As noted on SPLC 2009's web page, the product line community is now in its second decade. Those of us who have watched this community grow from its inception cannot help but take heart from the wide consensus that exists now in a large number of areas: Fundamental agreement as to what constitutes a software product line, the essential practices and activities we would expect to see in every software product line, a deeply ingrained notion of the importance of creating and evolving a core asset base, and many more.

Hallmarks of mature (and maturing) engineering disciplines include the capture and codification of foundational concepts and proven practices. These artifacts help engender success for practitioners by providing a distillation of the best the discipline has to offer. The time is ripe for product line engineering to join the ranks of mature engineering disciplines by standardizing its own concepts and activities, and SPLC is the venue in which to launch it.

Purpose and objectives

This workshop is intended to explore the creation of a normative standard that embodies a codification of product line engineering foundational concepts and activities. Such a standard would strengthen our sense of community, and make it more likely people will succeed in developing software product lines.

The objectives of the workshop are

• to produce a compelling argument for the need for a product line engineering standard;
• to lay out the uses (and from those uses, the derived requirements) for such a standard;
• to choose the best form for the standard to take, such as a process model;
• produce first-draft sketches of the contents of such a standard; and
• chart the next steps to take towards the creation and adoption of a standard.

Topics and Intended Audience

The workshop topics mirror the objectives. We will spend time articulating a needs statement for a standard, the objectives it should fulfill, the derived requirements it must satisfy in order to meet those objectives, and the best form for content.

Our intended audience is a targeted mix of product line thought leaders, front-line product line practitioners, product line consultants and content creators, and industrial tool makers.