A Dynamic Tracing Model for Agile Software Product Lines Domain Engineering from Features to Structural Elements: An Approach Based on Dynamic Routing

TL;DR

This paper proposes a dynamic tracing model inspired by network routing to enhance traceability in Agile Software Product Lines, aiming to improve flexibility and guarantees in large, evolving systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel dynamic routing-based tracing model specifically designed for Agile Software Product Lines, addressing current challenges of cost and maturity in traceability.

Findings

Enhanced traceability supports rapid adaptation to market changes

Dynamic routing improves the efficiency of traceability processes

Model offers better guarantees for system evolution

Abstract

Even if the benefit of implementing Software Product Lines is well established, adopting such a large system is still a complex choice to make: it is hard to implement, needs a good knowledge of market growth and a clear vision of the enterprise objectives for long term. Therefore, many companies remain unwilling to adopt such an approach, unless they gain flexibility and get guarantees. Flexibility can be achieved by adopting an Agile Software Product Line approach, to make sure changes are rapidly implemented and product adapted to market evolution. Guarantees can be acquired by tracing elements and the relations between them. However, tracing in Agile Software Product Line context still needs to gain maturity as it is costly and therefore rarely adopted. In this paper, we discuss the added value of traceability for Agile Software Product Lines, and present our tracing model inspired from dynamic network routing.