Work item tracking system for projects
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsKevin Kelly, Sam Guckenheimer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A work item tracking system that provides for processing of more than one type of work item. Work item types may be defined using a data structure. Fields and characteristics of the work item are defined within the work item type definition. Programs within the work item tracking system may use this information to create, modify and otherwise process work items of a single type or to form links between work items of different types.
Claims20
A method of processing work items in a computer system having computer storage media with computer data storage locations associated therewith, the method comprising:
- providing a set of work item characteristics;
- creating a definition of a first type of work item, the definition comprising a first subset of the work item characteristics in the set;
- and
- creating in the computer storage media a data structure representing a work item from the definition.
A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps comprising:
- (a) defining at least one work item of a first work item type comprised of a first set of work item characteristics;
- (b) defining at least one work item of a second work item type comprised of a second set of work item characteristics, the second set being at least partially different from the first set;
- and
- (c) processing, in one operation, work items of the first work item type and the second work item type.
A computer-readable medium for use in connection with a system for processing work items, the computer-readable medium having stored thereon a 30 data structure representing a work item type, a work item of the work item type being capable of being processed by the system for processing work items to take one of a set of states, the work item being capable of being displayed for a user on a human perceptible medium, the data structure comprising:
- (a) a first data region containing data representing a definition of a field in the work item to contain data related to at least one characteristic of the work item;
- (b) a second data region containing data defining information related to the set of states;
- and
- (c) a third data region containing data defining information related to properties for displaying the work item on the human perceptible medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.