Providing a new means of technology configuration A methodology has been designed to provide a new source of knowledge-based products within the context of software product families. Digital Economy The ConIPF (Configuration in industrial product families) methodology uses both the product line approach and structure-oriented configuration technologies. It is the result of defined and validated product derivation methodology which is practical in industrial application. It was designed with a top-down approach, which began with requirements specified via case studies of the industrial partners. It was then validated through application. The ConIPF methodology consists of two parts. The first showcases the activities of the application engineer who develops individual products while reprocessing the components. The second part demonstrates the domain engineer's activities which consist of designing and implementing the infrastructure used by the application engineer. The methodology has high applicability for future product derivation. It covers a robust set of various scenarios and roles and it structures the product derivation process into applicable sections. To date, it exemplifies the most comprehensive integration of software product-line engineering and knowledge-based configuration technologies. It is particularly useful for software-engineers dealing with volumes of complex variable and interdependent software and hardware components via knowledge-based configuration methods. The technology will be published in a book.
