Problem Frames-Based Approach to Achieving Quality Attributes in Software Product Line Engineering

In software product line engineering (SPLE), commonality and variability across products of a product line domain are captured typically by a feature model. Reusable components are then developed from features. However, mapping features to components remains a complex task requiring a systematic way of exploring and analyzing various concerns arising from inadequate/insufficient domain assumptions. Essentially, those concerns prevent SPLE from achieving various quality attributes. This paper proposes a problem frames-based approach to addressing this problem. An elevator product line example is used to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.