Requirement statement manipulation system

• US 8,566,731 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Subramanian, Venkatesh, Kass, Alex, Verma, Kunal, Titus, Gary, Gupta, Deepmala, Shivaram, Santhosh Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUONG, TRUC T
• Application Number:
  US12/830,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715/764, 715/765, 715/772
• US Class Current: 715/762
• 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 requirement statement manipulation system is configured to create and edit requirement statements of various types. The requirement statement manipulation system may generate an interactive visual environment to receive input used in manipulating a requirement statement through creation or editing. The interactive visual environment may include specific requirement-type interfaces allowing requirement statements of a specific type to be manipulated. The interactive visual environment may manipulate requirement statements based on textual input, as well as through text generation.

Claims

1. A requirement statement manipulation system comprising:

a database configured to store a requirement statement data set, wherein the requirement statement data set is configured to include a plurality of requirement statements, wherein each requirement statement describes a design aspect of a software system, and wherein each of the plurality of requirement statements corresponds to one of a plurality of predetermined requirement statement types; and

an interactive requirement manipulation system executable by a processor to;

receive a first input corresponding to a selection of one of the plurality of predetermined requirement statement types;

select a requirement manipulation interface module from a plurality of requirement manipulation interface modules, the requirement manipulation interface module corresponding to the selected predetermined requirement statement type;

generate a first display according to the requirement manipulation interface module that provides a visual interactive environment configured to include a first manipulation action for manipulation of a requirement statement of the selected predetermined requirement statement type;

receive a second input corresponding to the first manipulation action to manipulate the requirement statement;

perform the first manipulation action on the requirement statement in response to the second input;

generate a second display to indicate performance of the first manipulation action on the requirement statement according to the visual interactive environment provided by the requirement manipulation interface module, and

receive a third input corresponding to another selection of one of the plurality of predetermined requirement statement types that is different from the predetermined requirement statement type selected according to the first input.

2. The requirement statement manipulation system of claim 1, wherein the first manipulation action is a creation of the requirement statement.

3. The requirement statement manipulation system of claim 1, wherein the requirement statement is a pre-existing requirement statement, and wherein the first manipulation action is an edit of the requirement statement.

4. The requirement statement manipulation system claim 1, wherein the interactive requirement manipulation system is further executable to establish a hierarchical relationship between the requirement statement and a preexisting requirement statement.

5. The requirement statement manipulation system of claim 1, wherein the interactive requirement manipulation system comprises a language determination module executable by the processor to select at least one word to include in the requirement statement.

6. The requirement statement manipulation system of claim 1, wherein the interactive requirement manipulation system is further executable to import at least one requirement-statement manipulation tool to perform the requirement manipulation action.

7. A requirement statement manipulation system comprising:

a database configured to store a requirement statement data set, wherein the requirement statement data set is configured to include a plurality of requirement statements, wherein each requirement statement describes a design aspect of a software system, and wherein each of the plurality of requirement statements corresponds to one of a plurality of predetermined requirement statement types; and

an interactive requirement manipulation system executable by a processor, wherein the interactive requirement manipulation system comprises;

a requirement manipulation module executable by the processor to;

receive a first input corresponding to a selected one of the plurality of predetermined requirement statement types;

determine the one of the plurality of predetermined requirement statement types based on the input;

generate a first output signal configured to drive a display to provide a visual interactive environment configured to manipulate a requirement statement of the selected one of the plurality of predetermined requirement statement types;

receive a second input indicative of a first manipulation action, wherein the first manipulation action corresponds to the requirement statement and wherein the first manipulation action comprises one of a declarative requirement statement, an agile-based requirement statement, and a use-ease-based requirement statement;

perform the first manipulation action in response to the second input;

generate a second output signal configured to drive the display to indicate performance of the first manipulation action through the visual interactive environment.

8. A method of operating a requirement manipulation system, the method comprising:

receiving a first input indicative of a request to manipulate at least one requirement statement having a predetermined requirement statement type, wherein the at least one requirement statement describes a design aspect of a software system;

selecting a requirement manipulation interface, from a plurality of requirement manipulation interfaces, the requirement manipulation interface corresponding to the predetermined requirement statement type;

in response to receipt of the first input, generating an interactive visual environment on a display based on the requirement manipulation interface, the interactive visual environment including at least one requirement manipulation action to manipulate the at least one requirement statement, wherein the interactive visual environment is configured to provide at least one visual indication that the first input is received;

receiving a second input indicative of a request to perform the at least one requirement manipulation action;

performing the at least one requirement manipulation action on the at least one requirement statement in response to receiving the second input;

updating the interactive visual environment to indicate performance of the at least one requirement manipulation action on the at least one requirement statement, and

receiving a third input corresponding to a selection of one of a plurality of predetermined requirement statement types that is different from the predetermined requirement statement type corresponding to the first input.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the at least one requirement manipulation action comprises the initial step of creating the at least one requirement statement.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising selecting and including text in the at least one requirement statement.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the at least one requirement manipulation action comprises:

recalling the at least one requirement statement from a database; and

editing the at least one requirement statement.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing a requirement-type-specific window within the interactive visual environment.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating a visual hierarchy indicating a hierarchical relationship between the requirement statement and a preexisting requirement statement.

14. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions executable by a processor, the computer-readable storage medium comprising:

instructions to receive a first input indicative of a request to manipulate at least one requirement statement of a predetermined requirement statement type, wherein the at least one requirement statement describes a design aspect of a software system;

instructions to select a requirement manipulation interface, from a plurality of requirement manipulation interfaces, the requirement manipulation interface corresponding to the predetermined requirement statement type;

instructions to generate an interactive visual environment on a display, based on the requirement manipulation interface, in response to the first input, wherein the interactive visual environment is configured to provide at least one visual indication that the first input is received;

instructions to receive a second input indicative of a request to perform at least one requirement manipulation action to manipulate the at least one requirement statement;

instructions to perform the at least one requirement manipulation action on the at least one requirement statement in response to receiving the second input;

instructions to update the interactive visual environment to indicate performance of the at least one requirement manipulation action on the at least one requirement statement, and

instructions to receive a third input corresponding to a selection of one of a plurality of predetermined requirement statement types that is different from the predetermined requirement statement type corresponding to the first input.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions to import at least one requirement-based tool to perform the at least one requirement manipulation action.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions to recall at least a portion of the at least one requirement statement.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions to perform the at least one requirement manipulation action comprise instructions to create or edit the at least one requirement statement.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions to generate an interactive visual environment on a display comprise instructions to generate a user-perspective environment in the interactive visual environment.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions to generate an interactive visual environment on a display comprise instructions to generate a scenario-based environment in the interactive visual environment.