Interactive blueprinting for packaged applications

• US 8,612,931 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2010
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhandar, Manisha D., Goodwin, Richard T., Ivan, Anca A., Lee, Juhnyoung, Mazzoleni, Pietro, Mohan, Rakesh, Rembert, Aubrey J., Srivastava, Biplav
• Primary Examiner(s): TECKLU, ISAAC TUKU
• Application Number:
  US12/835,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

An interactive design of process model for packaged application software installation and configuration generates a process model from a natural language description of software installation or configuration related operation. A data structure representing one or more work products related to the process model is identified, and one or more elements of the data structure are identified that are related to one or more sub-processes of the process model. Input information associated with said one or more sub-processes is captured and stored. The input information is linked with the one or more elements of the data structure related to said one or more sub-processes. The one or more sub-processes in the process model may be also demonstrated through a simulation.

Claims

1. A method for interactive design of process model for software installation and configuration, comprising:

generating a process model from a natural language description of software installation or configuration related operation;

identifying a data structure representing one or more work products related to the process model, the work products comprising at least documentations associated with deployment of IT systems;

identifying one or more elements of the data structure related to one or more sub-processes of the process model;

capturing input information associated with said one or more sub-processes;

storing the input information and linking, by a processor, the stored input information with said one or more elements of the data structure that correspond to said one or more sub-processes;

displaying a simulation of said one or more sub-processes in the process model, wherein the simulation uses the stored input information;

graphically displaying the process model including the one or more sub-processes via a graphical user interface, wherein the step of capturing including allowing a user to select a sub-process for inputting information for the selected sub-process;

displaying an annotation symbol associated with the displayed sub-process, if the displayed sub-process has associated input information captured and stored previously; and

allowing the user to select the annotation symbol to retrieve and display the associated input information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying includes:

creating one or more simulation screens based on one or more resolution options determined from the input information; and

generating one or more scripts that describe operation steps in the one or more simulation screens.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

storing the one or more sub-processes in the process model as a computer readable object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of capturing input information includes:

providing a user interface for capturing the input information, the user interface prompting for input information including items identified as one or more attributes of the one or more elements of the data structure that describe the sub-process whose input information is being captured.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the input information includes one or more of gap, risk, requirement, note, question, or issue associated with the sub-process whose input information is being captured.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

searching for other information associated with one or more past projects having a sub-process related to the displayed sub-process and displaying said other information with the associated input information.

7. A computer readable storage medium, excluding signal per se, storing a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for interactive design of process model for software installation and configuration, comprising:

generating a process model from a natural language description of software installation or configuration related operation;

identifying a data structure representing one or more work products related to the process model, the work products comprising at least documentations associated with deployment of IT systems;

identifying one or more elements of the data structure related to one or more sub-processes of the process model;

capturing input information associated with said one or more sub-processes;

storing the input information and linking, by a processor, the stored input information with said one or more elements of the data structure that correspond to said one or more sub-processes;

displaying a simulation of said one or more sub-processes in the process model, wherein the simulation uses the stored input information,

graphically displaying the process model including the one or more sub-processes via a graphical user interface, wherein the step of capturing including allowing a user to select a sub-process for inputting information for the selected sub-process;

displaying an annotation symbol associated with the displayed sub-process, if the displayed sub-process has associated input information captured and stored previously; and

allowing the user to select the annotation symbol to retrieve and display the associated input information.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the step of demonstrating includes:

creating one or more simulation screens based on one or more resolution options determined from the input information; and

generating one or more scripts that describe the operation steps in the one or more simulation screens.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further including:

storing the one or more sub-processes in the process model as a computer readable object.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the step of capturing input information includes:

providing a user interface for capturing the input information, the user interface prompting for input information including items identified as one or more attributes of the one or more elements of the data structure that describe the sub-process whose input information is being captured.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the input information includes one or more of gap, risk, requirement, note, question, or issue associated with the sub-process whose input information is being captured.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further including:

searching for other information associated with one or more past projects having a sub-process related to the displayed sub-process and displaying said other information with the associated input information.

13. A system for interactive design of process model for packaged application software installation and configuration, comprising:

a processor;

a process design engine operable to execute on the processor and further operable to generate one or more process models from natural language description of a software installation or configuration related operation, the process model including one or more sub-processes of the software installation or configuration related operation, and store the process model in a process repository;

a user interface module operable to display the process model including one or more sub-processes of the process model diagram, the user interface module further operable to enable a user to annotate the one or more sub-processes with information;

an analysis engine operable to analyze information annotated via the user interface and store the information in an information repository, the information being linked to one or more elements of a data structure, the data structure representing one or more work products related to the process model, and the one or more elements corresponding to the one or more sub-processes, the work products comprising at least documentations associated with deployment of IT systems; and

a simulation server operable to simulate one or more processes in the process model,

wherein the user interface module is further operable to display an annotation symbol associated with the displayed sub-process, if the displayed sub-process has associated input information captured and stored previously, the user interface module further operable to allow the user to select the annotation symbol to retrieve and display the associated input information.

14. The system of claim 13, further including:

a recommendation engine operable to query the information repository and provide additional information related to the one or more sub-processes from similar past projects.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the simulation server is operable to create mockup screens for simulating one or more sub-processes of the work operation based on analyzing the information and the additional information.