Model-Driven Requirements Specification for Software Product Lines

Abstract

Model-driven methods for requirements specification in Software Product Lines (SPLs) support the construction of different models to provide a better understanding of each SPL feature and intended use scenarios. However, the different models must be composed to show the requirements of the target applications and, therefore, help to understand how features will be integrated in a new product of a software product line. Although well-established standards for creating metamodels and model transformations exist, there is currently no established foundation that allows practitioners to distinguish between the different modeling and composition approaches for requirements models. This chapter provides an overview of different approaches for specifying requirements models and composing models for specific products of an SPL. In particular, it emphasizes one of the most recurring specification techniques: model-driven and use case scenario-based specification. This technique, in combination with feature models and the Variability Modeling Language for Requirements (VML4RE), integrates our approach for model-driven requirements specification for SPLs.