TECHNIQUES FOR PROPAGATING CHANGES IN PROJECTS

• US 20090048894A1
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Inventors: Lowry, Lee Edward, Simpson, Michel Shane, Carter, Stephen R., Scheuber-Heinz, Volker Gunnar
• Application Number:
  US11/838,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20090048894A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management

Abstract

Techniques for propagating changes in projects are provided. A first resource associated with a first project is modified in some manner. The modification is automatically and dynamically detected. A second project is identified for notification of that change. The notification is communicated to the second project in a custom manner.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting a modification to a resource of a first project, wherein the resource is within a stage of a lifecycle for the first project and within a processing environment;

determining a second project is to receive notification of the modification; and

communicating the notification regarding the modification to the second project.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, advertising to the second project to register for the notification before detecting the modification.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising, registering in response to policy the second project for the notification before detecting the modification.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, receiving a registration from the second project for the notification before detecting the modification.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, forcing the second project to enter a particular stage of a second lifecycle for the second project in response to the notification.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining further includes one or more of the following:

evaluating a policy that indicates the second project is to receive the notification in response to the modification;

consulting a different resource for an identity of the second project in response to the modification; and

accessing a notification data structure with a modification identifier associated with the modification to acquire the identity for the second project.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating further includes one or more of the following:

identifying a custom communication mechanism for communicating the notification to the second project via a policy;

establishing a World-Wide Web (WWW) services connection;

establishing a peer-to-peer transmission over a network to communicate the notification to the second project;

multicasting the notification over the network to the second project and one or more additional projects interested in the notification;

sending the notification via an email to a particular principal associated with the second project; and

posting the notification on a secure website accessible to the particular principal.

8. A method, comprising:

dynamically receiving, within a first processing environment associated with a first stage of a first lifecycle for a first project, a notification from a second project processing in a second processing environment, indicating that a second resource of the second project has been modified within a second stage of a second lifecycle for the second project; and

using a policy to determine an action to take within the first processing environment in response to the notification.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving an advertisement from the second project to register for changes to the second resource or the second project as a whole before dynamically receiving the notification; and

registering for the changes with the second resource or the second project as a whole.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein using further includes ignoring the notification, wherein an act of ignoring the notification is the action.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein using further includes backing the first project out of the first stage of the first lifecycle and first processing environment and transitioning the first project to a different stage of the first lifecycle in response to taking the action.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein backing further includes ensuring in response to a type of change associated with the second resource and the notification that the before the first project is permitted to re-enter the first stage that the first project undergo other stages associated with the first lifecycle for quality assurance, testing, and certification.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein using further includes making a change, which is equivalent to the modification made to the second resource, to a first resource associated with the first stage of the first project.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein dynamically receiving further includes recognizing the notification as including a type of change that represents the modification and a procedure for handling the change, and wherein the procedure includes an action identifier for the action.

15. A system, comprising:

a detection service implemented in a machine-accessible and readable medium and to process on a first machine associated with a first processing environment and a first stage of a first lifecycle for a first project; and

a notification service implemented in a machine-accessible and readable medium and to process on the first machine or a different machine within the first processing environment or a different processing environment; and

wherein the detection service is to detect a modification occurring to a first resource within the first stage and is to report the modification to the notification service, and wherein the notification service is to communicate the modification to a second project associated with a second stage of a second lifecycle for the second project, wherein the second project process in a second processing environment from the first processing environment.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising, a registration service implemented in a machine-accessible and readable medium and to process on the first machine, wherein the registration service is to register the second project for changes made to the first resource or the first project as a whole.

17. The system of claim 15, an advertising service implemented in a machine-accessible and readable medium and to process on the first machine, wherein the advertising service is to advertise to the second project to register for changes made to the first resource or the first project as a whole.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the notification service uses policy in response to an identity associated with the second project to determine a communication mechanism to use for reporting the modification to the second project.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the notification service is to access a schema associated with the first project and policy to resolve an identity associated with the second project.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the detection service detects an event associated with the modification and the event is raised within the first processing environment in response to a trigger associated with the first resource or associated with an action taken by the first resource.

21. A system, comprising:

a receiving service implemented in a machine-accessible and readable medium and to process on a machine associated with a first processing environment and a first stage of a first lifecycle for a first project; and

an evaluation service implemented in a machine-accessible and readable medium and to process on the machine within the first processing environment;

wherein the receiving service is to process a notification received from a second project associated with a second processing environment, wherein the notification is associated with a modification made to a second resource within a second stage of a second lifecycle for the second project, the receiving service delivers the notification to the evaluation service and the evaluation service evaluates policy to take an action in response to the notification.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second resource is a newly introduced resource that was installed within the second processing environment.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the second resource is an upgraded version of a previous resource that existed within the second processing environment.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the evaluation service is to take one or more of the following in response to the action:

ignore the notification, log the notification, make a change to a first resource within the first stage that is equivalent to the modification, and transitioning the first project to a different stage of the first lifecycle.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the modification is associated with one or more of the following:

an upgrade to the second resource, a bug fix to the second resource, a change to a second policy that is the second resource, a change to configuration information associated with the second resource, a change to a digital certificate that is the second resource, a change to an attestation associated with the second resource, and a change to regulations or procedures associated with the second resource.