APPARATUS, AND AN ASSOCIATED METHOD, FOR QUANTIFYING A QUALITY OF A USE CASE

• US 20090281968A1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: INFANTI, LUIS E., SHINJI, AGUSTINA, POZZOLI, JUAN PABLO
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A use case quality index tool, and an associated method, analyzes the specifications of use cases. Determinations are made of conformity of a use case with use-case quality rules. And, a calculator calculates a use case quality index value that quantifies the conformity of the use case to the use-case quality rules.

Claims

1. An apparatus for facilitating quality analysis of a use case, said apparatus comprising:

a determiner configured to permit determination of whether the use case conforms with at least a first use-case quality rule; and

a calculator configured to calculate a quality index responsive to determination made by said determiner.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said determiner is configured to permit determination of whether the use case conforms with a plurality of use-case quality rules.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said calculator is configured to calculate a quality index responsive to determinations made by said determiner for the plurality of use-case quality rules.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said determiner and said calculator are enabled iteratively to determine, for each use-case quality rule of the plurality, non-conformity of the use case and to calculate, respectively, a quality index, for each use-case quality rule of the plurality.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said calculator is further configured to calculate a cumulative use case quality index representative of conformity of the use case with the plurality of use-case quality rules.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a quality rules database configured to store at least the first use-case quality rule.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a user interface configured to display in human perceptible form an indication of calculation made by said calculator.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said user interface is further configured to display indication of determination made by said determiner of nonconformity of the use case within a use case with the at least the use-case quality rule.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said user interface is further configured to display at least part of the use case.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said user interface is further configured to display the indication of the determination of the nonconformity together with display of the at least part of the use cause where the nonconformity is identified.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a results database configured to store indications of calculations made by said calculator.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first use-case quality rule further has associated therewith an impact value and wherein the quality index calculated by said calculator is further responsive to the impact value.

13. A method for facilitating quality analysis of a use case, said method comprising:

determining whether the use case conforms with at least a first use-case quality rule; and

calculating a quality index responsive to determination made during said determining.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said determining further comprises determining whether the use case conforms with a plurality of use case quality rules.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said calculating further comprises calculating whether the use case conforms with the plurality of use case quality rules.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising providing an initial set of quality rules, each quality rule having an associated noncompliance impact.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising displaying an indication of the quality index.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said displaying further comprises displaying part of the use case together with an indication of non-conformity, if any, with the at least the first use-case quality rule.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising the operation of storing the at least the first use-case quality rule at a quality rules database;

and wherein said determining further comprises access the quality rules database to retrieve the at least the first use-case quality rule.

20. A method for facilitating system estimation, said method comprising:

creating a plurality of use-case quality rules;

determining whether a use case representative of a system goal conforms with the plurality of use-case quality rule; and

quantifying conformity of the use case with the use-case quality rules determined during said determining.