FACILITATING MANAGEMENT OF SERVICE ELEMENTS USABLE IN PROVIDING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICE OFFERINGS
First Claim
1. A method of facilitating management of service elements, said method comprising:
- selecting a service element to be defined, said service element usable in providing services to at least one of an in-house customer and an outsourcing customer, said service element being a non-executable entity and providing at least part of a design specification usable in constructing a service by a service provider, said service element comprising multiple properties, said multiple properties comprising one or more composition items and a cost case, said cost case including an indication of quantity of the one or more composition items of the service element and cost to the service provider of the one or more composition items and wherein said multiple properties further comprise one or more functional dependencies for the service element identifying at least one other service element required for the service element to function;
defining the service element using a data structure which includes the multiple properties of the service element, said data structure comprising a relational structured set of information associated with the service element, said relational structured set of information comprising a cross-reference table representing relationship of the service element to one or more other service elements of a plurality of service elements being managed, wherein said cross-reference table includes reference to the at least one other service element required for the service element to function;
generating and saving a development plan for the service element in the data structure representation of the service element;
generating a deployment plan for the service element using the development plan, wherein the deployment plan directs customization or integration of entities within the service element pursuant to the development plan;
saving the deployment plan for the service element in the data structure representation of the service element; and
constructing the service element to be developed by the service provider, the constructing including employing the relational structured set of information to identify and employ the one or more other service elements required for the service element to be developed.
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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.
125 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of facilitating management of service elements, said method comprising:
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selecting a service element to be defined, said service element usable in providing services to at least one of an in-house customer and an outsourcing customer, said service element being a non-executable entity and providing at least part of a design specification usable in constructing a service by a service provider, said service element comprising multiple properties, said multiple properties comprising one or more composition items and a cost case, said cost case including an indication of quantity of the one or more composition items of the service element and cost to the service provider of the one or more composition items and wherein said multiple properties further comprise one or more functional dependencies for the service element identifying at least one other service element required for the service element to function;
defining the service element using a data structure which includes the multiple properties of the service element, said data structure comprising a relational structured set of information associated with the service element, said relational structured set of information comprising a cross-reference table representing relationship of the service element to one or more other service elements of a plurality of service elements being managed, wherein said cross-reference table includes reference to the at least one other service element required for the service element to function;
generating and saving a development plan for the service element in the data structure representation of the service element;
generating a deployment plan for the service element using the development plan, wherein the deployment plan directs customization or integration of entities within the service element pursuant to the development plan;
saving the deployment plan for the service element in the data structure representation of the service element; and
constructing the service element to be developed by the service provider, the constructing including employing the relational structured set of information to identify and employ the one or more other service elements required for the service element to be developed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of facilitating management of service elements, said method comprising:
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obtaining a service element providing at least a part of a design specification usable in constructing a service by a service provider, the service element being a non-executable entity comprising multiple properties, the multiple properties including an amount of labor and materials to be used to construct or operate at least part of a service to be billed to a customer, said multiple properties comprising;
one or more composition items, at least one composition item of the one or more composition items quantifying labor and materials not billed to the customer separately;
a cost case, said cost case specifically enumerating the one or more composition items of the service element, including the at least one composition item quantifying labor and materials not billed to the customer separately, providing a quantity for each of the one or more composition items, and providing the cost of the one or more composition items to the service provider;
an identification of one or more functional dependencies of the service element identifying at least one other service element required for the service element to function; and
wherein the obtaining includes defining the service element using a data structure which includes the multiple properties of the service element, the data structure comprising a relational structured set of information associated with the service element, said relational structured set of information comprising a cross-reference table representing relationship of the service element to one or more other service elements of a plurality of service elements being managed, wherein said cross-reference table includes reference to the at least one other service element required for the service element to function;
generating and saving a development plan for the service element in the data structure representation of the service element;
generating a deployment plan for the service element using the development plan, wherein the deployment plan directs customization or integration of entities within the service element pursuant to the development plan;
saving the deployment plan for the service element in the data structure representation of the service element; and
constructing the service element to be developed by the service provider, the constructing including employing the relational structured set of information to identify and employ the one or more other service elements required for the service element to be developed. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification