Addressing quality attributes in domain analysis for product lines

Abstract

Feature-oriented domain analysis (FODA) is a widely accepted domain analysis method for modelling common and variant requirements for product lines. Goal-oriented analysis, on the other hand, focuses on quality attribute (QA) analysis in single system development. To address QAs in the product line context, the authors extended FODA with concepts of goal-oriented analysis. Their integrated modelling framework improves the current state-of-the art of product line research and practice in two ways. Firstly, during the design of a product line architecture, the proposed framework allows developers to record design rationale in the form of interdependencies among variant features and QAs. Secondly, during system construction, the framework helps developers evaluate the impact of variant features selected for a target system on QAs of that system. In this way, developers and customers can come up with realistic overall requirements for the target system early, avoiding possible expensive rework in later stages of the software lifecycle. The proposed QA modelling framework is illustrated with examples from the computer aided dispatch domain.