Tool support for the derivation of product line use cases : A case study in the railway transportation domain

Abstract: Use cases are textual artifacts used to define the expected behavior of a system. However, use cases become more complicated when applied in a product line context since they need to define the behavior of several systems. Product line use cases require knowledge of commonality and variability concepts, which all involved stakeholders do not necessarily possess. Product-specific use cases are more understandable since they do not include variability information. Therefore, it would be beneficial to derive product-specific use cases from the product line use cases once the variability has been bound. This derivation could alleviate communication and help create a shared understanding of the product's expected behavior amongst diverse stakeholders.  In this thesis work, we have implemented a tool that can perform this type of derivation. The tool is divided into two collaborating parts. The first part is an extension to DOORS, which is responsible for creating and maintaining product line use cases. The second part is a third-party application responsible for binding the variability and deriving product-specific use cases. This tool was evaluated using a questionnaire with participants from Alstom, a company within the railway transportation domain. The evaluation showed that the tool has potential as a vehicle for communication amongst diverse stakeholders.