Product Line and Platform Development
Marc H. Meyer · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2007
An overall product or service concept is the composite of more specific design concepts that serve specific needs that are targeted for implementation within the major subsystems of the product or service. This chapter looks at the process of implementing these technical solutions. The ability of companies to leverage their core technologies to new market applications rests on the increasing modularity in the design and implementation of technology. The best way to leverage technologies for new market applications begins with the development of a robust, modular architecture composed of subsystems, each of which has a specific purpose. The chapter considers how this works for physical products first, and then extends the thinking to software systems and services. The product line architecture shows the major subsystems common to a closely related set of products, a product family. The product line architecture also indicates how and where specific customizations can be performed to tailor products for specific users and uses.