Software Architect's Handbook

Core assets of an organization

The goal of a software product line is to have reusable components, known as core assets, that share a common architecture. Some of the components that can be reused and designated as core assets include the following:

• Requirements analysis
• Domain models and analysis
• Software architecture design
• Test plans and test cases
• Work plans, schedules, budgets
• Processes, methods, tools
• The knowledge, skills, and experience of the employees
• User guides and technical documentation

The core assets need to be built while keeping in mind that they will be used across multiple products in a product line. Each product will have variation, so to account for this, core assets should be built with variation points, places that ...