# US 10,768,928 B2 · Software development work item management system

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- Number: US 10,768,928 B2
- Document ID: US10768928B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/820,605
- Filed: 2017-11-22
- Published: 2018-03-22
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-21
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Takehiko Amano; Yoshio Horiuchi; Takaaki Kawase; Ken Kumagai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10768928B2

## CPC

- G06F 8/71: Version control (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57); Configuration management
- G06F 11/3684: {for test design, e.g. generating new test cases}
- G06F 11/3688: {for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites}
- G06F 11/3698: Environments for analysis, debugging or testing of software
- G06F 11/3051: {Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs (verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247)}
- G06F 11/368: {for test version control, e.g. updating test cases to a new software version}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A software development management system for use by multiple developers includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire, for each of a plurality of work items each representing a work to change at least one file, designation of a file associated with the work item. A dependency detection unit detects dependencies among a number of files. A determination unit determines, on the basis of the dependencies among the files, whether there is a dependency relationship between at least two work items based on the dependency relationship between the files detected by the dependency detection unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information processor comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire, for each of a plurality of work items each representing a work to change at least one file, designation of a file associated with the work item;
a change recording unit configured to record the occurrence of a change associated with a plurality of files and a history of changes made to the plurality of files;
a dependency detection unit configured to detect dependencies among the plurality of files using a static analysis utility program without running build;
a determination unit configured to determine, on the basis of the dependencies among the files, whether there is a dependency relationship between at least two work items based on the dependency relationship between the files detected by the dependency detection unit and generate a related link between the two work items;
an operatively connected recording medium to record a name of the changed file and record an occurrence of change in association with the file, wherein the occurrence of change occurs within a predetermined timing and based at least in part on the determining of the dependencies;
a generation unit operable, in response to a change made to a file associated with one work item, to generate a testing work item for checking whether the change will cause a problem on a changed result by another work item having a dependency relationship with the one work item, the generation unit generating the testing work item on the basis of the other work item; and
a notification unit operable, in response to a changing work performed on a file corresponding to one work item, to notify users associated with other work item(s) having dependency relationship(s) with the one work item, of the occurrence of the changing work at a predetermined timing,
wherein the acquisition unit reads a design document in which related files and changes made to the files are described for each of a plurality of work items, to identify the files related to the respective work items, wherein the design document is a work breakdown structure that describes work items through an entire software developing process and describes files related to the respective work items and any changes made to the plurality of files, and for each of the work items described in the design document, associates the each of the work items with the plurality of files related to the work item and the files whose changes are described.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information processor according to claim 1, wherein in response to an executable program built from a plurality of files, the dependency detection unit detects the dependencies among the files.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The information processor according to claim 1, wherein
at least one work item has a lower hierarchical work item representing at least a partial work included in the work corresponding to the work item, and
the determination unit determines that a work item that is associated with a file having a dependency relationship with a file associated with one work item and a lower hierarchical work item of the one work item has a dependency relationship with the one work item.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The information processor according to claim 1, further comprising a correspondence input unit configured to associate at least one work item with a related work item in accordance with designation by a user, wherein
the determination unit determines that a work item that is associated with a file having a dependency relationship with a file related to one work item and a work item that has been associated with the one work item by the user has a dependency relationship with the one work item.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The information processor according to claim 1, wherein
the acquisition unit acquires a file related to at least one work item from a user, and
the determination unit determines that a work item that is associated with a file having a dependency relationship with a file that has been associated with one work item by the user has a dependency relationship with the one work item.

### Claim 6

A computer program product for resolving conflicts in software under development, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform:
acquiring, for each of a plurality of work items each representing a work to change at least one file, designation of a file associated with the work item;
recording the occurrence of a change associated with a plurality of files and a history of changes made to the plurality of files;
detecting dependencies among the plurality of files using a static analysis utility program without running build;
recording a name of the changed file on an operatively connected recording medium, and record an occurrence of change in association with the file on the recording medium, wherein the occurrence of change occurs within a predetermined timing and based at least in part on the detecting of the dependencies;
determining, on the basis of the dependencies among the files, whether there is a dependency relationship between at least two work items based on the dependency relationship between the files detected by the dependency detection unit and generating a related link between the two work items;
in response to a change made to a file associated with one work item, generating a testing work item for checking whether the change will cause a problem on a changed result by another work item having a dependency relationship with the one work item, the testing work item based on the other work item; and
notifying users associated with other work item(s) having dependency relationship(s) with the one work item, of the occurrence of the changing work at a predetermined timing, and
wherein the acquiring further comprises reading a design document in which related files and changes made to the files are described for each of a plurality of work items, to identify the files related to the respective work items, wherein the design document is a work breakdown structure that describes work items through an entire software developing process and describes files related to the respective work items and any changes made to the plurality of files, and for each of the work items described in the design document, associating the each of the work items with the plurality of files related to the work item and the files whose changes are described.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The computer program product according to claim 6, further comprising detecting the dependencies among the files.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The computer program product according to claim 6, further comprising determining that a work item that is associated with a file having a dependency relationship with a file associated with one work item and a lower hierarchical work item of the one work item has a dependency relationship with the one work item.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The computer program product according to claim 6, further comprising associating at least one work item with a related work item in accordance with designation by a user; and
determining that a work item that is associated with a file having a dependency relationship with a file related to one work item and a work item that has been associated with the one work item by the user has a dependency relationship with the one work item.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The computer program product according to claim 6, further comprising:
acquiring a file related to at least one work item from a user, and
determining that a work item that is associated with a file having a dependency relationship with a file that has been associated with one work item by the user has a dependency relationship with the one work item.

### Claim 11

A method performed by a computer having a processor coupled to memory-stored executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform implementation of the method, comprising:
acquiring, for each of a plurality of work items each representing a work to change at least one file, designation of a file associated with the work item;
recording the occurrence of a change associated with a plurality of files and a history for changes made to the plurality of files;
detecting dependencies among the plurality of files using a static analysis utility program without running build;
recording a name of the changed file on an operatively connected recording medium, and record an occurrence of change in association with the file on the recording medium, wherein the occurrence of change occurs within a predetermined timing and based at least in part on the detecting of the dependencies;
determining, on the basis of the dependencies among the files, whether there is a dependency relationship between at least two work items based on the dependency relationship between the files detected by the dependency detection unit and generate a related link between the two work items;
in response to a change made to a file associated with one work item, generating a testing work item for checking whether the change will cause a problem on a changed result by another work item having a dependency relationship with the one work item, the testing work item based on the other work item; and
notifying users associated with other work item(s) having dependency relationship(s) with the one work item, of the occurrence of the changing work at a predetermined timing, and
wherein the acquiring further comprises reading a design document in which related files and changes made to the files are described for each of a plurality of work items, to identify the files related to the respective work items, wherein the design document is a work breakdown structure that describes work items through an entire software developing process and describes files related to the respective work items and any changes made to the plurality of files, and for each of the work items described in the design document, associating the each of the work items with the plurality of files related to the work item and the files whose changes are described.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting the dependencies among the files.