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

• US 7,865,335 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Aaron B., Kim, Joseph Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wachsman; Hal D
• Application Number:
  US11/966,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20080103730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 702/186, 702/119, 702/123
• 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 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 the steps of:

generating the procedure associated with the computing system operation;

extracting from the generated procedure a structured representation of the generated procedure, the structured 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 structured representation of the generated procedure to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are provided to a procedure designer for use in selectively altering the generated procedure;

wherein the steps are performed at least in part by a processor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating documentation relating to the generated procedure from the structured representation of the generated procedure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the documentation generating step further comprises assembling one or more linked or embedded documentation elements into a unified documentation describing the generated procedure.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the documentation generating step further comprises annotating the documentation with complexity-based meta-information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the procedure generating step further comprises entering the one or more workflow elements to create one or more new elements for the procedure or modifying one or more existing workflow elements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the procedure generating step further comprises entering one or more the documentation elements to create one or more new documentation elements or modifying one or more existing documentation elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the procedure generating step further comprises composing the workflow elements together.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the procedure generating step further comprises loading one or more pre-existing procedures.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting step further comprises obtaining an internal procedure representation generated by the procedure generating step.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the complexity analyzing step further comprises producing one or more complexity metrics and scores.

11. An apparatus 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:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;

(i) generate the procedure associated with the computing system operation;

(ii) extract from the generated procedure a structured representation of the generated procedure, the structured 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

(iii) analyze the structured representation of the generated procedure to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are provided to a procedure designer for use in selectively altering the generated procedure.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to generate documentation relating to the generated procedure from the structured representation of the generated procedure.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the procedure generating operation further comprises entering the one or more workflow elements to create one or more new elements for the procedure or modifying one or more existing workflow elements.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the procedure generating operation further comprises entering the one or more documentation elements to create one or more new documentation elements or modifying one or more existing documentation elements.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the procedure generating operation further comprises composing the workflow elements together.

16. An article of manufacture 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 a non-transitory machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

generating the procedure associated with the computing system operation;

extracting from the generated procedure a structured representation of the generated procedure, the structured 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 structured representation of the generated procedure to produce complexity analysis results, wherein at least a portion of the complexity analysis results are provided to a procedure designer for use in selectively altering the generated procedure.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the one or more programs when executed implement the step of generating documentation relating to the generated procedure from the structured representation of the generated procedure.

18. The article of claim 16, wherein the procedure generating step further comprises entering the one or more workflow elements to create one or more new elements for the procedure or modifying one or more existing workflow elements.

19. The article of claim 16, wherein the procedure generating step further comprises entering the one or more documentation elements to create one or more new documentation elements or modifying one or more existing documentation elements.

20. The article of claim 16, wherein the procedure generating step further comprises composing the workflow elements together.