Method and system for building an application

• US 8,769,482 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Batey, Christopher Michael, Shepherd, Katie
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US12/639,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

A method and system for building an application are provided. The method includes generating a user model relating to a new application to be built. The user model may include at least one role with one or more associated tasks. A task list is compiled for the tasks in the user model, including removing any duplications of tasks. A task to application component mapping is accessed. The application components to which the tasks are mapped may be spread over one or more existing applications. The application components mapped to by the tasks are retrieved and compiled in the new application.

Claims

1. A method for building an application comprising:

generating a user model relating to a new application to be built, the user model comprising at least one defined role of a user with one or more associated tasks to be performed by the user to fulfill the at least one defined role;

compiling a task list for the tasks associated with the at least one defined role in the user model, including removing any duplications of tasks;

accessing a task to application component mapping stored on memory, wherein application components to which the tasks associated with the at least one defined role are mapped are spread over one or more existing applications;

retrieving the application components mapped to by the tasks associated with the at least one defined role;

compiling the retrieved components in the new application;

dynamically changing the at least one defined role in the user model; and

updating the new application by updating the application components to which the tasks associated with the at least one defined role are mapped.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application components of the one or more existing applications are specific to a software development kit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more existing applications are rich client platforms for the software development kit and the application components are plugins.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the user model comprises generating a cross-product user model including tasks from one or more user models of existing applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application components have dependencies and the method includes dynamically determining the dependencies during building of the application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one role of the user model includes a goal or a set of goals linked to at least one of the one or more associated tasks, and the new application is built to achieve the goal or set of goals to fulfill the at least one defined role.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the user model includes a cross-product goal with two or more product specific sub-goals, each of said sub-goals having one or more associated tasks.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user model is a unified modeling language model.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein application components to which the tasks associated with the at least one defined role are mapped are spread over two or more existing applications.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating the user model and the new application in response to a change in the at least one defined role of the user.

11. A computer program product building an application, comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having encoded thereon:

computer readable program code for generating a user model relating to a new application to be built, the user model comprising at least one defined role of a user with one or more associated tasks to be performed by the user to fulfill the at least one defined role;

computer readable program code for compiling a task list for the tasks associated with the at least one defined role in the user model, including removing any duplications of tasks;

computer readable program code for accessing a task to application component mapping, wherein application components to which the tasks associated with the at least one defined role are mapped are spread over one or more existing applications;

computer readable program code for retrieving the application components mapped to by the tasks associated with the at least one defined role;

computer readable program code for compiling the retrieved components in the new application;

computer readable program code for dynamically changing the at least one defined role in the user model; and

computer readable program code for updating the new application by updating the application components to which the tasks associated with the at least one defined role are mapped.

12. A method of providing a service to a customer over a network, the service comprising:

generating a user model relating to a new application to be built, the user model comprising at least one defined role of a user with one or more associated tasks to be performed by the user to fulfill the at least one defined role;

compiling a task list for the tasks associated with the at least one defined role in the user model, including removing any duplications of tasks;

accessing a task to application component mapping stored on memory, wherein application components to which the tasks associated with the at least one defined role are mapped are spread over one or more existing applications;

retrieving the application components mapped to by the associated with the at least one defined role;

compiling the retrieved components in the new application;

dynamically changing the at least one defined role in the user model; and

updating the new application by updating the application components to which the tasks associated with the at least one defined role are mapped.

13. A system for building an application comprising:

a processor;

a memory operably connected to said processor;

a user model generator stored on said memory and executable by said processor to generate a user model relating to a new application to be built, the user model including at least one defined role of a user with one or more associated tasks to be performed by the user to fulfill the at least one defined role;

a task list compiler stored on said memory and executable by said processor to compile a list of the tasks associated with the at least one defined role in the user model, including removing any duplications of tasks;

a task to application component mapping stored on said memory and executable by said processor to map application components to the tasks associated with the at least one defined role, wherein the application components are spread over one or more existing applications;

an application shell stored on said memory to which the application components mapped to by the tasks associated with the at least one defined role are added; and

a mechanism stored on said memory and executable by said processor to dynamically change the at least one defined role in the user model and update the new application by updating the application components to which the tasks associated with the at least one defined role are mapped.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the application components of the one or more existing applications are specific to a software development kit.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more existing applications are rich client platforms for the software development kit and the application components are plugins.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the user model generator includes generating a cross-product user model including tasks from one or more user models of existing applications.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the application components have dependencies and the system includes a mechanism for dynamically determining the dependencies during building of the application.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the user model is a unified modelling language model.