Identifying and Measuring Adherence to Software Development Requirements

• US 20080163157A1
• Filed: 03/15/2008
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dale Martin Schultz, Luis Zapata, Michael Francis Moriarty, Steven Edward Atkin, Susan Jane Williams, William James Sullivan
• Original Assignee: Dale Martin Schultz, Luis Zapata, Michael Francis Moriarty, Steven Edward Atkin, Susan Jane Williams, William James Sullivan
• Inventors: Sullivan, William James, Williams, Susan Jane, Atkin, Steven Edward, Schultz, Dale Martin, Moriarty, Michael Francis, Zapata, Luis
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management

Abstract

An approach to identifying and measuring adherence to software development requirements is presented. A software agent provides a user with product and technical questions. In turn, the user provides product and technical answers, or attributes, which are stored in a repository. A globalization plan generator uses the product and technical attributes to generate a software development plan. In addition, a globalization verification test generator uses the globalization plan to generate a test plan and measure the success of the software product based upon the test plan.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing at least one of a product question and a technical question to a user;

receiving, from the user, product attributes corresponding to the product question and technical attributes corresponding to the technical questions based upon a software product;

analyzing the product attributes and the technical attributes received from the user; and

generating a software development plan for the software product based upon the analysis.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing further comprises:

retrieving expert information from a data storage area; and

comparing the expert information with the product attributes and the technical attributes.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the product attributes include an international marketplace;

and

wherein the software development plan includes a globalization plan corresponding to the international marketplace.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

identifying language translation requirements corresponding to the international marketplace; and

including the language translation requirements in the globalization plan.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the software development plan to a test generator; and

receiving, from the test generator, a software verification test plan based upon the software development plan.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

testing the software product using the software verification test plan; and

generating a scorecard based upon the testing.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, based upon the technical attributes, that development tools inhibit correct implementation of the software product; and

including a noncompliance remark in the software development plan in response to the determination.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer operable medium having computer readable code, the computer readable code being effective to;

provide at least one of a product question and a technical question to a user;

receive, from the user, product attributes corresponding to the product question and technical attributes corresponding to the technical questions based upon a software product;

analyze the product attributes and the technical attributes received from the user; and

generate a software development plan for the software product based upon the analysis.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:

retrieve expert information from a data storage area; and

compare the expert information with the product attributes and the technical attributes.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the product attributes include an international marketplace;

and

wherein the software development plan includes a globalization plan corresponding to the international marketplace.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:

identify language translation requirements corresponding to the international marketplace; and

include the language translation requirements in the globalization plan.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:

provide the software development plan to a test generator; and

receive, from the test generator, a software verification test plan based upon the software development plan.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:

test the software product using the software verification test plan; and

generate a scorecard based upon the testing.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:

determine, based upon the technical attributes, that development tools inhibit correct implementation of the software product; and

include a noncompliance remark in the software development plan in response to the determination.

18. The information handling system of claim 10 wherein the plan generation tool is further effective to:

identify language translation requirements corresponding to the international marketplace; and

include the language translation requirements in the globalization plan.

15. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

one or more nonvolatile storage devices accessible by the processors; and

a plan generation tool for generating a software development plan, the plan generation tool being effective to;

provide at least one of a product question and a technical question to a user over a computer network;

receive, from the user, product attributes corresponding to the product question and technical attributes corresponding to the technical questions based upon a software product over the computer network;

analyze, using one of the processors, the product attributes and the technical attributes received from the user; and

generate the software development plan for the software product based upon the analysis.

16. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the plan generation tool is further effective to:

retrieve expert information from one of the nonvolatile storage areas; and

compare the expert information with the product attributes and the technical attributes.

17. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the product attributes include an international marketplace;

and

wherein the software development plan includes a globalization plan corresponding to the international marketplace.

19. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the plan generation tool is further effective to:

provide the software development plan to a test generator; and

receive, from the test generator, a software verification test plan based upon the software development plan.

20. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the plan generation tool is further effective to:

determine, based upon the technical attributes, that development tools inhibit correct implementation of the software product; and

include a noncompliance remark in the software development plan in response to the determination.