Feasibility Study of

An Arcade Game Product Line

This document explores the feasibility of constructing a software product line of arcade games. The games would be offered for free on the Internet.

Rationale

Arcade games are of interest to most computer users. When they navigate to the web page containing the download information for the games, they will be made aware of our other products, which are not free. We may also be able to sell advertising on the page to other companies.

Feasibility Study

Problem Description

The goal is to develop a set of arcade game products with as little expense as possible. The games will be played on an ordinary PC. Games such as Brickles, pinball and bowling are to be implemented.

Success Factors

The success of this product will be measured by the number of new customers that become interested in our products because of a visit to the games web page. Other measures include:

• The degree to which the effort to produce a product is reduced from previous projects.
• The degree to which the time to produce a product is reduced from previous projects.

Current Situation

A prototype of one of the products exists. It can be run to give developers a better idea of what needs to be developed. The experience that was gained by building it will contribute to making the "real" version correct in much less time.

• The current system has known bugs. Care must be taken to ensure that these are not incorporated into the final product.

Possible Approaches

The processing of the tool is mainly user interactions. There is very little actual computation. Possibilities include:

• Developing a complete set of components for all of the games before assembling any of them.
• Developing a single game and the components needed for that game without considering the other games
• Developing a single game and the components needed for that game while considering the other games by using the product line architecture as a guide.

We will select the third option. This will provide the best balance of speed and adjustment for learning curve.

Solution Analysis

This project is feasible due to several factors.

• The principal source of labor will be a senior partner of the firm who is not salaried. His time does not incur real costs to the company; although there is the opportunity cost (what else he could be doing for the company with that time).
• The organization will gain experience in the product line process. This experience will be a benefit in future efforts.

Since no revenue will be generated by this product, it is essential that it be distributed with a license that protects the company from any liability. This is possible with the GNU licensing process.

Risk Factors

There are several risks associated with this project.

· A product line is a larger undertaking than the development of a single product. It is very likely that an immature organization will not be able to organize themselves to efficiently achieve the objective. This risk will be mitigated by hiring a consultant who understands the product line approach.

· A product line takes more effort on the first product than on the succeeding ones. Given the tight time constraints of the delivery schedule, it is likely the product line organization will have difficulty meeting its dates. This risk will be mitigated by following the strategy in which the core assets are developed in the context of the first product.

· A product line organization is potentially more complex than the organization that plans one product at a time. It is likely the relatively inexperienced personnel will have difficulty understanding the complex relationships between roles. This will be mitigated by adopting an apprentice approach in which personnel work with a mentor who guides them through their roles.

Implementation Schedule

We have a fixed delivery point due to the nature of the project. The first two games in the product line and the set of assets will be delivered during the current semester. Additional products in the product line would be delivered at a later time.

• Analysis - estimated at 20 hours
• Architectural Design - estimated at 40 hours
• Detailed Design - estimated at 80 hours
• Implementation/Unit Test - estimated at 120 hours
• System Verification - estimated at 40 hours

Management Approval

This project is approved for immediate funding.

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John D. McGregor, Senior Partner