Staged Configuration Using Feature Models

Feature modeling is an important approach to capturing commonalities
and variabilities in system families and product lines. In this paper,
we propose a cardinality-based notation for feature modeling, which
integrates a number of existing extensions of previous approaches. We
then introduce and motivate the novel concept of staged configuration.
Staged configuration can be achieved by the stepwise specialization of
feature models. This is important because in a realistic development
process, different groups and different people eliminate product
variability in different stages. We also indicate how
cardinality-based feature models and their specialization can be given
a precise formal semantics.