In order to implement the solution space using a suitable variable architecture, we must take account of other factors beyond the variability model of the problem space. These include common characteristics of all variants of the problem space that are not modelled in the feature model, as well as other constraints that limit the solution space.

These typically include the programming languages that can be used, the development environment and the application deployment environment(s). Different factors affect the choice of mechanisms to be used for converting from variation points in the solution space. These include the available development tools, the required performance and the available (computing) resources, as well as time and money. For example, use of configuration files can reduce development time for a project, if users can administer their own configurations. In other cases, using preprocessor directives (#ifdef) for conditional compilation can be appropriate, e.g. if smaller program sizes are required.

There are many possibilities for implementation of the solution space. Very simple variant-specific model transformations can be made with model-driven software development (MDSD) tools by including information from feature models in the Model-Transformation process, e.g. by using the pure::variants Connector for Ecore/openArchitectureWare or the pure::variants Connector for Enterprise Architect. Product Lines can also be implemented naturally using "classical" means such as procedural or object-oriented languages.