Apparatus and methods for assisting with development management and/or deployment of products and services

• US 20040143477A1
• Filed: 07/08/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Maryann Walsh Wolff
• Original Assignee: Maryann Walsh Wolff
• Inventors: Wolff, Maryann Walsh
• Application Number:
  US10/616,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20040143477A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and system for managing a project. A set of templates is provided, each template corresponding to one or more tasks of the project to be performed. Steps of the project are performed in accordance with the templates, which may be selected from a set of default terfiplates, and may represent substantially all of the project. The project may be a good to be sold commercially, an information technology project to be implemented, or another type of project.

Claims

1. A method of managing a project, comprising steps of:

providing a set of templates, each of the templates corresponding to respective tasks of the project to be performed;

performing steps of the project in accordance with the templates; and

recording information specified in the templates, during the project.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a set of templates comprises a step of:

selecting a set of templates from among a plurality of sets of default templates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein substantially all of the project is performed using the templates.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the project includes a step of planning development of a good to be sold commercially.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the project includes a step of implementing an information technology project within an organization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

the performing step includes a step of designing a product;

and

one or more of the templates is populated with design information, in advance of performing the designing step.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a set of templates comprises a step of providing templates pre-populated with information for use in the project.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the templates includes information specifying a confidence factor for a respective activity for the template.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of recording comprises a step of storing the information in a field of the template.

10. A method of implementing a project, comprising steps of:

generating a set of electronic templates, each template corresponding to a respective task for the project;

retrieving respective templates in conjunction with performance of the respective tasks;

using the templates to manage the project.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating step comprises steps of:

providing default templates; and

modifying the default templates to customize them for the project.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of modifying comprises steps of:

retrieving information from previously completed projects;

using the retrieved information to determine modifications to the default templates.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of modifying further comprises a step of:

automatically modifying default templates based on performance in past projects.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating step comprises a step of:

providing question-and-answer prompts to assist in completing one or more tasks.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the using step comprises a step of:

automatically suggesting content for one or more deliverables identified in at least one of the templates.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating step comprises a step of:

assigning a confidence factor to each of a plurality of the tasks.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the using step comprises a step of:

modifying one of the confidence factors during performance of its respective task.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising a step of:

determining an aggregated confidence factor, based on confidence factors of a plurality of the tasks.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the using step comprises steps of:

retrieving information for a group of the tasks; and

identifying areas of risk for the project, based on the retrieved information.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating step comprises a step of:

identifying proof points for a plurality of the tasks.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating step comprises a step of:

assigning dependency links among the tasks.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the using step comprises a step of:

automatically updating templates based on changes to information in tasks that are identified in the dependency links.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the dependency link identifies a successor task.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the dependency link identifies a predecessor task.

25. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating step comprises a step of:

identifying success factors for each of a plurality of the tasks.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising a step of evaluating the success factors for each of a plurality of the tasks.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising a step of automatically evaluating a success factor for a task, in response to submission of a template corresponding to the task.

28. The method of claim 10, wherein the using step comprises a step of:

electronically recording feedback information for future projects.

29. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating step comprises a step of:

linking feedback information to one or more of the templates.

30. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating step comprises a step of:

linking respective reference material to each of a plurality of the templates.

31. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating step comprises a step of:

assigning a respective automated alert criterion to each of a plurality of the tasks.

32. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the templates has the same format.

33. A system for managing a project, the system comprising:

means for electronically generating templates, each of the generated templates corresponding to one or more project tasks and including information about performance of the respective task or tasks;

means for specifying dependencies among the templates; and

means for updating the templates during the project.