Optimizing management of service elements

• US 20030195783A1
• Filed: 04/12/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Greenstein, Paul G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,302,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A service element is defined and represented by a data structure. It includes one or more components and/or one or more other service elements. A service element providing a complete function is a service offering. Management of service elements and/or service offerings is facilitated by a Service Development Tool. In different aspects, the management includes various tasks associated with creating, modifying and deleting service elements, establishing relationships, error checking and optimization. In a further aspect, service elements are packaged and distributed to enable customers to deliver the service elements. Additionally, the hosting of software packages is facilitated.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing management of service elements, said method comprising:

determining that one or more aspects of multiple development plans of multiple service elements are duplicative; and

consolidating at least a portion of the multiple development plans, in response to the determining.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the consolidating comprises consolidating at least one set of customization tasks of said multiple development plans.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the consolidating comprises consolidating at least one set of integration tasks of said multiple development plans.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is performed using a service development tool.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the consolidating is performed using a service development tool.

6. A method of optimizing management of service elements, said method comprising:

searching through one or more service elements to locate commonality in design of a service element to be developed;

creating another service element that includes the commonality; and

including the another service element in a composition of the service element to be developed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the searching is performed automatically.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the searching is performed by a service development tool.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the commonality includes one or more customization items.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the commonality includes one or more integration items.

11. A system of optimizing management of service elements, said system comprising:

means for determining that one or more aspects of multiple development plans of multiple service elements are duplicative; and

means for consolidating at least a portion of the multiple development plans, in response to the determining.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for consolidating comprises means for consolidating at least one set of customization tasks of said multiple development plans.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for consolidating comprises means for consolidating at least one set of integration tasks of said multiple development plans.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for determining is included within a service development tool.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for consolidating is included within a service development tool.

16. A system of optimizing management of service elements, said system comprising:

means for searching through one or more service elements to locate commonality in design of a service element to be developed;

means for creating another service element that includes the commonality; and

means for including the another service element in a composition of the service element to be developed.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for searching includes performing the search automatically.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for searching is performed by a service development tool.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the commonality includes one or more customization items.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the commonality includes one or more integration items.

21. A system of optimizing management of service elements, said system comprising:

a service development tool to determine that one or more aspects of multiple development plans of multiple service elements are duplicative, and to consolidate at least a portion of the multiple development plans, in response to the determining.

22. A system of optimizing management of service elements, said system comprising:

a service development tool to search through one or more service elements to locate commonality in design of a service element to be developed, to create another service element that includes the commonality, and to include the another service element in a composition of the service element to be developed.

23. At least one program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of optimizing management of service elements, said method comprising:

determining that one or more aspects of multiple development plans of multiple service elements are duplicative; and

consolidating at least a portion of the multiple development plans, in response to the determining.

24. The at least one program storage device of claim 23, wherein the consolidating comprises consolidating at least one set of customization tasks of said multiple development plans.

25. The at least one program storage device of claim 23, wherein the consolidating comprises consolidating at least one set of integration tasks of said multiple development plans.

26. At least one program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of optimizing management of service elements, said method comprising:

searching through one or more service elements to locate commonality in design of a service element to be developed;

creating another service element that includes the commonality; and

including the another service element in a composition of the service element to be developed.

27. The at least one program storage device of claim 26, wherein the commonality includes one or more customization items.

28. The at least one program storage device of claim 26, wherein the commonality includes one or more integration items.