  Variability management (VM) in software product line engineering (SPLE) is
introduced as an abstraction that enables the reuse and customization of
assets. VM is a complex task involving the identification, representation, and
instantiation of variability for specific products, as well as the evolution of
variability itself. This work presents a comparison and contrast between
existing VM approaches using qualitative meta-synthesis to determine the
underlying perspectives, metaphors, and concepts of existing methods. A common
frame of reference for the VM was proposed as the result of this analysis.
Putting metaphors in the context of the dimensions in which variability occurs
and identifying its key concepts provides a better understanding of its
management and enables several analyses and evaluation opportunities. Finally,
the proposed framework was evaluated using a qualitative study approach. The
results of the evaluation phase suggest that the organizations in practice only
focus on one dimension. The presented frame of reference will help the
organization to cover this gap in practice.
