System and methods for integrating authoring with complexity analysis for computing system operation procedures

• US 7,565,272 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Aaron B., Kim, Joseph Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wachsman; Hal D
• Application Number:
  US11/301,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 702/186
• US Class Current: 702/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for integrating complexity analysis with procedure authoring (design and/or documentation). By way of example, a technique for authoring a procedure associated with a computing system operation based on a complexity analysis associated with the operation and the computing system implementing the operation comprises the following steps/operations. A procedure associated with a computing system operation is generated, wherein the generated procedure represents a new procedure or an edited existing procedure. A structured representation of the generated procedure is extracted from the generated procedure. The structured representation of the generated procedure is analyzed to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are fed back to a procedure author for use in selectively altering the generated procedure. The technique may also further comprise generating documentation relating to the generated procedure from the structured representation of the generated procedure.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for authoring a procedure associated with a computing system operation based on a complexity analysis associated with the operation and the computing system implementing the operation, comprising executing the following steps via a computer:

generating a procedure associated with the computing system operation, wherein the generated procedure represents a new procedure or an edited existing procedure;

extracting from the generated procedure a workflow representation of the generated procedure, the workflow representation being an annotated document documenting the overall workflow of the generated procedure and comprising one or more workflow elements of the generated procedure and one or more documentation elements of the generated procedure; and

analyzing the workflow representation of the generated procedure to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are fed back to a procedure author for use in selectively altering the generated procedure;

wherein the procedure generating step further comprises searching a documentation element repository to identify appropriate documentation and linking the documentation to the procedure or one or more elements of the procedure.

2. A computer-implemented method for authoring a procedure associated with a computing system operation based on a complexity analysis associated with the operation and the computing system implementing the operation, comprising executing the following steps via a computer:

generating a procedure associated with the computing system operation, wherein the generated procedure represents a new procedure or an edited existing procedure;

extracting from the generated procedure a workflow representation of the generated procedure, the workflow representation being an annotated document documenting the overall workflow of the generated procedure and comprising one or more workflow elements of the generated procedure and one or more documentation elements of the generated procedure; and

analyzing the workflow representation of the generated procedure to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are fed back to a procedure author for use in selectively altering the generated procedure;

wherein the procedure generating step further comprises exporting an internal procedure representation for use by the extracting step.

3. A computer-implemented method for authoring a procedure associated with a computing system operation based on a complexity analysis associated with the operation and the computing system implementing the operation, comprising executing the following steps via a computer:

generating a procedure associated with the computing system operation, wherein the generated procedure represents a new procedure or an edited existing procedure;

extracting from the generated procedure a workflow representation of the generated procedure, the workflow representation being an annotated document documenting the overall workflow of the generated procedure and comprising one or more workflow elements of the generated procedure and one or more documentation elements of the generated procedure; and

analyzing the workflow representation of the generated procedure to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are fed back to a procedure author for use in selectively altering the generated procedure;

wherein the extracting step further comprises obtaining an internal procedure representation generated by the procedure generation step, and extracting one or more workflow elements from the internal procedure representation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the extracting step further comprises extracting a workflow structure from the internal procedure representation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the extracting step further comprises extracting one or more documentation elements from the internal procedure representation.

6. A computer-implemented method for authoring a procedure associated with a computing system operation based on a complexity analysis associated with the operation and the computing system implementing the operation, comprising executing the following steps via a computer:

generating a procedure associated with the computing system operation, wherein the generated procedure represents a new procedure or an edited existing procedure;

extracting from the generated procedure a structured representation of the generated procedure; and

analyzing the structured representation of the generated procedure to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are fed back to a procedure author for use in selectively altering the generated procedure;

wherein the extracting step further comprises;

obtaining an internal procedure representation generated by the procedure generation step;

extracting one or more workflow elements from the internal procedure representation;

extracting a workflow structure from the internal procedure representation;

extracting one or more documentation elements from the internal procedure representation; and

encoding extracted information into a structured representation of an overall workflow such that a documentation-annotated workflow representation is produced.

7. A computer-implemented method for authoring a procedure associated with a computing system operation based on a complexity analysis associated with the operation and the computing system implementing the operation, comprising executing the following steps via a computer:

generating a procedure associated with the computing system operation, wherein the generated procedure represents a new procedure or an edited existing procedure;

extracting from the generated procedure a structured representation of the generated procedure;

analyzing the structured representation of the generated procedure to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are fed back to a procedure author for use in selectively altering the generated procedure; and

generating documentation relating to the generated procedure from the structured representation of the generated procedure;

wherein the documentation generating step further comprises relating to the generated procedure from the structured representation of the generated procedure, and assembling one or more linked or embedded documentation elements into a unified documentation describing the generated procedure.

8. A computer-implemented method for authoring a procedure associated with a computing system operation based on a complexity analysis associated with the operation and the computing system implementing the operation, comprising executing the following steps via a computer:

generating a procedure associated with the computing system operation, wherein the generated procedure represents a new procedure or an edited existing procedure;

extracting from the generated procedure a structured representation of the generated procedure;

analyzing the structured representation of the generated procedure to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are fed back to a procedure author for use in selectively altering the generated procedure; and

generating documentation relating to the generated procedure from the structured representation of the generated procedure;

wherein the documentation generating step further comprises relating to the generated procedure from the structured representation of the generated procedure, and annotating the documentation with complexity-based meta-information.