# US 8,752,012 B2 · Process evaluation device, program and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,752,012 B2 - Document ID: US8752012B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/881,223 - Filed: 2012-09-07 - Published: 2013-08-22 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-09-19 - Assignees: NEC Corporation - Applicants: Shigeru Hosono - Inventors: Shigeru Hosono - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8752012B2 ## CPC - G06F 8/70: Software maintenance or management - G06F 8/10: Requirements analysis; Specification techniques - G06Q 10/0633: Workflow analysis - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A process evaluation device, comprising: a development process definition storage unit which stores definition information on a plurality of processes for developing software and sequence numbers thereof; a transition information acquiring unit which acquires identification information or a sequence number of a new process after a backward transition occurs, wherein a process transition from a certain process referred hereafter as an evaluation origin to said new process is said backward transition when a sequence number of said new process is smaller than a sequence number of said evaluation and a transition information analysis unit which calculates and thereby outputs a backing-away distance which is a difference between a sequence number of said evaluation origin and a sequence number of said new process, is provided, in order to apprehend what are real causes of the development delay. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A processor-executed process evaluation method, comprising: storing definition information on a plurality of processes for developing software and sequence numbers thereof in a development process definition storage means; acquiring identification information or a sequence number of a new process after a backward transition occurs, wherein a process transition from an evaluation origin to said new process is said backward transition when a sequence number of said new process is smaller than a sequence number of said evaluation origin and calculating and thereby outputting a backing-away distance, which is a difference between a sequence number of said evaluation origin and a sequence number of said new process, for said backward transition. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The processor-executed process evaluation method according to claim 1, comprising: storing a number of times on each said backing-away distance in a standard transition analysis information storage means; acquiring said identification information or said sequence number of process after said transition from a development supporting device which detects transition of a process; and calculating and thereby outputting on each said backing-away distance a difference of number of times between a number of times said backing-away distance is calculated on each calculated said backing-away distance and said number of times on each said backing-away distance which is stored in said standard transition analysis information storage means. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The processor-executed process evaluation method according to claim 2, comprising: outputting a first development delay factor information when said difference of number of times of said backing-away distance whose said backing-away distance is equal to or more than specified distance is equal to or more than specified number of times; and outputting a second development delay factor information when said difference of number of times of said backing-away distance whose said backing-away distance is less than specified distance is equal to or more than specified number of times. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The processor-executed process evaluation method according to claim 1, further comprising: outputting a first development delay factor information when a backing-away distance in said backward transition is larger than said designated said backing-away distance in the case that said backward transition is said backward transition occurred after said number of times which is stored in said standard transition analysis information storage means for correlating a designated backing-away distance and a number of times of said designated backward transition and storing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The processor-executed process evaluation method according to claim 4, comprising: storing further a designated second backing-away distance and a second number of times which is larger than said number of times of said designated backward transition in said standard transition analysis information storage means, and outputting a second development delay factor information when a backing-away distance in said backward transition is less than said second backing-away distance in the case that said backward transition is said backing-away transition which occurred after said backward transition of said second number of times. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The processor-executed process evaluation method according to claim 1, comprising: acquiring a process retention time on each process from transition time to each process to further transition time to a next process; and outputting a second development delay factor information when a process retention time in the same process is increasing with passage of time. ### Claim 7 A process evaluation device, comprising: a development process definition memory storage unit which stores definition information on a plurality of processes for developing software and sequence numbers thereof; a transition information acquiring unit which acquires identification information or a sequence number of a new process after a backward transition occurs, wherein a process transition from an evaluation origin to said new process is said backward transition when a sequence number of said new process is smaller than a sequence number of said evaluation origin; and a transition information analysis unit which calculates and thereby outputs a backing-away distance, which is a difference between a sequence number of said evaluation origin and a sequence number of said new process, for said backward transition. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The process evaluation device according to claim 7, which is connected with a development supporting device for detecting transition of a process characterized and wherein said transition information acquisition unit acquires said identification information or said sequence number of process after said transition from said development supporting device, further comprising: a standard transition analysis information storage unit which stores a number of times on each said backing-away distance; and a transition analysis information comparison unit which calculates and thereby outputs on each said backing-away distance a difference of number of times between a number of times said backing-away distance is calculated on each said backing-away distance which said transition information analysis unit calculated and said number of times on each said backing-way distance which is stored in said standard transition analysis information storage unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The process evaluation device according to claim 8, wherein said transition analysis information comparison unit outputs a first development delay factor information when said difference of number of times of said backing-away distance whose said backing-away distance is equal to or more than specified distance is equal to or more than specified number of times; and outputs a second development delay factor information when said difference of number of times of said backing-away distance whose said backing-away distance is less than specified distance is equal to or more than specified number of times. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The process evaluation device according to claim 7, further comprising: a standard transition analysis information storage unit which correlates a designated backing-away distance and a number of times of said designated backward transition and stores; and a transition analysis information comparison unit which outputs information indicating a first development delay factor information when a backing-away distance in said backward transition is larger than said designated said backing-away distance in the case that said backing-away transition is said backward transition occurred after said number of times which is stored in said standard transition analysis information storage unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The process evaluation device according to claim 10 wherein, said standard transition analysis information storage unit further stores a designated second backing-away distance and a second number of times which is larger than said number of times of said designated backward transition, and said transition analysis information comparison unit outputs a second development delay factor information when a backing-away distance in said backward transition is less than said second backing-away distance in the case that said backward transition is said backward transition which occurred after said backward transition of said second number of times. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The process evaluation device according to claim 7 wherein, said transition information acquisition unit acquires a process retention time on each process from transition time to each process to further transition time to a next process, and said transition information analysis unit outputs information indicating a development internal factor when a process retention time in the same process is increasing with passage of time. ### Claim 13 A non-transient computer-readable medium which stores a process evaluation program which causes a computer having a development process definition storage means for storing definition information on a plurality of processes for developing software and sequence numbers thereof to perform: a transition information acquisition step for acquiring identification information or a sequence number of a new process after a backward transition occurs, wherein a process transition from an evaluation origin to said new process is said backward transition when a sequence number of said new process is smaller than a sequence number of said evaluation origin and a transition information analysis step for calculating and thereby outputting a backing-away distance, which is a difference between a sequence number of said evaluation origin and a sequence number of said new process, for said backward transition. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 13, which stores a process evaluation program which causes said computer, which is connected with a development supporting device which detects transition of process and includes a standard transition analysis information storage means which stores a number of times on each said backing-away distance, to perform: said transition information acquisition step for acquiring said identification information or said sequence number of process after said transition from said development supporting device and further comprising; a transition analysis information comparison step for calculating and thereby outputting on each said backing-away distance a difference of number of times between a number of times said backing-away distance is calculated on each said backing-away distance and said number of times on each said backing-away distance which is stored in said standard transition analysis information storage means. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 14 which stores a process evaluation program which causes said computer to perform: a step of outputting a first development delay factor information when said difference of number of times of said backing-away distance whose said backing-away distance is equal to or more than specified distance is equal to or more than specified number of times; and a step of outputting a second development delay factor information when said difference of number of times of said backing-away distance whose said backing-away distance is less than specified distance is equal to or more than specified number of times. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 13, which stores a process evaluation program which causes said computer, which further comprise a standard transition analysis information storage means for correlating a designated backing-away distance and a number of times of said designated backward transition and storing, to perform: further step of outputting a first development delay factor information when a backing-away distance in said backward transition is larger than said designated said backing-away distance in the case that said backing-away transition is said backward transition occurred after said number of times which is stored in said standard transition analysis information storage means. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 16 which stores a process evaluation program which causes said computer, of which said standard transition analysis information storage means stores further a designated second backing-away distance and a second number of times which is larger than said number of times of said designated backward transition, to perform: said transition analysis information comparison step further comprising outputting a second development delay factor information when a backing-away distance in backward transition concerned is less than said second backing-away distance in the case that said backward transition is said backward transition which occurred after said backward transition of said second number of times. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The non-transient computer-readable medium according to claim 13 which stores a process evaluation program which causes said computer to perform: said transition information acquisition step for acquiring a process retention time on each process from transition time to each process to further transition time to a next process; and said transition information analysis step for outputting a second development delay factor information when a process retention time in the same process is increasing with passage of time. ### Claim 19 A process evaluation device, comprising: a development process definition memory storage means for storing definition information on a plurality of processes for developing software and sequence numbers thereof; a transition information acquiring means for acquiring identification information or a sequence number of a new process after a backward transition occurs, wherein a process transition from an evaluation origin to said new process is said backward transition when a sequence number of said new process is smaller than a sequence number of said evaluation origin; and a transition information analysis means for calculating and thereby outputting a backing-away distance, which is a difference between a sequence number of said evaluation origin and a sequence number of said new process, for said backward transition.