International Business Machines Corporation

Stanley M Sutton

Peter Kenneth Malkin

Mark N Wegman

Evelyn Duesterwald

Paul Michael Matchen

Tamir Klinger

Peri L Tarr

Murray Robert Cantor

Isabelle Marie Rouvellou

Dharmashankar Subramanian

Thomas Arthur Mikalsen

Stefan Tai

A graphical interface module may provide a set of graphical presentations comprising at least: a Likelihood of Delivery chart showing a probability distribution of predicted delivery dates; a Delivery Date Risk Trend chart showing how the completion time for the project predicted according to the Likelihood of Delivery chart has changed over time; and a Burndown chart that shows at least work-items of planned work for the project. Each of the Likelihood of Delivery chart, the Delivery Date Risk Trend chart, and the Burndown chart has a timeline axis.

GUI support for diagnosing and remediating problems that threaten on-time delivery of software and systems

Historic and current development data associated with the project may be gathered. A catalog of patterns, each pattern associated with a data measure and an analysis routine capable of detecting the pattern according to the data measure in a given data set may be obtained. A pattern describes a particular indication in the historical and development data, which arises one or more of, at a discrete point in time or over a period of time. The analysis routine may be applied to the historic and current development data. A notification may be issued responsive to identifying the pattern in the historic and current development data. The applying and the issuing may be performed for each pattern in the catalog of patterns.

Detecting patterns that increase the risk of late delivery of a software project

Incorporating user insights in predicting, diagnosing and remediating problems that threaten on-time delivery of a project may comprise gathering information. The information may be conveyed to one or more users. A user may be allowed to input a new value associated with the project, the new value assessed based on the information and representing an expert assessment of the information. The user may be allowed to also indicate a period of time the user considers the information to be applicable. The new value and the period of time may be incorporated into data used in a prediction algorithm that predicts probability distribution of completion time of the project as the project is progressing.

Incorporating user insights into predicting, diagnosing and remediating problems that threaten on-time delivery of software and systems

A user may be allowed to specify a change in one or more parameter data associated with the project, the one or more parameter data used previously to compute a probability distribution of completion time of the project. The probability distribution of completion time of the project may be recomputed based on the change. The recomputed probability distribution of the completion time of the project may be presented. An option to save the recomputed probability distribution may be provided. An option may be provided to specify another change in one or more parameter data associated with the project and repeat the recomputing and the presenting procedures based on another change in one or more parameter data associated with the project.

Exploring the impact of changing project parameters on the likely delivery date of a project

A task effort estimator may determine a probability distribution of an estimated effort needed to complete unfinished tasks in a project based on one or more of a set of completed tasks belonging to a project and attributes associated with the completed tasks belonging to the project, a set of completed tasks not belonging to the project and attributes associated with the completed tasks not belonging to the project, or the combination of both. A project completion predictor may determine a probability distribution of completion time for the project based on the probability distribution of an estimated effort needed to complete the unfinished tasks in the project, and one or more resource and scheduling constraints associated with the project.

Predicting likelihood of on-time product delivery, diagnosing issues that threaten delivery, and exploration of likely outcome of different solutions

A graphical editor or the like, and methods thereof, may be provided that can represent actors associated with use cases via screens, screen flows. The actors, use cases and intermediary screens, screen flows may be all simultaneously and explicitly represented in a diagram referred to as a screen-use diagram.

Screen use diagram-based representation, development and testing system and method

A method is provided for managing a group of two or more operations within a software system. The method includes initiating a group context including a sub-context for each operation in the group context, wherein each operation is supported by one of a transactional resource and a messaging component, performing the operations within the sub-contexts, each operation resulting in an outcome, coupling the outcomes within the group context, determining an overall outcome of the group context, and taking at least one action dependent on the overall outcome. The method further includes the step of terminating the group context upon taking one or more actions.

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Briarcliff Manor, NY, United States of America

Stanley M Sutton