Risk and dependency tracking and control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10796259-B2
Application number	US-201816124613-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2018
Priority date	May 8, 2018
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A computing system includes a connection detection system that identifies a set of connected deliverables among a plurality of different deliverables in a data store and timeline generator logic that generates a representation of a timeline having nodes connected by edges, each node representing a deliverable and each edge connecting a pair of nodes corresponding to a connection between the deliverables represented by the pair of nodes connected by the edge. The computing system also includes a user interaction system that controls interaction with the plurality of different deliverables, the user interaction system comprising link setting logic that generates a link setting user interface mechanism that is actuatable to modify one or more connections and surfacing logic that controls a display to display the representation of the timeline and the link setting user interface mechanism.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computing system, comprising:
at least one processor; and
memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed, provide:
a connection detection system that identifies a set of connected deliverables among a plurality of different deliverables in a data store, the set of connected deliverables comprising a first deliverable connected to a second deliverable by a given connection indicating a dependency in which the first deliverable is dependent on the second deliverable;
timeline generator logic that generates a representation of a timeline having nodes connected by edges, each node representing one of the connected deliverables, in the set of connected deliverables, and each edge connecting a pair of nodes corresponding to an identified connection between the deliverables represented by the pair of nodes connected by the edge;
a user interaction system that controls interaction with the set of connected deliverables and comprises link reverse logic that generates a reverse dependency user interface mechanism; and
surfacing logic that generates a display control signal to control a display device to display a timeline display pane comprising:
node display elements representing the first and second deliverables, and
an edge display element that:
visually represents the given connection between the first deliverable and the second deliverable, and
includes the reverse dependency user interface mechanism;

wherein the link reverse logic is configured to:
in response to actuation of the reverse dependency user interface mechanism, generate a link control signal to reverse the given connection between the first deliverable and the second deliverable.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein timeline generator logic comprises:
node generator logic that generates the nodes in the representation of the timeline, each node being generated at a point on the representation of the timeline based on date data corresponding to the node.

3. The computing system of claim 2 wherein the connection detection system comprises:
dependency generator logic configured to identify the connection between the first deliverable of the plurality of deliverables and the second deliverable of the plurality of deliverables.

4. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the reverse dependency user interface mechanism is provided on the edge display element that represents the given connection.

5. The computing system of claim 4 , wherein the reverse dependency user interface mechanism is actuated in response to user selection of the edge display element.

6. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the link reverse logic is configured to:
generate a link setting user interface mechanism in association with a particular one of the nodes.

7. The computing system of claim 6 , wherein the reverse dependency user interface mechanism is actuated when a user actuates a particular one of the node display elements to move the particular node display element to a new location on the representation on the timeline.

8. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the connection detection system composes:
filtering logic configured to generate a filter user interface mechanism that allows a user to select deliverable characteristics; and
deliverable parsing logic configured to access the plurality of deliverables and to filter out deliverables, based on the user selected characteristics, to identify the set of connected deliverables.

9. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the timeline generator logic comprises:
a risk metric generator system that generates a risk metric corresponding to each given node, the risk metric being based, at least in part, on a completion status of the deliverable represented by the given node; and
risk indication generator logic configured to generate an indication of the risk metric on the representation of the timeline.

10. The computing system of claim 9 wherein the timeline generator logic comprises:
risk indication generator logic configured to generate an indication of the risk metric on the representation of the timeline as part of the edge between the given node and another node, connected to the given node, having a risk metric that affects the risk metric of the given node.

11. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the timeline generator logic comprises:
summary generator logic configured to generate a tabular summary, wherein each row of the tabular summary corresponds to a node of the timeline.

12. The computing system of claim 10 wherein the timeline generator logic comprises:
collapse logic configured to generate a collapse user interface mechanism that is actuated by a user to toggle a set of nodes from multiple nodes into a single node.

13. A computer implemented method, comprising:
displaying a deliverable generation user interface mechanism on a display device, the deliverable generation user interface mechanism being actuated to create a deliverable;
detecting actuation of the deliverable generation user interface mechanism;
generating a first deliverable and a second deliverable;
displaying a link setting user interface mechanism on the display device, the link setting user interface mechanism configured to generate a dependency between the first and second deliverables;
generating a first node representing the first deliverable and a second node representing the second deliverable;
generating an edge connecting the first node and second node, the edge representing a dependency between the first deliverable and the second deliverable;
displaying, on the display device, a timeline display pane that includes a representation of a timeline comprising a first node display element representing the first node, a second node display element representing the second node, and an edge display element that represents the dependency between the first deliverable and the second deliverable, wherein at least one of the first node display element or the second node display element includes a reverse user interface mechanism; and
in response to actuation of the reverse user interface mechanism,
reversing the dependency between the first deliverable and the second deliverable; and
modifying the representation of the timeline in the timeline display pane to indicate the reversed dependency.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13 further comprising:
determining a first risk metric for the first node, the first risk metric being based on a completion status of the first deliverable and on a second risk metric indicative of a risk of the second node;
generating a risk indication for the first node, indicative of the first risk metric; and
controlling, utilizing the surfacing logic, the display device to display the risk indication.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 13 further comprising:
generating a third node representing a third deliverable;
generating a fourth node representing a fourth deliverable;
generating a second edge connecting the third node to the second node, wherein the second edge represents a dependency between the second deliverable and the third deliverable; and
generating a third edge connecting the fourth node to the second node, wherein the third edge represents a dependency between the second deliverable and the fourth deliverable.

16. A computing system, comprising:
a dependency system that identifies a set of dependent deliverables among a plurality of different deliverables in a cloud service computing system;
time

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Sullivan Joseph
• Campbell Jill
• BUI Ngoc Vu
• Michaely Nir
• Yang Chenying

Classifications

• G06Q10/0635 Primary

  Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities · CPC title

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06F8/34 Primary

  Graphical or visual programming · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title

• G06Q10/103

  Workflow collaboration or project management · CPC title