US 8,898,619 B2Granted

Software factory readiness review

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsJarir K. Chaar, Ronald D. Finlayson, Thomas A. Jobson, Jr., Naomi M. Mitsumori, Francis X. Reddington

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A computer-implemented method, system, and computer-readable medium for determining if a software factory is ready to take on a software project is presented. In a preferred embodiment, the computer-implemented method includes the steps of: determining if an infrastructure for a software factory has been procured; determining if operational software needed to assemble work packets in an assembly line in the software factory has been installed; determining if a workflow event model for an assembly line in the software factory has been configured; determining if workload in the assembly line has been balanced; determining if communication channels between the software factory and a customer's computer system have been defined and cleared for data transmission; and in response to determining that any element described above has been determined not to have occurred, prohibiting an induction of a software project into the software factory.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for delivering custom software, comprising:

a computer processor executing a software factory program to implement a software factory including a software factory governance section, a design center, and an assembly line, and wherein the executing includes:
in response to the software factory receiving a software project proposal including a custom software description describing a specific project type of the software project, the software factory governance section determining, whether the software project proposal is qualified for acceptance by the software factory, utilizing a scorecard for the specific project type, wherein the scorecard provides a maturity assessment of resources required and identifies any potential choke-points for the specific project type, and wherein the software factory governance section determines that the software project proposal is qualified for acceptance in response to the resources required being available and no potential choke-points being identified;
and
in response to a determination that the software project proposal is qualified for acceptance by the software factory, the software factory undertaking the software project proposal by:
the design center creating a plurality of work packets for the software project proposal, wherein each of the plurality of work packets is associated with a functional area of the custom software and comprises software code and operating instructions;
the assembly line receiving and executing the plurality of work packets to obtain deliverable software;
and
delivering the deliverable software to a customer,
wherein the assembly line automatically recognizes a project type for the software project proposal.

6 more elements

A system, comprising:

a processor;
a data bus coupled to the processor;
and
a data storage device coupled to the data bus,
wherein the data storage device stores a software factory program including instructions executable by the processor and configured to deliver custom software by causing the processor to:
implement a software factory including a software factory governance section, a design center, and an assembly line;
in response to receipt of a software project proposal including a custom software description describing a specific project type of the software project, determine, by the software factory governance section whether the software project proposal is qualified for acceptance by the software factory, utilizing a scorecard for the specific project type, wherein the scorecard provides a maturity assessment of resources required and identifies any potential choke-points for the specific project type, and wherein the software factory governance section determines that the software project proposal is qualified for acceptance in response to the resources required being available and no potential choke-points being identified;
and
in response to a determination that the software project proposal is qualified for acceptance by the software factory, undertake the software project proposal by:
the design center creating a plurality of work packets for the software project proposal, wherein each of the plurality of work packets is associated with a functional area of the custom software and comprises software code and operating instructions;
the assembly line receiving and executing the plurality of work packets to obtain deliverable software;
and
delivering the deliverable software to a customer,
wherein the assembly line automatically recognizes a project type for the software project proposal.

11 more elements

An article of manufacture, comprising:

a tangible computer-readable memory;
computer-readable code stored in the tangible computer-readable memory, the computer-readable code including instructions executable by a processor and configured to:
implement a software factory including a software factory governance section, a design center, and an assembly line;
in response to receipt of a software project proposal including a custom software description describing a specific project type of the software project, determine, by the software factory governance section whether the software project proposal is qualified for acceptance by the software factory, utilizing a scorecard for the specific project type, wherein the scorecard provides a maturity assessment of resources required and identifies any potential choke-points for the specific project type, and wherein the software factory governance section determines that the software project proposal is qualified for acceptance in response to the resources required being available and no potential choke-points being identified;
and
in response to a determination that the software project proposal is qualified for acceptance by the software factory, undertake the software project proposal by:
the design center creating a plurality of work packets for the software project proposal, wherein each of the plurality of work packets is associated with a functional area of the custom software and comprises software code and operating instructions;
the assembly line receiving and executing the plurality of work packets to obtain deliverable software;
and
delivering the deliverable software to a customer,
wherein the assembly line automatically recognizes a project type for the software project proposal.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/618,744Filed 14 Sep 2012 · continuation
Priority: 13 Apr 2007
Published: US 2013/0014079 A110 Jan 2013
Granted: 25 Nov 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

G06Q 10/00
Administration
G06Q
Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial

Family

Application11/735,152Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Apr 2007
US 2013/0014079 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Jan 2013
US 8,296,719 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2008/0255693 A1Published application
US 8,898,619 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.