4 Tips to Kickstart Your Success in Product Line Engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach to realizing complex technical systems in large projects. Product Line Engineering (PLE) offers companies the advantage of developing products efficiently and cost-effectively to compete in the dynamic, customer-oriented market. However, there are hurdles to implementing this approach. Follow these recommendations for a successful entry into product line engineering.
In today's market conditions, which require a high degree of customization and configuration options, companies are striving to develop product families or lines. These are product variants with varying features and functions. Despite the apparent simplicity, diversifying products and their subsystems and components is a technical challenge in the face of growing complexity.
Traditional software development methods emphasize the sequential development of individual products. Many companies use the clone-and-own (C&O) approach, building on an existing product. However, C&O becomes inefficient as the product family grows. Future-oriented companies therefore prefer the Product Line Engineering approach. With PLE, the focus is on developing complex and software-intensive physical products such as cars, control systems, and, automation components.
Advantages of product line engineering:
- Higher and more consistent product quality
- Accelerated product development and introduction
- More efficient use of resources
- Expanded product innovation capacity
- Improved market presence and competitiveness
The roots of PLE lie in the methods of the manufacturing industry. For some time now, there has also been a uniform ISO standard 26580, which defines the methods for a function-based approach to the development of software and system product lines. PLE includes processes, tools, and best practices for creating software products based on shared resources and production processes. By managing the product portfolio as a coherent unit, companies can optimize time-to-market, product quality, and development costs. PLE is based on a core architecture in the sense of a platform approach, which defines both the core features and the planned product variants as well as the use of feature models to model dependency knowledge. With the help of a "factory approach", variants can be generated efficiently, which optimizes reuse and avoids redundant developments.
Tips on how to get started with product line engineering:
- Maturity assessment: Determine where your company stands concerning PLE. Identify your goals and create an action plan.
- Clarify roles and responsibilities: The introduction of PLE often requires new roles and team structures. Adapt your organization accordingly.
- Integrated platform and MBSE: Use specialized PLE tools and consider using model-based systems engineering (MBSE) to manage complexity.
- Separate development phases: Divide PLE development into domain engineering (development of reusable platforms) and application engineering (product creation from the platform).
Finally, it is important to emphasize that the transition to PLE should be gradual. Taking a step-by-step approach, beginning with a compact product line, proves beneficial in showcasing the efficiency and effectiveness of product line engineering. This allows for a gradual expansion to larger scales.
Conclusion
To meet the increasing complexity of products, different market requirements, and unexpected customer requests, targeted and systematic variant management is essential. Product line engineering is a proven strategy for mastering this challenge.