Integrated software development system including group decision support subsystem, application development subsystem, and bridge subsystem therebetween

• US 5,587,935 A
• Filed: 12/23/1991
• Issued: 12/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3 T SPA, International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brooks, Jeffrey S., Dohanich, Stephen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ellis B.
• Application Number:
  US07/812,598
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: 364/505, 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 364/578, 395/922
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

Disclosed is an integrated system for creating a process model and writing software based on the process model. The integrated system includes three subsystems, a group decision support subsystem, an applications development subsystem, and a bridge subsystem. The group decision support subsystem is used for creating and ordering a process model according to a protocol. The application development subsystem is used for writing software based on the output of the group decision support subsystem. The bridge sub-system converts the output of the group decision support subsystem to compatible input of the application development subsystem.

Claims

1. An integrated system for creating a process model and writing software based on the process model, including a group decision support subsystem for creating and ordering a process model according to a protocol, an application development subsystem for writing software based on the output of the group decision support subsystem and a bridge sub-system therebetween for converting output of the group decision support subsystem into input of the application development subsystem, wherein:

a. said group decision support subsystem comprises one or more of;

(1). means for substantially simultaneously and anonymously collecting information, and exchanging ideas and comments about the said information from participants;

(2). issue analysis and idea organization means for the participants to group, categorize and define issues and ideas from the collected information;

(3). voting application means and alternative evaluation means for the participants to rank and prioritize issues and ideas;

(4). topic commenter means for participants to view and comment upon issues and ideas; and

(5). dictionary means;

b. said application development subsystem comprises rules repository means; and

c. said bridge subsystem comprises means to convert the output of the group decision support subsystem to compatible input of the application development subsystem, including;

(1). means for opening output of the group decision support subsystem and scanning directories thereof for object files;

(2). means for creating and opening initially empty input files of the application development subsystem;

(3). means for parsing an object file output of the group decision support system into object names and object definitions to determine the file contents of the group decision support subsystem output file, and thereafter writing the dissected object names and object definitions into application development subsystem files;

(4). means for building application development subsystem compatible files and writing the application development subsystem compatible files to the application development subsystem, comprising;

i. means to remove the software system delimiters and protocols inserted by the group decision support system;

ii. means to concatenate token numbers to name data and property codes to support data; and

iii. means for uniformly writing out the application development subsystem files.