Work packet delegation in a software factory

• US 8,448,129 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chaar, Jarir K., Hamid, Al A., Harishankar, Raman, Huchel, Joseph P., Jobson, Thomas A. Jr., Oppenheim, Daniel V., Ratakonda, Krishna C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US12/183,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20100031226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 717100-104, 717/108, 717/120, 717/124, 717/172, 705/7.12, 705/7.15, 705/7.21, 705/7.22, 705/7.29, 705/26.3, 705/321, 705/14.44, 705/34, 718/100, 707/999.201, 719/310, 714/38.14
• US Class Current: 717/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable medium for utilizing the design centers, assembly line and job shops of a global delivery network across multiple software factories are presented. A work packet is examined to determine if it is authorized to be sub-contracted out to a different design center, assembly line or job shop than the design center/assembly line/job shop that have primary responsibility for the work packet. If the work packet is authorized to be sub-contracted out, then the work packet is reassigned to a different pre-qualified design center/assembly line/job shop.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of a processor utilizing computer systems that are physically associated with respective workstations associated with design centers, assembly lines and job shops across multiple software factory configurations of a global delivery network, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by hardware logic associated with a first Software Factory, a signal indicating that a work packet has arrived at a first design center of the first Software Factory, wherein the work packet is a self-contained work unit that is assembled with other work packets by a first assembly line and job shop within the first Software Factory to create a customized deliverable unit of software, wherein each work packet constitutes a contractual agreement that governs a relationship among a design center, a software factory governance board, a software factory operations unit, and an assembly line and job shop in the software factory, wherein the design center breaks a software project into major functional areas, wherein the software factory governance board determines whether or not to allow the software factory to accept the software project, wherein the software factory operations unit dispatches the software project to the assembly line, wherein the assembly line and job shop receive and execute work packets that are specified by the design center to create the customized deliverable unit of software, and wherein said each work packet further comprises an exit criteria, wherein the exit criteria is a checklist for returning said each work packet from the assembly line and job shop to the software factory operations unit and for returning the customized deliverable unit of software from a customer to the software factory;

examining descriptors appended to the work packet to determine if the work packet is authorized to be reassigned from the first design center to a second design center, wherein the first design center is contractually responsible for designing the work packet, wherein the descriptors include a description of final deliverable that will be generated by the software factory, and wherein descriptors appended to the work packet serve as an indicator in determining whether a completed work packet from a previous project can be authorized to be reused by another project;

in response to determining that the work packet is authorized for reassignment to the second design center, determining if the second design center is qualified to work on the work packet; and

in response to determining that the second design center is qualified to work on the work packet, reassigning the work packet to the second design center.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

examining the descriptors appended to the work packet to determine if the work packet is authorized to be reassigned from the first design center to a second assembly line and job shop, wherein the second assembly line and job shop are in a second Software Factory that is different from the first Software Factory;

in response to determining that the work packet is authorized for reassignment to the second assembly line and job shop, determining if the second assembly line and job shop are qualified to work on the work packet; and

in response to determining that the second assembly line and job shop are qualified to work on the work packet, reassigning the work packet to the second assembly line and job shop.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining that the second assembly line and job shop are qualified is based on experience and expertise levels of each member of the second assembly line and job shop.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining that the second assembly line and job shop are qualified is further based on an on-time performance level of the second assembly line and job shop on past work packet coding projects.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining that the second assembly line and job shop are qualified is further based on current time availability of all members of the second assembly line and job shop.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a competence of multiple assembly lines and job shops; and

selecting a most competent assembly line and job shop from the multiple assembly lines and job shops, wherein the most competent assembly line and job shop have a combined experience level of team members, a combined expertise level of the team members, and a current team time availability that match performance parameters needed to complete a final work packet.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein executing the work packets comprises receiving declarative specifications of the work packets before compiling and processing the work packets, wherein the declarative specifications describe characteristics and attributes of the work packets.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein operations within the first Software Factory further comprise:

collecting a plurality of software artifacts that have been archived during an assembly of previous work packets;

collecting a plurality of metrics that have been utilized during the assembly of previous work packets;

defining a template for a new work packet, wherein the template for the new work packet is created by a packet definition process that defines attributes that are needed in the new work packet;

under a control of the packet definition process, selecting requisite software artifacts from the plurality of software artifacts;

under the control of the packet definition process, selecting requisite metrics from the plurality of metrics; and

sending the template, requisite software artifacts and requisite metrics to a packet assembly process, wherein the packet assembly process assembles, under the control of the template and the requisite metrics, the requisite software artifacts to create the new work packet.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the first assembly line and job shop further comprise:

a published set of services and a published set of requirements for the first assembly line and job shop, wherein the published set of services and the published set of requirements are published to the design center, and wherein the published set of services describes what assembly services for assembling work packets are offered by the first assembly line and job shop, and wherein the published set of requirements describes what execution environment must be used by work packets that are provided by the first design center for assembly in the first assembly line and job shop.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the work packets include governance procedures, standards, reused assets, work packet instructions, integration strategy, schedules, exit criteria and artifact checklist templates for Input/Output routines.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the first assembly line and job shop include software that automatically recognizes a project type for the project proposal, and wherein the assembly line and job shop assemble the work packets into the customized deliverable unit of software in accordance with the project type that is recognized by the assembly line.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the first assembly line and job shop conduct an integration test, a system test, a system integration test and a performance test of the software deliverables, wherein the integration test tests the software deliverables for compatibility with a client'"'"'s system, the system test checks the client'"'"'s system to ensure that the client'"'"'s system is operating properly, the system integration test tests for bugs that may arise when the software deliverables are integrated into the client'"'"'s system, and the performance test tests the software deliverables for defects as they are executing in the client'"'"'s system.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the work packet is designed to be utilized by a first project for a first customer, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

determining, according to descriptors appended to the work packet, if a completed work packet is authorized to be reused by a second project for a second customer; and

in response to determining that the work packet is authorized to be used on the second project, lowering a charge to the first customer for creating, testing and delivering the work packet to the first customer.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first design center comprises a requirements analysis team and an architecture team, wherein the requirements analysis team collects business requirements from customer lines of business and populates these business requirements into software tools required to create software deliverables, wherein the architecture team takes an output from the requirements analysis team and applies architectural decision factors to model a design for the software deliverables, releases the work packets, and ensures capabilities of assembly lines match work packet requirements.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the work packet further comprises a header, wherein the header comprises a unique identification number, a description of the work packet, a type description of the work packet, and an identifier of a parent object from which the work packet has inheritance.

16. A system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to the processor;

a memory coupled to the data bus; and

a tangible computer-usable medium on which is stored computer program code, the computer program code comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for utilizing design centers, assembly lines and job shops across multiple software factory configurations of a global delivery network by performing the steps of;

receiving, by hardware logic associated with a first Software Factory, a signal indicating that a work packet has arrived at a first design center of the first Software Factory, wherein the work packet is a self-contained work unit that is assembled with other work packets by a first assembly line and job shop within the first Software Factory to create a customized deliverable unit of software, wherein each work packet constitutes a contractual agreement that governs a relationship among a design center, a software factory governance board, a software factory operations unit, and an assembly line and job shop in the software factory, wherein the design center breaks a software project into major functional areas, wherein the software factory governance board determines whether or not to allow the software factory to accept the software project, wherein the software factory operations unit dispatches the software project to the assembly line, wherein the assembly line and job shop receive and execute work packets that are specified by the design center to create the customized deliverable unit of software, wherein said each work packet further comprises an exit criteria, and wherein the exit criteria is a checklist for returning said each work packet from the assembly line to the software factory operations unit and for returning the customized deliverable unit of software from a customer to the software factory;

examining descriptors appended to the work packet to determine if the work packet is authorized to be reassigned from the first design center to a second design center, wherein the first design center is contractually responsible for designing the work packet, wherein the descriptors include a description of final deliverable that will be generated by the software factory, and wherein descriptors appended to the work packet serve as an indicator in determining whether a completed work packet from a previous project can be authorized to be reused by another project;

in response to determining that the work packet is authorized for reassignment to the second design center, determining if the second design center is qualified to work on the work packet; and

in response to determining that the second design center is qualified to work on the work packet, reassigning the work packet to the second design center.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

receiving, by hardware logic associated with a first Software Factory, a signal indicating that a work packet has arrived at a first design center of the first Software Factory, wherein the work packet is a self-contained work unit that is assembled with other work packets by a first assembly line and job shop within the first Software Factory to create a customized deliverable unit of software, wherein each work packet constitutes a contractual agreement that governs a relationship among a design center, a software factory governance board, a software factory operations unit, and an assembly line and job shop in the software factory, wherein the design center breaks a software project into major functional areas, wherein the software factory governance board determines whether or not to allow the software factory to accept the software project, wherein the software factory operations unit dispatches the software project to the assembly line, wherein the assembly line and job shop receive and execute work packets that are specified by the design center to create the customized deliverable unit of software, wherein said each work packet further comprises an exit criteria, and wherein the exit criteria is a checklist for returning said each work packet from the assembly line to the software factory operations unit and for returning the customized deliverable unit of software from a customer to the software factory;

examining descriptors appended to the work packet to determine if the work packet is authorized to be reassigned from the first design center to a second design center, wherein the first design center is contractually responsible for designing the work packet, wherein the descriptors include a description of final deliverable that will be generated by the software factory, and wherein descriptors appended to the work packet serve as an indicator in determining whether a completed work packet from a previous project can be authorized to be reused by another project;

in response to determining that the work packet is authorized for reassignment to the second design center, determining if the second design center is qualified to work on the work packet; and

in response to determining that the second design center is qualified to work on the work packet, reassigning the work packet to the second design center.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the tangible computer-usable storage medium is a component of a remote server, and wherein the computer executable instructions are deployable to a supervisory computer from the remote server.

19. A system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to the processor;

a memory coupled to the data bus; and

a tangible computer-usable medium on which is stored computer program code, the computer program code comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for utilizing the assembly lines and job shops of a global delivery network by performing the steps of;

receiving a work packet at a first assembly line and job shop of a Software Factory, wherein the work packet is a self-contained work unit that is assembled with other work packets by a first assembly line and job shop within the first Software Factory to create a customized deliverable unit of software, wherein each work packet constitutes a contractual agreement that governs a relationship among a design center, a software factory governance board, a software factory operations unit, and an assembly line and job shop in the software factory, wherein the design center breaks a software project into major functional areas, wherein the software factory governance board determines whether or not to allow the software factory to accept the software project, wherein the software factory operations unit dispatches the software project to the assembly line, wherein the assembly line and job shop receive and execute work packets that are specified by the design center to create the customized deliverable unit of software, wherein said each work packet further comprises an exit criteria, and wherein the exit criteria is a checklist for returning said each work packet from the assembly line to the software factory operations unit and for returning the customized deliverable unit of software from a customer to the software factory;

examining the descriptors appended to the work packet to determine if the work packet is authorized to be reassigned from the first assembly line and job shop to a second assembly line and job shop, wherein the first assembly line and job shop is responsible for delivering the work packet, wherein the descriptors include a description of final deliverable that will be generated by the software factory, and wherein descriptors appended to the work packet serve as an indicator in determining whether a completed work packet from a previous project can be authorized to be reused by another project;

in response to determining that the work packet is authorized for reassignment to the second assembly line and job shop, determining if the second assembly line and job shop is qualified to work on the work packet; and

in response to determining that the second assembly line and job shop is qualified to work on the work packet, reassigning the work packet to the second assembly line and job shop.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

receiving a work packet at an assembly line and job shop of a Software Factory, wherein the work packet is a self-contained work unit that is assembled with other work packets by a first assembly line and job shop within the first Software Factory to create a customized deliverable unit of software, wherein each work packet constitutes a contractual agreement that governs a relationship among a design center, a software factory governance board, a software factory operations unit, and an assembly line and job shop in the software factory, wherein the design center breaks a software project into major functional areas, wherein the software factory governance board determines whether or not to allow the software factory to accept the software project, wherein the software factory operations unit dispatches the software project to the assembly line, wherein the assembly line and job shop receive and execute work packets that are specified by the design center to create the customized deliverable unit of software, wherein said each work packet further comprises an exit criteria, and wherein the exit criteria is a checklist for returning said each work packet from the assembly line to the software factory operations unit and for returning the customized deliverable unit of software from a customer to the software factory;

examining descriptors appended to the work packet to determine if the work packet is authorized to be reassigned from the first assembly line and job shop to a second assembly line and job shop, wherein the first assembly line and job shop is responsible for delivering the work packet, wherein the descriptors include a description of final deliverable that will be generated by the software factory, and wherein descriptors appended to the work packet serve as an indicator in determining whether a completed work packet from a previous project can be authorized to be reused by another project;

in response to determining that the work packet is authorized for reassignment to the second assembly line and job shop, determining if the second assembly line and job shop is qualified to work on the work packet; and

in response to determining that the second assembly line and job shop is qualified to work on the work packet, reassigning the work packet to the second assembly line and job shop.