TRACKING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR VERY LARGE-SCALE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

• US 20110191746A1
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Kemp, Peter, Packbier, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 8,739,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, in a network, of synchronizing a plurality of software development teams, with each team working on an assigned subset of a code development project. A repository comprising all code base of the code development project is provided and each team'"'"'s assigned subset is correlated with every other team'"'"'s assigned subset within the code development project. The repository automatically merges all team member inputs so that each subset is linked in a visual representation of each team'"'"'s assigned subset to stories within connected subsets so that the real-time status of a connected subset may be graphically displayed. A real-time status of each assigned subset, including all correlations between each subset in the project can be determined and any team member, upon demand, can activate and display the visual representation of the real-time status of each subset, the relations between subsets, and the real-time status of the whole development project.

Claims

1. A method, in a network, of synchronizing a plurality of software development teams, each software development team working on an assigned subset of a code development project, wherein all the teams are synchronized utilizing an anatomy handling device, the method comprising:

the anatomy handling device;

providing access to a repository comprising all code base of the code development project;

correlating each team'"'"'s assigned subset with associated subsets assigned to other teams within the code development project, wherein the anatomy handling device updates all associated subsets with the assigned subset when a current status of the each team'"'"'s assigned subset is input to the anatomy handling device;

triggering a function in the repository for automatically merging all team member inputs into the code base, wherein a visual representation of connections between all the subsets in the project and real-time status of each software development requirement within each subset can be displayed; and

displaying graphically the real-time status of requested code development subsets and the associated subsets, the graphical display of the real-time status being interactive with the requester of the graphical display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of incorporating an agile business support application, wherein information input, including the current status of each team'"'"'s assigned subset, by the team members and the teams is made available to the agile business support application.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the anatomy handling device tracking impact of each update input by every team member and dynamically updating a cumulative current status of the assigned subsets as the assigned subsets relate to connecting subsets in the development project.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the plurality of development teams is at least fifty teams.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the anatomy handling device automatically notifying each team regarding the team'"'"'s current status and the status of any connected team.

6. An anatomy handling device, in a network for synchronizing efforts of a plurality of software development teams, each team working on an assigned subset of a code development project, the anatomy handling device comprising:

a data collector connecting to a repository, the repository comprising all code base of the code development project;

a correlator for correlating every team'"'"'s assigned subset with every other related team'"'"'s assigned subset within the code development project;

a display for providing a visual representation of connections between all the subsets in the project and the real-time status of each story within each subset;

a receiver for receiving input from one of the plurality of software development teams or a team member having a particular subset of the code development project of a current status of the team member'"'"'s progress within the particular subset;

the correlator for linking the visual representation of each team'"'"'s assigned subset to connected subsets so that the real-time status of a connected subset may be graphically displayed upon demand; and

the receiver for receiving a request, sent by a team member, for displaying the visual representation of the real-time status of each subset, the relations between subsets, and the real-time status of the whole development project.

7. The anatomy handling device of claim 6, arranged for incorporating an agile business support application, wherein all relevant information entered by the team members and the teams is made available to the agile business support application, including existing scoping and timing.

8. The anatomy handling device of claim 6, further comprising the correlator further comprising means for linking particular functional views of the visual presentation available to each team member role, the particular functional views including a technical dependency view of related subsets and a resource view.

9. The anatomy handling device of claim 6, further comprising tracking means for tracking impact of each update input by every team member and dynamically updating a cumulative status of the assigned subsets as the assigned subsets relate to every connecting subset in the development project.

10. The anatomy handling device of claim 6, further comprising transmission means for sending to each of the plurality of software development teams notification regarding the team'"'"'s current status and any connected team'"'"'s status.

11. The anatomy handling device of claim 6, wherein functions exercised by the device are incorporated in more than one apparatus.

16. The system of claim 6, a second interface for automatically sending information to each team regarding the each team'"'"'s current status and any related team'"'"'s current status.

17. The system of claim 6, wherein functions exercised by the anatomy handling device are incorporated in more than one arrangement.

12. A system, in a network, for synchronizing a plurality of software development teams, each software development team working on an assigned subset of a code development project, the system comprising:

a remote terminal, for access by the each software development team and team member, connected to an anatomy handling device via the network;

a repository comprising all code base of the code development project;

a processor connected to the anatomy handling device and to a memory that stores processor-executable instructions, the processor interfacing with the memory and executing the processor-executable instructions to perform the following operations;

managing access to the repository and to modification functions of the repository;

correlating each team'"'"'s assigned subset with associated subsets assigned to other teams within the code development project and managing a team'"'"'s inputting, via the remote terminals, of the team'"'"'s subset status to the repository;

triggering a function in the repository for automatically merging all team member status inputs;

providing a visual representation, upon authorized request, of connections between all the team subsets in the project and real-time status of each story within each subset and real-time status of code development subsets and subsets via the remote terminal; and

providing graphic display of the real-time status of requested code development subsets and associated subsets via the remote terminals, wherein the graphic representation is interactive with the requester.

13. The system of claim 12, the anatomy handling device being further arranged for incorporating an agile business support application, wherein all relevant information entered by the team members and the teams is made available to the agile business support application, including existing scoping and timing.

14. The system of claim 12, the anatomy handling device being further arranged for restricting particular functional views of the visual presentation available to each team member according to a pre-determined requirement, the particular functional views including a technical dependency view of related subsets and a resource view.

15. The system of claim 12, the anatomy handling device being arranged for tracking impact of each update entered by every team member and dynamically updating the cumulative status of all the subsets as the subsets relate to every connecting subset in the development project.