A Software factory is a collection of software for creating specific types of software. A software factory may include processes, templates, Integrated development environment configurations and views. The type of software a factory may produce is defined when the factory is created. Software factories help structure the development process.
Although the term "software factory" is used by Microsoft in association with their .NET Framework, software factories are much broader in use and application.
Implementations
References
Software Factory (Microsoft .NET) Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA