CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR COMPUTER SOFTWARE WITH DYNAMIC TRACEABILITY BETWEEN CODE AND DESIGN DOCUMENTS

• US 20080250392A1
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Petri, John Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,196,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A content management system (CMS) for computer software provides automatic notification and correlation of changes in a design document with corresponding code, and provides automatic notification and correlation of changes in the code with one or more corresponding design documents. Traceability rules are defined that correlate which portions of the code correspond to which portions of the design document. A traceability update policy governs whether interested parties are notified of a change to either the design document or the corresponding code, and whether the change to one causes an automatic update to the other. The result is a content management system that helps keep the code and corresponding design documents consistent with each other so the system has accurate and consistent information at all times.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor; and

a content management system residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the content management system comprising;

a code repository;

a design document repository that includes a plurality of design documents that each specify design for corresponding code in the code repository; and

a traceability update mechanism residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the traceability update mechanism detects a change in code in the code repository, determines from traceability rules at least one design document in the design document repository that corresponds to the changed code in the code repository, reads a traceability update policy to determine a first action to perform when the change in the code is detected, and performs the first action when the change in the code is detected.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first action comprises notifying at least one interested party of the change in the code.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first action comprises automatically making at least one change to the at least one design document in the design document repository that corresponds to the changed code.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the traceability update mechanism further detects a change in a design document in the design document repository, determines from traceability rules code in the code repository that corresponds to the changed design document, reads a traceability update policy to determine a second action to perform when the change in the design document is detected, and performs the second action when the change in the design document is detected.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second action comprises notifying at least one interested party of the change in the design document.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second action comprises automatically making at least one change to the code in the code repository that corresponds to the changed design document.

7. A computer-implemented method for creating traceable changes in a content management system for computer software that includes code in a code repository and at least one design document in a design document repository, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a change in the code in the code repository;

determining from traceability rules at least one design document in the design document repository that corresponds to the changed code in the code repository;

reading a traceability update policy to determine a first action to perform when the change in the code is detected; and

performing the first action when the change in the code is detected.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first action comprises the step of notifying at least one interested party of the change in the code.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the first action comprises the step of automatically making at least one change to the at least one design document in the design document repository that corresponds to the changed code.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

detecting a change in a design document in the design document repository;

determining from traceability rules code in the code repository that corresponds to the changed design document;

reading a traceability update policy to determine a second action to perform when the change in the design document is detected; and

performing the second action when the change in the design document is detected.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the second action comprises notifying at least one interested party of the change in the design document.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the second action comprises automatically making at least one change to the code in the code repository that corresponds to the changed design document.

13. A method for deploying computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer readable code into a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system perform the method of claim 7.

14. A computer-implemented method for creating traceable changes in a content management system for computer software that includes code in a code repository and at least one design document in a design document repository, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a first change in the code in the code repository;

determining from traceability rules at least one design document in the design document repository that corresponds to the first changed code in the code repository;

reading a traceability update policy to determine whether to automatically make at least one change to the at least one design document in the design document repository that corresponds to the first changed code;

when the traceability update policy specifies to automatically make at least one change to the at least one design document in the design document repository that corresponds to the first changed code, automatically making the at least one change to the at least one design document;

detecting a second change in a design document in the design document repository;

determining from traceability rules code in the code repository that corresponds to the second changed design document;

reading a traceability update policy to determine whether to automatically make at least one change to the code in the code repository that corresponds to the second changed design document; and

when the traceability update policy specifies to automatically make at least one change to the code in the code repository that corresponds to the second changed design document, automatically making the at least one change to the code.

15. An article of manufacture comprising:

(A) a content management system residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the content management system comprising;

a code repository;

a design document repository that includes a plurality of design documents that each specify design for corresponding code in the code repository; and

a traceability update mechanism residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the traceability update mechanism detects a change in code in the code repository, determines from traceability rules at least one design document in the design document repository that corresponds to the changed code in the code repository, reads a traceability update policy to determine a first action to perform when the change in the code is detected, and performs the first action when the change in the code is detected; and

(B) computer-readable media bearing the content management system.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the first action comprises notifying at least one interested party of the change in the code.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the first action comprises automatically making at least one change to the at least one design document in the design document repository that corresponds to the changed code.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the traceability update mechanism further detects a change in a design document in the design document repository, determines from traceability rules code in the code repository that corresponds to the changed design document, reads a traceability update policy to determine a second action to perform when the change in the design document is detected, and performs the second action when the change in the design document is detected.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18 wherein the second action comprises notifying at least one interested party of the change in the design document.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 18 wherein the second action comprises automatically making at least one change to the code in the code repository that corresponds to the changed design document.