EXTENDING UNIFIED PROCESS AND METHOD CONTENT TO INCLUDE DYNAMIC AND COLLABORATIVE CONTENT

• US 20090113378A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BOYER, JOHN E., PORTIER, BERTRAND H., LANE, EOIN
• Granted Patent: US 8,381,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

The present invention discloses a unified process system that includes placeholders for editable content that extends unified process methods. The unified process system can store, manage, organize, and present information and artifacts associated with a unified process. The unified process system can include a placeholder defining tool configured to permit an authorized process engineer to associate placeholders with base methods of the unified process. Unified process consumers can input content to the placeholders, where the input content is thereafter automatically stored by the unified process system and is accessible to other unified process consumers having access to the unified process system. More specifically, placeholders can include a collaborative section for guidance content concerning a related base method and a dynamic section, dynamically built in response to received requests, which includes items to assist consumers to conduct a task for an associated base method.

Claims

1. A unified process system comprising:

a unified process system configured to store, manage, organize, and present information and artifacts associated with a unified process, wherein said unified process is an extensible, iterative, and incremental software development process framework, wherein said unified process system comprises a placeholder defining tool configured to permit an authorized process engineer to associate placeholders with base methods of the unified process, wherein unified process consumers are able to input content to the placeholders, where the input content is thereafter automatically stored by the unified process system and is accessible to other unified process consumers having access to the unified process system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the placeholders comprise a collaborative content area configured to provide guidance on the associated base method, wherein the collaborative content is editable by the unified process consumers and by the process engineers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the placeholders comprise a dynamic content area, which is automatically and dynamically built in response to received requests, wherein said dynamic content area comprises items to assist unified process consumers to conduct at least one task for the associated base method.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said items of the dynamic content area comprise blog content, WIKI content, current status information for at least one individual related to the base method, and syndicated feed content.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said items of the dynamic content area comprise video media, experts, presentations, publications, education bookmarks, and documents.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the placeholders comprise a collaborative content area and a dynamic content area, wherein said collaborative content area is configured to provide guidance on the associated base method, wherein the collaborative content is editable by the unified process consumers and by the process engineers, wherein said dynamic content area is automatically and dynamically built in response to received requests, and wherein said dynamic content area comprises items to assist unified process consumers to conduct at least one task for the associated base method.

7. A unified process interface comprising:

a static method interface configured to permit unified process consumers to access a plurality of static methods maintained by a unified process server within a data store accessible by the unified process server;

an extension interface associated programmatically linked to one of static methods presented within the static method interface, wherein said extension interface permits unified process consumers to modify content presented in the extension interface, wherein modified content is managed by the unified process server, and wherein other unified process consumers using the extension interface are able to view the modified content.

8. The unified process interface of claim 7, wherein the extension interface comprises a collaborative content area configured to provide guidance on the associated base method.

9. The unified process interface of claim 7, wherein the extension interface comprises a dynamic content area, which is automatically and dynamically built in response to received requests, wherein said dynamic content area comprises items to assist unified process consumers to conduct at least one task for the associated base method.

10. The unified process interface of claim 7, wherein the extension interface further comprises a collaborative content area configured to provide guidance on the associated base method, wherein the extension interface further comprises a dynamic content area, which is automatically and dynamically built in response to received requests, wherein said dynamic content area comprises items to assist unified process consumers to conduct at least one task for the associated base method.

11. The unified process interface of claim 10, wherein the static method interface and the extension interface are client-side interfaces rendered within a browser from Web pages served by the unified process server.

12. The unified process interface of claim 7, wherein said static method interface and said extension interface provide content associated with an inception, an elaboration, a construction, and a transition phase of the unified process.

13. The unified process interface of claim 7, wherein said static method interface and said extension interface provide content associated with a requirement, a design, an implementation, a testing, and a project management stage of the unified process.

14. The unified process interface of claim 7, wherein said unified process consumers are unable to edit static method content, wherein unified process engineers are able to edit static method content, wherein the unified process engineers establish extension points for the static methods, wherein said extension interface is linked to the established extension points.

15. A server of unified process artifacts comprising:

a set of programmatic instructions stored in a machine readable medium configured cause a server-side machine to store, manage, organize, and present information and artifacts associated with a unified process, wherein the information and artifacts is able to be presented to a plurality of unified process consumers accessing the content from a plurality of clients via a browser; and

a data store configured to store the information and artifacts, wherein said artifacts comprise a plurality of unified process methods, wherein said data store comprises a plurality of placeholders, wherein each placeholder is associated with one of the unified process methods, wherein at least one process engineer is authorized to enter new unified process methods and to edit base content of the unified process methods and to associate new placeholders with the unified process methods, wherein said unified process consumers lack permissions to add new unified process methods, lack permission to edit base content of the unified process methods, and lack permission to associate new placeholders with the unified process methods, and wherein unified process consumers are able to input content to the placeholders, where the input content is thereafter automatically stored by a unified process system and is accessible to other unified process consumers having access to the unified process system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the placeholders comprise a collaborative content area configured to provide guidance on the associated base method, wherein the collaborative content is editable by a set of users having suitable permissions, said set comprising the unified process consumers and the process engineers.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the placeholders comprise a dynamic content area, which is automatically and dynamically built in response to received requests, wherein said dynamic content area comprises items to assist unified process consumers to conduct at least one task for the associated base method.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said items of the dynamic content area comprise at least three of blog content, WIKI content, current status information for at least one individual related to the base method, syndicated feed content, video media, experts presentations, publications, education, bookmarks, and documents.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the placeholders comprise a collaborative content area and a dynamic content area, wherein said collaborative content area is configured to provide guidance on the associated base method, wherein the collaborative content is editable by a set of users having suitable permissions, said set comprising the unified process consumers and the process engineers, wherein said dynamic content area is automatically and dynamically built in response to received requests, and wherein said dynamic content area comprises items to assist unified process consumers to conduct at least one task for the associated base method.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a placeholder Web interface programmatically linked to one of unified process methods presented within the method Web interface, wherein said placeholder Web interface permits unified process consumers to modify content presented in the placeholder Web interface, wherein modified content is managed by the unified process server, and wherein other unified process consumers using the extension interface are able to view the modified content.