Product Line Technical Probe

The Product Line Technical Probe (PLTP) is a method for examining an organization's readiness to adopt or ability to succeed with a software product line approach. The PLTP utilizes a focused series of structured interviews of small peer groups within the organization, followed by data analysis. The PLTP utilizes the SEI's Framework for Software Product Line Practice as a reference model both in the data collection and in the data analysis. The results of the PLTP include a set of findings, which characterize an organization's strengths and challenges relative to its product line effort, and a set of recommendations. The findings can provide input to the SEI's Product Line Planning Workshop. The facilitated Product Line Planning Workshop helps to develop an action plan with the goal of making the organization more capable of achieving product line success to support identified business goals.

The PLTP follows a structured process based on proven mechanisms and principles honed through extensive application by the SEI on similar diagnostic instruments for software process capability, technical risk evaluation, and earlier product line evaluations. The process consists of three phases: the Preliminary Phase, the Technical Probe Phase, and the Follow-on Phase. The primary participants in these phases are the SEI PLTP team, the organizational sponsors, and designated organizational participants from among the product line stakeholders (managers, architects, developers, technical support, marketing and sales staff, customers, end users, and engineers).

Preliminary Phase

The primary purpose of the Preliminary Phase is to gather some initial information that provides a sketch of the organizational context for the probe. This first round of data to be gleaned includes:

the goals for the product line effort
the status of the product line effort (how far along the organization is in its product line activities),
what the organization hopes to learn from the probe,
the current organizational structure,
any terminology particular to the organization,
the organization's level of process maturity, and
a list of available, relevant documentation.

This information provides a framing of the organization and its product line effort that allows the PLTP team to identify:

the appropriate range of questions to be used in conducting the probe,
which groups within the organization to interview,
what supporting documents to review, and
the logistical details and schedule for the Technical Probe Phase.

Technical Probe Phase

During the Technical Probe Phase, the PLTP team executes the steps of data gathering, data analysis, and results reporting. The primary data gathering technique is structured interviews of small groups designated as representative of the product line stakeholders. These peer groups are chosen to have similar job responsibilities and no reporting relationships. The team follows a rule of strict confidentiality and non-attribution of any remarks in order to promote the free flow of information. The interview questions are derived from the framework as tailored based on the information gathered during the Preliminary Phase. After each interview session the team organizes and analyzes the interview data relative to the 29 practice areas specified in the Framework. This on-going data consolidation provides the basis for determining the results that are characterized as general observations, strengths, challenges, and recommendations. Strengths and challenges are reported for each relevant practice area, and then rolled up to form overall strengths and challenges. The results are reported in the Final Findings Presentation at the conclusion of the on-site Technical Probe Phase.

Follow-on Phase

During the Follow-On Phase, the PLTP team prepares and delivers a written report that details the findings of the PLTP. The Follow-On Phase can also optionally include

the development of action plan(s) using the SEI's Product Line Planning Workshop to address the probe findings. The action plan(s) work toward surmounting the challenges while at the same time exploiting identified strengths.
tailored assistance in executing appropriate portions of the action plan(s). This assistance includes support in the areas of
- architecture definition
- mining existing software assets
- scoping and commonality analysis
- development of a software product line business case
- development of a software product line operating concept
- development of software product line metrics.
- development of a product line acquisition strategy.

Product Line Planning Workshop

The Product Line Planning Workshop is a tailored, facilitated work session in which an SEI team works with a customer team to build action plan(s) to address the findings of a Product Line Technical Probe. The customer team should consist of the group responsible for implementing the plan(s).

There are two broad types of plans that are critical to product line success

a product line adoption plan, which orchestrates and coordinates the overall strategies to address the recommendations of the Product Line Technical Probe, and
technical plans, which flesh out the details of how to achieve one or more of the goals specified in the product line adoption plan.

The SEI conducts workshops to address both types of plans. Each workshop lasts 1-1/2 days. The workshop includes tailored instruction on product line plans and facilitated construction of these plans. Participants will create skeleton plans using a defined planning process. Once learned, this process can be used by the organization to build additional product line plans or to revise the plans as the product line effort progresses. Pre-work by the customer team is required and will be reviewed by the SEI workshop facilitators.

Workshop Topics

Workshop Overview
Product Line Plans
The Planning Process
Facilitated Creation of Skeleton Product Line Plans

For information on PLTP and planning workshops, contact Linda Northrop.