Tracy (1995, p. 19) emphasises in his book that in the twenty-first century, tomorrow will be more different from today than in the past. Therefore today’s corporations get to stay innovative, reinvent themselves continuously and have to design new business. In contrast to that, software mastery becomes more than ever the key factor for business success (Northrop, 2008, p. 12). In the twenty-first century, software pervades every sector and has become the bottom line for many organisations. Therefore, reusability plays a growing role for every business in today’s rapid changing world (Strahringer, 2003, p. 5). Thus, new paradigms in software engineering are focusing on the reutilisation and modularisation of software solutions. One innovative and growing concept since 2003 is software line development which has its origin in the automotive and fashion industry (Strahringer, 2003, p. 5). The key benefits of software line development is the covering of a wide field of application with minimal extra costs by reuse of a common software platform. In reference to Ebert & Smouts (2003, p. 29) the most publications in the field of software lines deal with configuration and change management. Whereas the integration of software line development into enterprises’ product portfolios has been till now widely neglected. In contrast to that Jeffery & Leliveld (2004) points out that the failure or success of software lines highly depend in particular on their level of integration into companies’ portfolio system. For this reason, the major goal of this research is the realisation of an integrated portfolio management system for software line development. This covers at first the determination of the role portfolio management in organisational governance. Thereafter the general elements of a portfolio management system will be identified. On the other side, the specific demands of software line engineering according to the portfolio elements will be analysed. The insights of the analysis build the basis for the design of the software product line portfolio system. The design describes the portfolio system from different perspectives which represent the viewpoint of diverse stakeholders. Moreover, different analysis methods will be evaluated with a respective scoring model for the software line product, domain and asset application domain. At the end, the scientific work gives a suggestion for further investigations in the scope of software line portfolio management.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Purpose of the Research
- Research Scope
- Research Objectives
- Organisation of the Research
- Research Approach
- Research Model
- Research Method
- Structure of Thesis
- Research Approach
- Fundamentals
- Fundamentals of Portfolio, Program and Project Management
- Overview
- Principles of Portfolio Theory
- Product Portfolio Management
- Program Management
- Project Management
- Relationship of Portfolio, Program and Project Management
- Critical Discussion
- Fundamentals of Software Product Line Engineering
- Overview
- Principles of Product Line Engineering
- Principles of Software Product Line Engineering
- Software Product Line Engineering
- Single-System versus Software Product Line
- Project versus Product Paradigm
- Critical Discussion
- Fundamentals of Portfolio, Program and Project Management
- Portfolio Management System for Software Line Development
- Role of Portfolio Management in Organisational Governance
- Justification of Research Topic
- Overview of Research Approach
- Analysis of Software Line Portfolio Management
- Analysis of Research Status in Portfolio Management
- Analysis of Software Product Line Demands
- Comparison of Application Domains and Building Blocks
- First Concept of Software Line Portfolio Management System
- Design of Software Line Portfolio Management System
- Overview
- Logical View
- Module View
- Process View
- Organisational View
- Evaluation of Portfolio Analysis Methods
- Overview of Evaluation Approach
- Product Portfolio Analysis
- Domain Portfolio Analysis
- Asset Portfolio Analysis
- Conclusion
- Application of Software Line Portfolio Management System
- Discussion
- Strengths of Research
- Limitations of Research
- Summary
- Prospects
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The primary goal of this thesis is the design and implementation of a comprehensive portfolio management system specifically tailored for software line development. This system aims to bridge the gap between traditional software project management and the increasingly important product-centric approach in software development. The key themes explored in the text include: * **Software Product Line Engineering:** The thesis investigates the benefits and challenges of adopting a software product line approach for developing software solutions. * **Portfolio Management:** The research delves into the principles, methodologies, and best practices of portfolio management within the context of software line development. * **Integration and Alignment:** The work examines the integration of portfolio management into an organization's governance structure, ensuring that the software line strategy aligns with the overall business goals. * **Practical Application:** The thesis includes a case study in which the developed portfolio management system is applied to a real-world software product line within the Cassidian program management. * **Analysis and Evaluation:** The study utilizes a systematic evaluation approach to compare and contrast different portfolio analysis methods for software line development.Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction of a portfolio management system in the context of software line engineering is crucial for the successful realization of software lines. Chapter 4.1 provides a comprehensive overview of portfolio theory, setting the stage for the subsequent exploration of software line engineering.
Chapter 5 delves into the central role of portfolio management in organizational governance and provides a thorough justification for the research topic. Section 5.4 analyzes the key elements of a portfolio management system and identifies the specific demands of software line development. Section 5.5 details the designed architecture of the proposed software line portfolio management system. This architecture is explained from diverse static and dynamic perspectives, catering to the viewpoints of various stakeholders. In Section 5.6, the chapter evaluates different portfolio analysis methods using a scoring model specifically tailored for three software line portfolio application domains: product, domain, and asset portfolio scoping. Finally, Section 5.7 applies the realized software line portfolio management system to a Cassidian product, providing an initial validation of the model in a practical setting.
Chapter 6 discusses the strengths and limitations of the designed software line portfolio management system. While the system aids product line managers in decision-making, its high-level scope and potential reliance on inaccurate key figures could lead to suboptimal decisions. In summary, the developed software line portfolio system serves as a valuable tool to guide product line managers in their decision-making process. The system empowers them to select the most promising projects, ultimately contributing to long-term business growth.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of this thesis are: software line development, portfolio management, software product line engineering, portfolio analysis, organizational governance, integration, alignment, case study, and Cassidian.- Quote paper
- Dipl.-Ing. (DH) Michael Lang (Author), 2013, Design of a Portfolio Management System for Software Line Development, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/215548
