Identifying and managing variability in configurable systems is a challenging endeavor. Extracting features, constraints, variability models, and reusable artifacts from legacy systems requires advanced reverse engineering techniques, as implementations for variant management in such system are manifold. In addition, like software in general, configurable systems are subject to frequent changes. Not only, do these changes introduce evolution as a second problem dimension in addition to variability, they subsequently make identifying and maintaining variability harder. Traditionally, the methods and tools applied for revision control and variant management are radically different and mutually disjoint. However, research has already suggested that evolution and variability can be tackled holistically. Concrete examples of integrating approaches include uniform or unified versioning, delta-orientation, evolution-aware clone-and-own, projectional SPL editing, and variation control systems.
Re:Volution (the 2nd International Workshop on Reverse Variability Engineering and Evolution of Software-Intensive Systems) joins the motivations originating from REVE and VariVolution. It aims at bringing together active researchers and practioners, who study software variability and its evolution from different angles and encounter these phenomena in real-world applications and systems. The workshop offers a platform for exchanging novel ideas, case studies, and tools and fosters future research collaborations and synergies.
ReVolution'25 welcomes contributions on any of the following (non-exhaustive) list of topics:
Techniques on feature and constraint identification and feature model synthesis
Extraction of reusable components and clone detection
Metrics, measurements, and visualization techniques during product-line migration
Tacit knowledge and collaboration in product-line migration
Product line architecture reengineering
Refactoring theories and techniques for product-line engineering
Mining variability in space and time from software repositories
Conceptual approaches and technical solutions towards uniform, i.e., chronological and logical versioning
Variation control systems
Concepts enabling software product line modernization
Evolution problems concerning specific variability mechanisms (e.g., delta-oriented, annotation-based)
Variability- and evolution-friendly software development processes (e.g., reactive, incremental, agile)
Investigation and classification of real-world problems caused by a combination of variability and evolution
Case studies, benchmarks, industrial challenges, and lessons learned
Tools implementing previously listed concepts
The workshop serves as a highly interactive platform for exchange, which is reflected by a diversity of submission formats ranging from original research papers over position papers to informal tool demonstrations or fully interactive sessions. The expected audience is not confined to the SPLC community; rather, we also welcome variability-relevant contributions from evolution-related fields such as software configuration management or software maintenance.
ReVolution 2025 will be held as a workshop at SPLC 2025 joint together with MODEVAR.
Monday (September 1nd)
09:00 - 10:30 Opening & Keynote
09:10 - 10:00 Keynote: Manuel Wimmer Variability Modeling for and with Digital Twins
10:00 - 10:30 Coffee break
10:30 - 12:30 Re:Volution and MODEVAR Papers (Sebastian Krieter and Victor Lamas)
10:30 - 10:55 Mathis Weiß, Simon Imran Butt and Malte Lochau
On Reverse Engineering Cardinality-Based Feature Models
10:55 - 11:20 Jabier Martinez, Fernando Jorge-Hernández, Alejandro Rodríguez, Julio Navarro and Rafael Portero
Similarity-Based Recommendation of Existing Component Configurations in Component-Based Product Lines
11:30 - 11:50 Malte Grave and Rick Rabiser
Towards Consistency Management in Variability-Intensive Cyber-Physical Production Systems
11:50 - 12:10 David Romero Organvídez, Jesús Moreno-León, Gregorio Robles, Ana E. Chacón-Luna and David Benavides
From Playmobil to Product Lines: towards a visual instrument for variability thinking measurement
12:10 - 12:30 Maurice ter Beek, Klaus Schmid and Holger Eichelberger
Comparing the Universal Variability Language with other Textual Variability Modeling Languages
12:30 - 13:30 Lunch Break
13:30 - 14:00 Re:Volution Industrial Talks and MODEVAR Full Paper (Sandra Greiner)
13:30 - 13:45 Vasil Tenev, Raphael Martin and Martin Becker
Integrative Multi-Model Knowledge Graphs for Low-Threshold, Data-Driven Decision Support in Identifying Uneconomic Variability
13:45 - 14:00 Lothar Kiltz and Martin Becker
Navigating Heterogeneous Variability: Strategies and Insights from the Industrial Technology Division of ZF Friedrichshafen AG
14:00 - 14:30 Alexander Stummer, Anna-Lena Hager and Rick Rabiser:
Flexible Variability Mining for IEC 61499 Control Software Applications with Varflix
14:30 - 15:30 UVL Tutorial 1/2
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 - 17:00 UVL Tutorial 2/2
17:00 - 17:30 Combined MODEVAR and Re:Volution Discussion
17:30 - 17:45 Closing
Mathis Weiß, Simon Imran Butt and Malte Lochau
On Reverse Engineering Cardinality-Based Feature Models
Jabier Martinez, Fernando Jorge-Hernández, Alejandro Rodríguez, Julio Navarro and Rafael Portero
Similarity-Based Recommendation of Existing Component Configurations in Component-Based Product Lines
Vasil Tenev, Raphael Martin and Martin Becker
Integrative Multi-Model Knowledge Graphs for Low-Threshold, Data-Driven Decision Support in Identifying Uneconomic Variability
Lothar Kiltz and Martin Becker
Navigating Heterogeneous Variability: Strategies and Insights from the Industrial Technology Division of ZF Friedrichshafen AG
The important dates for the workshop are aligned with the general workshop due dates of SPLC:
Extended Abstract submission: June 26, 2025 June 12, 2025 (23h59, AoE)
Industrial Experience Report submission (not peer-reviewed): July 31, 2025 (23h59, AoE)
Notification of acceptance: July 10, 2025 July 03, 2025
Final version of extended abstracts: July 17, 2025 July 10, 2025
Workshops: September 1-2, 2025
All these times are AoE.
The workshop seeks submissions of extended abstracts and industrial experience reports of different types and degrees of maturity in order to be inclusive of both researchers and practitioners and provide a lively platform for discussion also for early concepts and ideas.
Submissions must not exceed 2 pages and must follow the ACM Master Article Template: https://www.acm.org/publications/proceedings-template
Latex users are indicated to use the “sigconf” option, so they are recommended to use the template that can be found in “sample-sigconf.tex”. In this way, the following code can be placed at the start of the latex document:
\documentclass[sigconf,review]{acmart}
\acmConference[SPLC’25]{29th ACM International Systems and Software Product Lines Conference}{September 1 - 5, 2025}{Spain}
Submissions need to be sent using EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=splc2025
Track:ReVolution 2025 for extended abstracts
Track:ReVolution 2025 Industrial for industrial experience reports
Extended abstracts will be peer-reviewed by at least three program committee members. All accepted submissions, regardless of their level of maturity, will be given a presentation slot at the workshop. Industrial experience reports will not be peer-reviewed, but will undergo a lightweight reviewing process by the organizers.
The workshop follows a single-blind review process.
Sebastian Krieter (TU Braunschweig, DE)
Sandra Greiner (University of Southern Denmark, DK)
Wesley K. G. Assunção (North Carolina State University, USA)
Sophie Fortz (King's College London, UK)
Elias Kuiter (University of Magdeburg, DE)
Luciano Marchezan (JKU Linz, AT)
Michael Nieke (VW, DE)
Rahel Sundermann (TU Braunschweig, DE)
Mathis Weiß (Universität Siegen, DE)
Mathieu Acher, (Irisa, Inria and University of Rennes 1, Rennes, FR)
Tewfik Ziadi, (Sorbonne University, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Paris, FR)
Timo Kehrer (University of Bern, CH)
Thorsten Berger (Ruhr-Universität Bochum, DE)
For further questions about the workshop, feel free to contact the workshop organizers: