The role performing this task requests a new product variant to expand the existing product line. The trigger for a new variant is usually a change request coming from one or more stakeholders, typically communicating the need to target a new technology, market opportunity, geography, or specific customer. Alternatively, this may apply a non-PLE scenario, with an organization planning to reuse all or parts of an existing project to start a new project (project reuse instead of a product reuse).

You should analyze the existing product line, and recommend the appropriate existing product variant to branch from. The recommended practice is to branch from a product expected to be the most similar to the one you are creating. The alternative is to branch from what you consider as the base product, which shares the common core with all derived products of your product family.

Preconditions:

• Trigger: New or updated stakeholder (product) requirements to be addressed within a new variant (e.g. new market, new technology, etc.)
• Product Line contains at least one base product that can be used as a starting point

Postconditions:

• A new product variant request created

Steps

1. Review your current product line definition, which should list existing product variants.

2. Select the base product, or any other product in the product line, that you want to branch the new variant from.

Recommended Practice – reuse common assets by branching from a product closest in terms of its definition (parts that can be re-used, requirements that can be re-used, etc.) An alternative is to branch from the one product that you consider as your “base” product in your product line. You can always change the composition of the newly branched product, but you will reduce the amount of work if you branch from the most similar existing product.

3. Create a new work item

a. Set work item to the Business Need type

b. Add information about the business need and the new product

c. Add a link to the product variant to be used as the source for the new product variant

d. [Optional] Add an approval for the business need

4. Request that a new release plan is created by the Project Manager for the new delivery