A methodical approach to product line adoption

The evolution of the U.S. Army's Live Training Transformation (LT2) product line of combat training systems, including the move by the Army to consolidate management of the product line under a single contracting team, has provided a natural experiment that validates the hypothesis that product line engineering practices are more effective than traditional software engineering practices, and has demonstrated which product line adoption approaches are more successful than others. By analyzing this natural experiment, the product line team has been able to apply a methodical approach to product line adoption across the development organization and successfully adopt second generation product line processes. This paper explores that methodical approach. It will enumerate the steps that led to successes and explore the contributing factors and unintended consequences of failures along the way. Additionally this paper will explore how this approach is being employed to extend the LT2 product line beyond software.