Case management system and method for collaborative project teaming

• US 20060064434A1
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Drake, William, Wu, Cindy, Mazzotta, Salvatore G., Gilbert, Yuval S., Medney, Hunter R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/164 File meta data generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Described are a system and method for facilitating collaboration on a project by multiple team members. A plurality of projects and a plurality of documents are stored in persistent storage of a server system. A user launches an application program that displays an expandable and collapsible view showing each project of the plurality of projects for which the user is a team member and each document linked to each of the shown projects. Searchable metadata is associated with each project. The searchable metadata associated with each project is propagated to each document linked to that project. A given document is searched for using the metadata propagated from the project linked to that document.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating collaboration on a project by multiple team members, comprising:

storing a plurality of projects and a plurality of documents in persistent storage of a server system;

launching, by a user, an application program that displays an expandable and collapsible view showing each project of the plurality of projects for which the user is a team member and each document linked to each of the shown projects;

associating searchable metadata with each project;

propagating the searchable metadata associated with each project to each document linked that project; and

searching for a given document using the metadata propagated from the project linked to that document.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating the expandable view of projects for which the user is a team member whenever team membership of the user changes for one of the plurality of projects.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating one or more of the projects with an account;

associating searchable metadata with the account; and

propagating the searchable metadata associated with the account to each project associated with the account and to each document linked to that project.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a project type to one of the projects; and

automatically generating at least one template folder for that one project based on the project type.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the searchable metadata associated with one of the projects; and

automatically propagating the modified metadata to each document linked to that one project.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving an email messages that appears in the expandable view as a document linked to one of the projects.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting documents linked to one of the projects to become publicly accessible for viewing by non-team members upon closure of that project.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating an instant messaging session with an individual associated with a document found during the search.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the expandable view is a navigation tree showing a hierarchical relationship between the shown projects and each document linked to each project.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a copy of the expandable view at an offline location for offline access by the user to each shown project and document.

11. An apparatus for facilitating collaboration on a project by multiple team members, comprising:

means for storing a plurality of projects and a plurality of documents in persistent storage of a server system;

means for launching, by a user, an application program that displays an expandable and collapsible view showing each project of the plurality of projects for which the user is a team member and each document linked to each of the shown projects;

means for associating searchable metadata with each project;

means for propagating the searchable metadata associated with each project to each document linked that project; and

means for searching for a given document using the metadata propagated from the project linked to that document.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for dynamically updating the expandable view of projects for which the user is a team member whenever team membership of the user changes for one of the plurality of projects.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for associating one or more of the projects with an account;

means for associating searchable metadata with the account; and

means for propagating the searchable metadata associated with the account to each project associated with the account and to each document linked to that project.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for assigning a project type to one of the projects; and

means for automatically generating at least one template folder for that one project based on the project type.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for changing the searchable metadata associated with one of the projects; and

means for automatically propagating the modified metadata to each document linked to that one project.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for selecting documents linked to one of the projects to become publicly accessible for viewing by non-team members upon closure of that project.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for saving an email messages that appears in the expandable view as a document linked to one of the projects.

18. A computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

program code for storing a plurality of projects and a plurality of documents in persistent storage of a server system;

program code for launching, by a user, an application program that displays an expandable and collapsible view showing each project of the plurality of projects for which the user is a team member and each document linked to each of the shown projects;

program code for associating searchable metadata with each project;

program code for propagating the searchable metadata associated with each project to each document linked that project; and

program code for searching for a given document using the metadata propagated from the project linked to that document.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising program code for dynamically updating the expandable view of projects for which the user is a team member whenever team membership of the user changes for one of the plurality of projects.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

program code for associating one or more of the projects with an account;

program code for associating searchable metadata with the account; and

program code for propagating the searchable metadata associated with the account to each project associated with the account and to each document linked to that project.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

program code for assigning a project type to one of the projects; and

program code for automatically generating at least one template folder for that one project based on the project type.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

program code for changing the searchable metadata associated with one of the projects; and

program code for automatically propagating the modified metadata to each document linked to that one project.

23. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising program code for selecting documents linked to one of the projects to become publicly accessible for viewing by non-team members upon closure of that project.

24. The computer program of claim 18, further comprising program code for saving an email messages that appears in the expandable view as a document linked to one of the projects.

25. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for use with a computer system having a display and capable of generating a user interface through which a user may interact with the computer system, the computer data signal comprising:

program code for storing a plurality of projects and a plurality of documents in persistent storage of a server system;

program code for launching, by a user, an application program that displays an expandable and collapsible view showing each project of the plurality of projects for which the user is a team member and each document linked to each of the shown projects;

program code for associating searchable metadata with each project;

program code for propagating the searchable metadata associated with each project to each document linked that project; and

program code for searching for a given document using the metadata propagated from the project linked to that document.

26. The computer data signal of claim 25, further comprising program code for dynamically updating the expandable view of projects for which the user is a team member whenever team membership of the user changes for one of the plurality of projects.

27. The computer data signal of claim 25, further comprising:

program code for associating one or more of the projects with an account;

program code for associating searchable metadata with the account; and

program code for propagating the searchable metadata associated with the account to each project associated with the account and to each document linked to that project.

28. The computer data signal of claim 25, further comprising:

program code for assigning a project type to one of the projects; and

program code for automatically generating at least one template folder for that one project based on the project type.

29. The computer data signal of claim 25, further comprising:

program code for changing the searchable metadata associated with one of the projects; and

program code for automatically propagating the modified metadata to each document linked to that one project.

30. The computer data signal of claim 25, further comprising program code for selecting documents linked to one of the projects to become publicly accessible for viewing by non-team members upon closure of that project.

31. The computer data signal of claim 25, further comprising program code for saving an email messages that appears in the expandable view as a document linked to one of the projects.