Usage Context as Key Driver for Feature Selection

摘要

Product derivation in software product line engineering starts with selection of variable features manifested in a feature model. Selection of variable features for a particular product, however, is not made arbitrarily. There are various factors affecting feature selection. We experienced that the usage context of a product is often the primary driver for feature selection. In this paper, we propose a model showing how product usage contexts are related to product features, and present a method for developing such a model during the domain engineering process and utilizing it to derive an optimal product configuration during the application engineering process. An elevator control software example is used to illustrate and validate the concept and the method.