Design of a Portfolio Management System for Software Line Development

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
• 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
• 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.