Dependency management in software development

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11922150-B2
Application number	US-202217853702-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2022
Priority date	Sep 18, 2019
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

A software project management system can store object data about components of a software development project, such epics, features, and stories. The software project management system can also store dependency objects that reflect dependency relationships between two or more components of the software development project. The dependency objects can track status information about the dependency relationships, including expected completion dates, acceptance criteria, and state indicators. The information stored in the dependency objects can be updated over time as information about the dependency relationship changes. The software project management system can also use the dependency objects to display information in a user interface about one or more dependency relationships, such as to indicate which dependency relationships are on track or behind schedule.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
maintaining, by a software project management system, a plurality of component data objects associated with a software development project, wherein individual component data objects represent corresponding components of the software development project;
identifying, by the software project management system, a dependency relationship between a first component of the software development project and a second component of the software development project;
creating, by the software project management system, a dependency data object representing the dependency relationship between the first component and the second component, wherein the dependency data object is distinct from the plurality of component data objects and identifies:
a first component data object, of the plurality of component data objects, corresponding to the first component associated with the dependency relationship, and
a second component data object, of the plurality of component data objects, corresponding to the second component associated with the dependency relationship;

detecting, by the software project management system, a change in the dependency relationship; and
automatically updating, by the software project management system, the dependency data object based on the change in the dependency relationship.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the change in the dependency relationship is a date change, and
the dependency data object is automatically updated to adjust a date indicated by the dependency data object based on the date change.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the date is a target completion date or an estimated completion date.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the change in the dependency relationship is a state change associated with a current state of the dependency relationship, and
the dependency data object is automatically updated to adjust a state indicator that identifies, from among a plurality of states associated with a lifetime of the dependency relationship, the current state of the dependency relationship based on the state change.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining, by the software project management system, that the state change indicates that the current state of the dependency relationship has changed to a closed state based on an acceptance criteria associated with the dependency relationship being satisfied; and
creating, by the software project management system, based on the current state of the dependency relationship having changing to the closed state, a second dependency data object representing a second dependency relationship between two or more component data objects of the plurality of component data objects.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the software project management system, a type of the change; and
sending, by the software project management system, and to an entity identified in the dependency data object, a notification indicative of the type of the change.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the change in the dependency relationship is a division of the second component into multiple components, and
the dependency data object is automatically updated to indicate that the dependency relationship is between the first component and at least one of the multiple components.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying, by the software project management system, information associated with the dependency relationship in a user interface of the software project management system, based on the dependency data object.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the components of the software development project, represented by the individual component data objects, comprise at least one of:
epics,
features that are narrower in scope than the epics,
or stories that are narrower in scope than the features.

10. A computing device, comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing computer-executable instructions associated with a software project management system that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
maintaining a plurality of component data objects associated with a software development project, wherein individual component data objects represent corresponding components of the software development project;
creating a dependency data object representing a dependency relationship between a first component of the software development project and a second component of the software development project, wherein the dependency data object is distinct from the plurality of component data objects and identifies:
a first component data object, of the plurality of component data objects, corresponding to the first component associated with the dependency relationship, and
a second component data object, of the plurality of component data objects, corresponding to the second component associated with the dependency relationship;

detecting a change in the dependency relationship; and
automatically updating the dependency data object, based on the change in the dependency relationship.

11. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein:
the change in the dependency relationship is a date change, and
the dependency data object is automatically updated to adjust a date indicated by the dependency data object based on the date change.

12. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein:
the change in the dependency relationship is a state change associated with a current state of the dependency relationship, and
the dependency data object is automatically updated to adjust a state indicator that identifies, from among a plurality of states associated with a lifetime of the dependency relationship, the current state of the dependency relationship based on the state change.

13. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining a type of the change; and
sending, to an entity identified in the dependency data object, a notification indicative of the type of the change.

14. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein:
the change in the dependency relationship is a division of the second component into multiple components, and
the dependency data object is automatically updated to indicate that the dependency relationship is between the first component and at least one of the multiple components.

15. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise displaying information associated with the dependency relationship in a user interface of the software project management system, based on the dependency data object.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions associated with a software project management system that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
maintaining a plurality of component data objects associated with a software development project, wherein individual component data objects represent corresponding components of the software development project;
creating a plurality of dependency data objects representing dependency relationships associated with the software development project, wherein an individual dependency data object represents a dependency relationship between:
two or more components

Assignees

• State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co

Inventors

• Shepherd Nate

Classifications

• G06F8/433 Primary

  Dependency analysis; Data or control flow analysis · CPC title

• G06F8/10

  Requirements analysis; Specification techniques · CPC title

• G06F8/75

  Structural analysis for program understanding · CPC title

• G06Q10/0631 Primary

  Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations · CPC title

• G06Q10/103

  Workflow collaboration or project management · CPC title