Francisco Chicano

Search Based Software Engineering (SBSE) is an emerging discipline that focuses on the application of search-based optimization techniques to software engineering problems. The capacity of SBSE techniques to tackle problems involv-ing large search spaces make their application attractive for Software Product Lines (SPLs). In recent years, several pub-lications have appeared that apply SBSE techniques to SPL problems. In this paper, we present the results of a sys-tematic mapping study of such publications. We identified the stages of the SPL life cycle where SBSE techniques have been used, what case studies have been employed and how they have been analysed. This mapping study revealed po-tential venues for further research as well as common mis-understanding and pitfalls when applying SBSE techniques that we address by providing a guideline for researchers and practitioners interested in exploiting these techniques