Towards Combining Model Driven Engineering and Software Product Line Engineering Based on Variability

In this paper, we propose the broad outlines of a methodology towards creating a combination that associates Model Driven Engineering (MDE) principles with those of Software Product Lines Engineering (SPLE) in a same life cycle while introducing the concept of variability management. All steps of Model Driven Approach (MDA) will be considered as a product line, and then variability concepts are introduced in Platform Independent Model (PIM) and Platform Specific Model (PSM) in order to obtain variable models such as Variable Platform Independent Model (VPIM) and Variable Platform Specific Model (VPSM) respectively. The proposed combination is implemented by introducing a new approach called "vMDSPLA" for: variable Model Driven Software Product Line Approach; and it is defined by a process with three phases: concerns separation, model referencing and product instantiation. Our proposal allows double great benefits of reuse: when transforming the same VPIM into several VPSM according to different technological constraints and when deriving several particular products from this VPSM according to the product specific requirements. Also it permits optimizing the cycle of software development in term of time, costs and effort.