TY - GEN
T1 - Evaluating comprehension and utilization of variability aspects in UML-based models
AU - Reinhartz-Berger, Iris
AU - Sturm, Arnon
AU - Tsoury, Arava
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - In Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE), the ability of a software artifact to be used in different contexts is very essential for productivity. In order to manage and support this ability, different variability modeling methods have been proposed. An important group of such methods are based on UML. These methods typically introduce profiles for specifying mandatory and optional elements, identifying dependencies between elements, and modeling variation points and possible variants. However, the assessment of these methods still lacks. In this work, we have done a first step towards evaluating the comprehension and utilization of variability issues in UML-based models by suggesting a comparison framework which refers to different aspects of variability specification. Based on this framework, we chose a specific UML-based method - ADOM - and examined how advanced information systems students understood and utilized a model specified using this method. The results showed that the different means for specifying variability were understood and utilized only to a limited extent and that variation points were the least comprehensible variability specification means.
AB - In Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE), the ability of a software artifact to be used in different contexts is very essential for productivity. In order to manage and support this ability, different variability modeling methods have been proposed. An important group of such methods are based on UML. These methods typically introduce profiles for specifying mandatory and optional elements, identifying dependencies between elements, and modeling variation points and possible variants. However, the assessment of these methods still lacks. In this work, we have done a first step towards evaluating the comprehension and utilization of variability issues in UML-based models by suggesting a comparison framework which refers to different aspects of variability specification. Based on this framework, we chose a specific UML-based method - ADOM - and examined how advanced information systems students understood and utilized a model specified using this method. The results showed that the different means for specifying variability were understood and utilized only to a limited extent and that variation points were the least comprehensible variability specification means.
KW - ADOM
KW - UML
KW - software product line engineering
KW - variability management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84861108420&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-642-29749-6_11
DO - 10.1007/978-3-642-29749-6_11
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84861108420
SN - 9783642297489
T3 - Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing
SP - 156
EP - 171
BT - IS Olympics
PB - Springer Verlag
T2 - CAiSE Forum 2011 on IS Olympics: Information Systems in a Diverse World
Y2 - 20 June 2011 through 24 June 2011
ER -