Evaluating Bug-Fixing in Software Product Lines

[Background] Bug-fixing could be complex in industrial practice since thousands of products share features in their configuration. Despite the importance and complexity of bug-fixing, there is still a lack of empirical data about the difficulties found in industrial Software Product Lines (SPLs). [Aims] This paper aims to evaluate engineers' performance fixing errors and propagating the fixes to other configured products in the context of an industrial SPL. [Method] We designed and conducted an empirical study to collect data with regard to bug-fixing tasks within the context of a Induction Hob SPL in the BSH group, the largest manufacturer of home appliances in Europe. [Results] We found t…