Bridging the gap between user stories and feature models by leveraging version control systems: A step towards software product line migration

IF 4.3 2区计算机科学 Q2 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Information and Software Technology Pub Date : 2025-09-06 DOI:10.1016/j.infsof.2025.107889

Thomas Georges , Marianne Huchard , Mélanie König , Clémentine Nebut , Chouki Tibermacine

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Context:

Throughout the software lifecycle, a significant amount of knowledge is accumulated around the source code. In our work, we focus on agile software requirements, particularly user stories, and on issues and merge requests in version control systems, that have been opened for implementing user stories.

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to present a method that leverages this knowledge to guide an SPL migration.

Methods:

We consider merge requests in version control systems as the link between user stories (requirements) and the source code (implementation). The method combines Natural Language Processing (NLP) and clustering to identify features from user stories and hierarchically organize them. Relational Concept Analysis (RCA) is then used to compute logical rules from the hierarchy of features, using their links with the products and the source code. The logical rules are finally transformed into constraints in the produced feature model.

Results:

The method was implemented and evaluated on a dataset from an industrial partner. The results showed the efficiency of our method in synthesizing feature models for an SPL migration of the partner’s code base.

Conclusion:

The proposed method synthesizes feature models to guide an SPL migration based on agile software development practices and demonstrates its effectiveness on a real industrial dataset.

查看原文本刊更多论文

通过利用版本控制系统弥合用户故事和特性模型之间的差距：迈向软件产品线迁移的一步

上下文：在整个软件生命周期中，围绕源代码积累了大量的知识。在我们的工作中，我们关注敏捷软件需求，特别是用户描述，以及版本控制系统中的问题和合并请求，这些都是为实现用户描述而开放的。目的：本文的目的是提出一种利用这些知识来指导SPL迁移的方法。方法：我们将版本控制系统中的合并请求视为用户故事（需求）和源代码（实现）之间的链接。该方法将自然语言处理（NLP）和聚类相结合，从用户故事中识别特征并对其进行分层组织。然后使用关系概念分析（Relational Concept Analysis， RCA）从特性的层次结构中计算逻辑规则，使用它们与产品和源代码的链接。最后将逻辑规则转化为特征模型中的约束条件。结果：该方法在来自工业合作伙伴的数据集上实现并进行了评估。结果表明，我们的方法在为合作伙伴代码库的SPL迁移综合特征模型方面是有效的。结论：基于敏捷软件开发实践，该方法综合了特征模型来指导SPL迁移，并在实际工业数据集上验证了其有效性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Information and Software Technology 工程技术-计算机：软件工程

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

7.70%

发文量

164

审稿时长

9.6 weeks

期刊介绍： Information and Software Technology is the international archival journal focusing on research and experience that contributes to the improvement of software development practices. The journal''s scope includes methods and techniques to better engineer software and manage its development. Articles submitted for review should have a clear component of software engineering or address ways to improve the engineering and management of software development. Areas covered by the journal include: • Software management, quality and metrics, • Software processes, • Software architecture, modelling, specification, design and programming • Functional and non-functional software requirements • Software testing and verification & validation • Empirical studies of all aspects of engineering and managing software development Short Communications is a new section dedicated to short papers addressing new ideas, controversial opinions, "Negative" results and much more. Read the Guide for authors for more information. The journal encourages and welcomes submissions of systematic literature studies (reviews and maps) within the scope of the journal. Information and Software Technology is the premiere outlet for systematic literature studies in software engineering.