InCoME: Integrated Cost Model for Product Line Engineering

A large number of software organizations are adopting the software product line approach in their reuse program. One fundamental factor to evaluate cost-benefit of this approach is the practical use of cost models to estimate if an investment is worthwhile for a family of products. This paper analyzes the most significant cost models for product line engineering and it highlights the set of features that makes an effective model. This work also presents an integrated cost model for product line engineering with its foundations and elements. At the end, is presented a discussion over the results of a case study where the model was applied.