Work Packet Forecasting in a Software Factory

• US 20080256529A1
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Reddington, Francis X., Finlayson, Ronald D., Chaar, Jarir K., Mitsumori, Naomi M., Jobson, Thomas A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable medium for predicatively selecting which work packets will be needed by a software factory to create a deliverable custom software are presented. In a preferred embodiment, the computer-implemented method includes: presenting an initial checklist that consists of a series of question groups; receiving answers to the initial checklist; in response to determining that received answers to the initial checklist indicate that a new series of questions is required to predict which work packets will be needed to create the deliverable custom software, dynamically generating a new checklist; evaluating leading indicators for the received answers; based on relevancy of answers and the leading indicators, eliminating irrelevant questions from the new checklist; and based on answers to remaining relevant questions, determining if a particular work packet will be needed to create the deliverable custom software in the software factory.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for predicatively selecting which work packets will be needed by a software factory to create a deliverable software, the computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting an initial checklist that consists of a series of question groups, wherein each series of question groups are categorized according to a particular type of deliverable software;

receiving answers to the initial checklist;

in response to determining that received answers to the initial checklist indicate that a new series of questions is required to predict which work packets will be needed to create the deliverable software, dynamically generating a new checklist, wherein the new checklist is dynamically created using stored questions that are tagged and associated with a particular set of answers to the initial checklist;

evaluating leading indicators for the received answers, wherein the leading indicators include descriptors of a final deliverable software that will be generated by the software factory, a client'"'"'s name, and an enterprise description for a client;

evaluating every received answer to determine relevancy to the deliverable software;

based on relevancy of answers and the leading indicators, eliminating irrelevant questions from the new checklist; and

based on answers to remaining relevant questions, determining if a particular work packet will be needed to create the deliverable software in the software factory.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the software factory comprises:

a software factory governance section that evaluates the project proposal for acceptance by the software factory;

a design center composed of a requirements analysis team and an architecture team, wherein the design center sections the project proposal into major functional areas that are to be handled by the requirements analysis team and the architecture team, and wherein the design center creates the work packets; and

an assembly line that receives and executes the work packets to create the deliverable software.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the assembly line further comprises:

a published set of services and a published set of requirements for the assembly line, wherein the published set of services and the published set of requirements for the assembly line are published to the design center, and wherein the published set of services describes what assembly services for assembling work packets are offered by the assembly line, and wherein the published set of requirements describes what execution environment must be used by work packets that are provided by the design center for assembly in the assembly line.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the work packets include governance procedures, standards, reused assets, work packet instructions, integration strategy, schedules, exit criteria and artifact checklist templates for Input/Output routines.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the assembly line includes software that automatically recognizes a project type for the project proposal, and wherein the assembly line assembles the work packets into the deliverable software in accordance with the project type that is recognized by the assembly line.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the assembly line conducts an integration test, a system test, a system integration test and a performance test of the deliverable software, wherein the integration test tests the deliverable software for compatibility with the client'"'"'s system, the system test checks the client'"'"'s system to ensure that the client'"'"'s system is operating properly, the system integration test tests for bugs that may arise when the deliverable software is integrated into the client'"'"'s system, and the performance test tests the deliverable software for defects as it is executing in the client'"'"'s system.

7. A system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to the processor;

a memory coupled to the data bus; and

a computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for predicatively selecting which work packets will be needed by a software factory to create a deliverable software by performing the steps of;

presenting an initial checklist that consists of a series of question groups, wherein each series of question groups are categorized according to a particular type of deliverable software;

receiving answers to the initial checklist;

in response to determining that received answers to the initial checklist indicate that a new series of questions is required to predict which work packets will be needed to create the deliverable software, dynamically generating a new checklist, wherein the new checklist is dynamically created using stored questions that are tagged and associated with a particular set of answers to the initial checklist;

evaluating leading indicators for the received answers, wherein the leading indicators include descriptors of a final deliverable software that will be generated by the software factory, a client'"'"'s name, and an enterprise description for a client;

evaluating every received answer to determine relevancy to the deliverable software;

based on relevancy of answers and the leading indicators, eliminating irrelevant questions from the new checklist; and

based on answers to remaining relevant questions, determining if a particular work packet will be needed to create the deliverable software in the software factory.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions further comprise executable instructions for supporting the software factory that comprises:

a software factory governance section that evaluates the project proposal for acceptance by the software factory;

a design center composed of a requirements analysis team and an architecture team, wherein the design center sections the project proposal into major functional areas that are to be handled by the requirements analysis team and the architecture team, and wherein the design center creates the work packets; and

an assembly line that receives and executes the work packets to create the deliverable software.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the design center further comprises:

a requirements analysis team, wherein the requirements analysis team is responsible for determining system requirements for executing the deliverable software on the customer'"'"'s system; and

an architectural team, wherein the architectural team models the project proposal in accordance with customer constraints, and wherein the architectural team bundles the customer constraints together with the work packets for execution in the assembly line.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the work packets include governance procedures, standards, reused assets, work packet instructions, integration strategy, schedules, exit criteria and artifact checklist templates for Input/Output routines.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the assembly line includes software that automatically recognizes a project type for the project proposal, and wherein the assembly line assembles the work packets into the deliverable software in accordance with the project type that is recognized by the assembly line.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the assembly line conducts an integration test, a system test, a system integration test and a performance test of the deliverable software, wherein the integration test tests the deliverable software for compatibility with the client'"'"'s system, the system test checks the client'"'"'s system to ensure that the client'"'"'s system is operating properly, the system integration test tests for bugs that may arise when the deliverable software is integrated into the client'"'"'s system, and the performance test tests the deliverable software for defects as it is executing in the client'"'"'s system.

13. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

presenting an initial checklist that consists of a series of question groups, wherein each series of question groups are categorized according to a particular type of deliverable software;

receiving answers to the initial checklist;

in response to determining that received answers to the initial checklist indicate that a new series of questions is required to predict which work packets will be needed to create the deliverable software, dynamically generating a new checklist, wherein the new checklist is dynamically created using stored questions that are tagged and associated with a particular set of answers to the initial checklist;

evaluating leading indicators for the received answers, wherein the leading indicators include descriptors of a final deliverable software that will be generated by the software factory, a client'"'"'s name, and an enterprise description for a client;

evaluating every received answer to determine relevancy to the deliverable software;

based on relevancy of answers and the leading indicators, eliminating irrelevant questions from the new checklist; and

based on answers to remaining relevant questions, determining if a particular work packet will be needed to create the deliverable software in the software factory.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise executable instructions for supporting the software factory that comprises:

a software factory governance section that evaluates the project proposal for acceptance by the software factory;

a design center composed of a requirements analysis team and an architecture team, wherein the design center sections the project proposal into major functional areas that are to be handled by the requirements analysis team and the architecture team, and wherein the design center creates the work packets; and

an assembly line that receives and executes the work packets to create the deliverable software.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the design center further comprises:

a requirements analysis team, wherein the requirements analysis team is responsible for determining system requirements for executing the deliverable software on the customer'"'"'s system; and

an architectural team, wherein the architectural team models the project proposal in accordance with customer constraints, and wherein the architectural team bundles the customer constraints together with the work packets for execution in the assembly line.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the work packets include governance procedures, standards, reused assets, work packet instructions, integration strategy, schedules, exit criteria and artifact checklist templates for Input/Output routines.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the assembly line includes software that automatically recognizes a project type for the project proposal, and wherein the assembly line assembles the work packets into the deliverable software in accordance with the project type that is recognized by the assembly line.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the assembly line conducts an integration test, a system test, a system integration test and a performance test of the deliverable software, wherein the integration test tests the deliverable software for compatibility with the client'"'"'s system, the system test checks the client'"'"'s system to ensure that the client'"'"'s system is operating properly, the system integration test tests for bugs that may arise when the deliverable software is integrated into the client'"'"'s system, and the performance test tests the deliverable software for defects as it is executing in the client'"'"'s system.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer-usable medium is a component of a remote server, and wherein the computer executable instructions are deployable to a supervisory computer from the remote server.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer executable instructions are capable of being provided by a service provider to a customer on an on-demand basis.