Abstract In recent years, the Software Product Line (SPL) is becoming a mainstream strategy in software development. The high reusability and the great derivability by modelling common and variable artefacts are undoubtedly its significant strengths. Taking advantage of these strengths requires a design of efficient product line. Often, most existing SPL design approaches build on feature modelling by analysis of existing similar products. However, existing feature-based modelling techniques lack analysis support for building SPL with regard to different stakeholder’s views. In this paper, we propose an approach based on analyzing and assessing process for creating expressive structure of an SPL. Such a process provides stakeholders with a set of optimal structures of SPL in different models and a set of metrics. In doing so, we argue that we facilitate the selection of appropriate predefined products structures under the form of a set of configuration-views.

References

[1] Acher M., Collet P., Lahire P., and France R., Composing Feature Models, in Proceeding of Second International Conference on Software Language Engineering, Denver, pp. 62-81, 2010.

[2] Atkinson C., Bayer J., Bunse C., Kamsties E., Laitenberger O., Laqua R., Muthing D., Paech B., Wust J., and Zettel J., Component-based Product Line Engineering with UML, Addison- Wesley Professional, 2001.

[3] Berger C., Rendel H., and Rumpe B., Measuring the Ability to Form a Product Line for a Set of Existing Products, in Proceeding of 4th International Workshop on Variability Modeling of Software-Intensive Systems, Linz, pp. 151- 154, 2010.

[4] Berger C., Rendel H., Rumpe B., Busse C., Jablonski T., and Wolf F., Product Line Metrics for Legacy Software in Practice, in Proceeding of the 14th International Software Product Line Conference, Jeju Island, 2010.

[5] Bergey J., Cohen S., Donohoe P., and Little R., Software Engineering Institute (SEI) of Carnegie Mellon Repository, Software Product Lines: Report of the 2009 U.S. Army Software Product Line Workshop, 2009.

[6] Bosch J., Design and Use of Software Architectures: Adopting and Evolving a Product- Line Approach, Addison-Wesley Professional, 2000.

[7] Clau M., Modelling variability with UML, in Proceeding of Young Researchers Workshop 3rd GCSE, Erfurt, 2001.

[8] Czarnecki K. and Eisenecker U., Generative Programming: Methods, Tools and Applications, Addison-Wesley, 2000.

[9] Dincel E., Medvidovic N., and Van-der-Hoek A., Measuring Product Line Architectures, in 392 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 14, No. 3, May 2017 Proceeding of the 4th International Workshop on Software Product-Family Engineering, London, pp. 346-352, 2002.

[10] Fischbein D., Uchitel S., and Braberman V., A Foundation for Behavioural Conformance in Software Product Line Architectures, in Proceeding of ISSTA on Role of software Architecture for Testing and Analysis, Maine, pp. 39-48, 2006.

[11] Her J., Kim J., Oh S., Rhew S., and Kim S., A Framework for Evaluating Reusability of Core Asset in Product Line Engineering, Informatics Software Technology Elsevier., vol. 49, no. 7, pp. 740-760, 2007.

[12] Hubaux A., Heymans P., Schobbens P., Derrider D., and Abbasi E., Supporting Multiple Perspectives in Feature-Based Configuration, Software and Systems Modeling, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 641-663, 2013.

[13] Khalfaoui K., Chaoui A., Foudil C., and Kerkouche E., Automatic Generation of SPL Structurally Valid Products Using Graph Transformations Approach, in Proceeding of 4th International Conference of Computer Science and its Applications, Saida, pp. 333-342, 2013.

[14] Linden F. and Obbink J., Engineering Software Architectures, Processes and Platforms for System-Families-Introduction to Domain Analysis, in Proceeding of the International Workshop on Software Architectures for Product Families, pp. 244-253, 2000.

[15] Loughran N., S anchez P., Garcia A., and Fuentes L., Language Support for Managing Variability in Architectural Models, in Proceeding of 7th International Conference on Software Composition, Budapest, pp. 36-51, 2008.

[16] Mann S. and Rock G., Dealing with Variability in Architecture Descriptions to Support Automotive PL: Specification and Analysis Methods, in Proceeding of Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, 2009.

[17] Marchetto A. and Trentini A., A Framework to Built Quality Models for Web Applications, The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 168-176, 2007.

[18] Van-der-Hoek A., Dincel E., and Medvidovic N., Using Service Utilization Metrics to Assess the Structure of Product Line Architectures, in Proceeding of 9th International Workshop on Enterprise Networking and Computing in Healthcare Industry, Sydney, pp. 298-308, 2003.

[19] Van-der-Linden F. and Henk-Obbink J., ESAPS-Engineering Software Architectures, Processes and Platforms for System-Families, in Proceeding of the International Workshop on Software Architectures for Product Families, London, pp. 244-253, 2000.

[20] Vranic V. and Marco V., Developing a Product- Line Based Architecture in a Domain under Research, Slovak University of Technology, 2006.

[21] Zhang T., Deng L., Wu J., Zhou Q., and Ma C., Some Metrics for Accessing Quality of Product Line Architecture, in Proceeding of Computer Science and Software Engineering International Workshop, Hubei, pp. 500-503, 2008.

[22] Ziadi T. and Jezequel J., Manipulation De Lignes De Produits Logiciels-Une Approche Dirig e Par Les Mod les, Institut de Recherche en Informatique et Syst mes Al atoires, 2005.

[23] Ziadi T., Manipulation Des Lignes De Produits En UML, Th se de Doctorat, Universit de Rennes1-France, 2004. Mohamed Kimour received his PhD degree on computer science in 2005, from the department of computer science, Badji Mokhtar- Annaba University, Algeria. He is currently a professor and the head of a research project on mobile healthcare systems at the same university. He is also a head of a research team on networked embedded systems and wireless networks, in the laboratory of embedded systems. He has led many research projects and authored more than 60 conference and journal papers. His research interests include: embedded systems engineering, wireless networks, and embedded vision. Nouredine Guersi received his PhD degree on electronic in 2006, from the department of computer science, Badji Mokhtar-Annaba University, Algeria. He is currently a professor at the electronic department of the same university. He is a head of a team research on dependability and diagnosis of embedded systems. He is interested in control engineering and diagnosis of embedded systems. Yacine Djebar received his MS degree on computer science from the department of computer science, Badji Mokhtar-Annaba University, Algeria. He is currently an associated professor at the 8 May 1945-Guelma University, Algeria. He is a member of a research team on embedded systems and wireless networks, in the laboratory of embedded systems, Badji Mokhtar-Annaba University. He is also a member of the research project on mobile healthcare systems. His research interests include: software product line engineering, information systems, and embedded systems.