Object model for decision and issue tracking

• US 7,574,329 B1
• Filed: 10/06/2000
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PTC Inc.
• Original Assignee: PTC Inc.
• Inventors: Matheson, Dan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Craig; Dwin M
• Application Number:
  US09/680,604
• Time in Patent Office: 3,231 Days
• Field of Search: 700 97- 98, 700/118, 700/182, 707/103.R, 707/103.Z, 707/1, 717/104, 717/108
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4488 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A decision tracking object model and interface which captures and stores questions, answers, and decisions, along with their associated relationships, in an object model database is presented. Each object model includes information and relationships that are accessible via a publicly defined interface. In one embodiment, when an object model is saved to the object model database, the question, answer, and decision objects making up the object model, along with their relationships to other objects, are saved in separate relational database files. Because the question, answers, and decision objects are stored in a tool neutral persistent form, any application can access the information contained in those objects.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a decision tracking object model for handling an issue related to a design of a product using computer system that enables collaboration between a plurality of users, the method performed in a computer system and comprising:

providing a question object, an answer object, a decision object, and a design issue object, wherein each of the question object, the answer object, the decision object, and the design issue object encapsulates at least one article of information and at least one relationship to another object;

encapsulating a question related to the issue as an article of information in the question object;

encapsulating an answer related to the question as an article of information in the answer object;

encapsulating a decision made based on the answer as an article of information in the design issue object;

encapsulating the issue related to the design of the product as an article of information in the design issue object;

providing a decision tracking object model comprising the question object, the answer object, the decision object, and the design issue object;

storing the decision tracking object model in an object model database on a computer readable storage medium; and

providing at least one of the question object, the answer object, the decision object, and the design issue object to the plurality of users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of users interacts with at least one of the question object, the answer object, and the decision object via a graphical user interface on a display device, the users interacting with the graphical user interface using an input device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing of the question object, the answer object, and the decision object is in a tool-neutral persistent form.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the question object, the answer object, and the decision object are stored in a separate relational database, the method further comprising using foreign keys to maintain associations between each of the question, the answer, and the decision.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least one association between at least one of the issue object, the question object, the answer object, and the decision object, and another of the issue object, the question object, the answer object, and the decision object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein storing at least one association comprises storing an association of the question object with the decision object along with the question object.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein storing at least one association comprises storing an association of the answer object with the question object along with the answer object.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein storing at least one association comprises storing an association of the decision object with the answer object along with the decision object.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein storing at least one association comprises storing an association of the issue object with the question object.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein there are a plurality of questions related to the issue and a plurality of answers related to the plurality of questions.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing an association for each answer of the plurality of answers that indicates that each answer of the plurality of answers is associated with only one question of the plurality of questions.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing an association for each question of the plurality of questions that indicates that each question of the plurality of questions is associated with the issue.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing an association for each question of the plurality of questions that indicates that each question of the plurality of questions is associated with the decision.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a part of the question object, the answer object, the design issue object, or the decision object is read or written by a Computer Aided Drafting tool.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the decision relates to one of the group of a product requirement, a product function, a product design alternative, and a product representation.