SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRAM FLOW

• US 20140053127A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Madison, James A., Wheeler, Laif A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,134,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/73 Program documentation

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring software development and project flow in the insurance industry using user stories is disclosed. The system and method include a communication interface that receives information included in communications; a processor and memory to: identify from the monitored communication a plurality of user stories; estimate a priority and assign a value to each story; store each story and associated priority and value as a product backlog; calibrate the difference in the assigned value of each story by comparing each story and the associated assigned value, and iteratively adjusting the assigned value based on the calibrated difference; and update the product backlog of user stories and associated calibrated assigned value; and a display device for displaying the status of the software development and project flow based on the stories remaining in the product backlog as compared to the completed user stories.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring software development and project flow in the insurance industry using user stories, the system comprising:

a communication interface that receives, via one or more networks, information included in communications among distributed experts following a centralized process;

a processor and memory that are integrated to;

identify from a monitored communication a plurality of user stories for completion during software development;

estimate a priority of each of the plurality of user stories;

assign a value to each of the plurality of user stories, the assigned value represents an amount of effort needed to complete a user story;

store each of the plurality of user stories and associated priority and value in the memory as a product backlog;

calibrate a difference in the assigned value of each of the plurality of user stories by comparing a centralized position of each of the plurality of user stories and the associated assigned value, and iteratively adjusting the assigned value based on the calibrated difference; and

update a product backlog of user stories with the user story'"'"'s associated calibrated assigned value; and

a display device for displaying the status of the software development and project flow based on a plurality of user stories remaining in the product backlog as compared to a plurality of user completed stories.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the associated priority of each of the plurality of user stories is updated based on feedback from the completed story points in the product backlog.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication among a product owner, at least one developer, and a project manager occurs at at least one planning meeting.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the value is one of a numerical sequence.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the numerical sequence is a Fibonacci sequence.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the user stories included in the backlog is completed during a sprint.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein one of the plurality of user stories provides a basis for the respective priority associated with each of the other of the plurality of user stories.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of user stories in the product backlog is modified.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the priorities associated with the plurality of user stories in the product backlog is modified.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the distributed experts include at least one of a product owner, at least one developer, and a project manager,

11. A method of monitoring software development and project flow in the insurance industry using user stories, the method comprising:

receiving, via a communication interface, via one or more networks, information included in communications among a product owner, at least one developer, and a project manager;

identifying, by a processor, from the monitored communication a plurality of user stories for completion during the development;

assigning, by a processor, each of the plurality of user stories a priority and a value determined by the effort required to complete the respective user story and storing the user story and associated priority and value in the memory as a product backlog;

at the processor, accessing the memory to read the product backlog and associated priorities and values and selecting at least one user story and associated priority and value from the product backlog for building based on the associated priority and value;

upon completion of any of the user stories included in the backlog, updating, by the processor, the product backlog in the memory; and

at the processor, iterating the selecting and updating based on the monitored communication that evidences that user stories are being completed and that additional story points are selected for inclusion in the backlog; and

displaying, on a display device, the backlog as selected by the processor from the product backlog and the status of the software development and project flow based on user stories remaining in the product backlog as compared to the user stories completed from the product backlog.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the associated priority of each of the plurality of user stories is updated based on feedback from the completed user stories in the backlog.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the communication among a product owner, at least one developer, and a project manager occurs at at least a planning meeting.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the value is one of a numerical sequence.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the numerical sequence is a Fibonacci sequence.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the user stories included in the backlog is completed during a sprint process.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein one of the plurality of user stories provides a basis for the respective priority associated with each of the other of the plurality of user stories.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the plurality of user stories in the product backlog is modified.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the priorities associated with the plurality of user stories in the product backlog is modified.

20. A computer-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor, will cause the at least one processor to perform a method of monitoring software development and project flow in the insurance industry using user stories, the method comprising:

receiving, via a communication interface, via one or more networks, information included in communications among a product owner, at least one developer, and a project manager;

identifying, by a processor, from the monitored communication a plurality of user stories for completion during the development;

assigning, by a processor, each of the plurality of user stories a priority and a value determined by the effort required to complete the respective user story and storing the user story and associated priority and value in the memory as a product backlog;

at the processor, accessing the memory to read the product backlog and associated priorities and values and selecting at least one user story and associated priority and value from the product backlog for building based on the associated priority and value;

upon completion of any of the user stories included in the backlog, updating, by the processor, the product backlog in the memory; and

at the processor, iterating the selecting and updating based on the monitored communication that evidences that user stories are being completed and that additional story points are selected for inclusion in the backlog; and

displaying, on a display device, the backlog as selected by the processor from the product backlog and the status of the software development and project flow based on user stories remaining in the product backlog as compared to the user stories completed from the product backlog.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the associated priority of each of the plurality of user stories is updated based on feedback from the completed user stories in the backlog.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein one of the plurality of user stories provides a basis for the respective priority associated with each of the other of the plurality of user stories.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein at least one of the priorities associated with the plurality of user stories in the product backlog is modified.