Increase in the scope of product diversity
Increase in the scale of different products effectively delivered and maintained
Cost Savings from Efficiency and Productivity
Increase in productivity and efficiency
Reduction in per-product development cost and overhead
Higher profit margins
Faster Profits from Faster Time to Market
Reduction in time-to-market for new and updated products
Increased agility to react to new opportunities and changing market conditions
Better Products from Better Quality
Increase in customer-perceived product quality
Reduction in defect density
Improved risk management

14. 2nd Generation SPL Approach

15. Multiple Dimensions in a 2G SPL Solution
Synchronous concerns: multi-product, multi-phase, multi-baseline
Multi-product. Feature-based variation management and automated production line
Multi-phase. Product line lifecycle assets, architecture and traceability
Multi-baseline. Product line change management and baseline management

16. The BigLever 3-Tiered SPL Methodology
Leveraging industry best practices from SPL successes
Leverage. Feature Based SPL Management
Business-wide management of portfolio by features rather than by products leads to optimized:
Scalability
Time-to-Market
Simplify. SPL Asset Focused Development
High levels of reuse, deep asset expertise, stable organization structure leads to optimized:
Quality
Consolidate. Variation Management & Automated Production
Eliminating duplication, divergence, merging, manual variation techniques, lifecycle silos, and manual production leads to optimized:
Productivity and Cost

17. Minimally Invasive Transitions to SPL Practice
Start with what you’ve got
Use an incremental transition strategy
Create a pilot as the catalyst for change
Stage transition to be non-disruptive to production schedules

18. BigLever Software Tools and Services

19. What We Offer Gears™ Bridge integrations
Software product line engineering tool & framework
Powerful patented technology
Industry leading
Award winning
Bridge integrations
Rhapsody/Gears Bridge
DOORS/Gears Bridge
Eclipse Plugin
Universal Configuration Management Bridge
Rational Quality Manager/Gears Bridge
Methodology integrations: Focal Point, Publishing Engine, Team Concert, ...
The industry’s most innovative software product line services

20. Software Product Line Lifecycle Framework
Example Tools
DOORS/ Gears Bridge
Rhapsody/ Gears Bridge
Synergy
Universal CM Bridge
Eclipse
Eclipse Plugin
OS File System
RQM/ Gears Bridge
Focal Point
Quality Manager
Rhapsody
DOORS
Example Assets
Require- ments
Design Models
Source Code
User Docs
Test Cases
Gears SPL Framework
Product Configurator
Feature Profiles
Profile A
Production Line Development Environment
Product A
...
Require- ments
Design Models
Source Code
User Docs
Test Cases
Product N

21. Services for Success Industry Leading Experience and Expertise
Getting Started Package (recommended first step)
Intense, accelerated, hands-on pilot project
3-days onsite, half-day prep, half-day post
$5,000 (a $10,000 value). Refundable if not 100% satisfied.
Á la carte
Pilots
Assessments
Transitions
Training

22. SPL Source Code & File-based Asset Engineering with the Universal Configuration Management Bridge

23. Early Generation SPL Source Code & File-based Asset Engineering
Early generation product-centric approaches lead to exponential complexity
Clone-and-own and branching
For each new product, make a copy or branch, then modify
Leads to expensive duplication, divergence and merging
Compiler preprocessor directives
Tag source code blocks with #ifdef directives
Leads to complex and convoluted source code and build system
One-size-fits-all with runtime conditionals and startup configuration files
Write the portfolio variations and diversity directly into the source code text
Leads to ever-growing, increasingly complex and convoluted source code

24. Source Code as Gears SPL Assets Feature-based Software Development

25. Source file Variation Point with Variants, Logic and Projection

26. Multi-baseline Management for SPL
...
Asset 1
Asset 2
SPL Asset Managers
Asset 3
...
Asset L
...
Product A
Product B
Product N
Release Manager
Key:
Alpha release
Beta release
Public release

27. Gears File-based Variation Points
File system extended with Feature-based SPL variation points
Optional files
Variant files
Optional directories
Variant directories
Variant text transformations
Optional text blocks

28. SPL Requirements Engineering with the DOORS/Gears Bridge

29. Early Generation SPL Requirements Engineering for Product Lines
Early generation product-centric approaches lead to exponential complexity
Clone-and-own (and requirements branching)
For each new product, make a copy of requirements and modify
Optionally add links to track commonality and variations
Leads to expensive duplication, divergence and merging
Attributes, links, scripting
Tag each requirement with one or more attributes about product diversity
Leads to high overhead
Major effort to define and implement attributes, dictionaries, semantics, schemas, scripts and filters
Labor intensive to revisit all requirements and attributes during maintenance and portfolio extension
One-size-fits-all
Write the portfolio variations and diversity directly into the requirements text
Leads to complexity and errors interpreting requirements for any particular product

30. DOORS Requirements as Gears SPL Assets Feature-based Requirements Engineering

31. BigLever Software Gears
DOORS/Gears Bridge
Dual Plugin “Bridge” between DOORS and Gears SPL Framework
Gears plugin extensions
Automated configuration of DOORS requirements, based on Gears feature profiles
DOORS plugin extensions
Any requirement can be converted into a first-class Gears variation point
BigLever Software Gears
DOORS/Gears Bridge
Rational DOORS

32. DOORS/Gears Variation Points
DOORS extended with Feature-based SPL variation points
Optional requirements
Requirements with variants
Requirements with text transformations

33. SPL Model-driven Development with the Rhapsody/Gears Bridge

34. Early Generation SPL Model-driven Development for Product Lines
Early generation product-centric approaches lead to exponential complexity
Clone-and-own
For each new product, make a copy of a similar model and modify
Leads to expensive duplication, divergence and merging
One-size-fits-all
For each new product, add product diversity meta-logic in one model
Leads to large and complex models with product diversity logic intermingled with application logic

35. Rhapsody Models as Gears SPL Assets Feature-based MDD for SysML and UML

36. Rhapsody/Gears Bridge
Dual Plugin “Bridge” between Rhapsody and Gears SPL Framework
Gears plugin extensions
Automated configuration of Rhapsody model elements, based on Gears feature profiles
Rhapsody plugin extensions
SysML and UML model elements can be converted into first-class Gears variation points
BigLever Software Gears
Rational Rhapsody
Rhapsody/Gears Bridge

37. Rhapsody/Gears Variation Points
Rhapsody extended with Feature-based SPL variation points
Optional model elements (SysML, UML)
Optional code generation (UML)
Code generation variants (UML)

38. SPL Test Engineering with the RQM/Gears Bridge

39. Early Generation SPL Test Engineering for Product Lines
Early generation product-centric approaches lead to exponential complexity
Clone-and-own (and test case branching)
For each new product, make a copy of test cases and modify
Leads to expensive duplication, divergence and merging
One-size-fits-all
Write the portfolio variations and diversity directly into the test case text
Leads to complexity and errors interpreting test procedure for any particular product

40. RQM Test Cases as Gears SPL Assets Feature-based Test Engineering

41. SPL Symmetry in the ‘V’ ... Gears Product Configurator
Feature Profiles
Profile A
Gears Product
Configurator
Source Code
Unit Test Cases
Design Models
Sub- system Tests
Require- ments
Integration Tests
Source Code
Unit Test Cases
Design Models
Sub- system Tests
Require- ments
Integration Tests
Source Code
Unit Test Cases
Design Models
Sub- system Tests
Require- ments
Integration Tests
...
Reusable SPL Assets
Product A
Product N

42. IBM Rational Quality Manager BigLever Software Gears
RQM/Gears Bridge
Dual Plugin “Bridge” between RQM and Gears SPL Framework
Gears plugin extensions
Automated configuration of RQM test suites, based on Gears feature profiles
RQM plugin extensions
Any test case can be converted into a first-class Gears variation point
RQM/Gears Bridge
IBM Rational Quality Manager
BigLever Software Gears

43. RQM/Gears Variation Points
RQM extended with Feature-based SPL variation points
Optional test cases

44. The New Frontier for Product Line Engineering and Delivery

45. Industry Trend to 2G SPL – a Discontinuous Jump

46. Into the New SPL Frontier
Automated Production Line – an Efficient Means of Production
The scale of your product line and the scope of diversity can be based on business opportunities and profitability rather than the complexity limitations
The BigLever SPL solution opens new frontiers in innovation, economy of scale and profitability, impacting the fundamentals of how you compete
Available Benefits
Transition Time, Cost & Effort
Return-on-Investment
Cost of Doing Nothing
High
Low
Fast
Slow

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