Patent ID: 8621418
Filing Date: 2013-12-31
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of providing individual user to-do lists of actions from a software change management repository for managing software changes, the repository storing a set of changes requested by developers and end users of a given software system, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of: in a processor coupled to the repository: in response to a set of changes requested by developers and/or end users: (i) forming, by the processor, and storing in the repository a respective change request object of a software bug to represent each person's respective request to make a respective software change to the given software system, and (ii) for each change request object being stored in the repository, partitioning, by the processor, the change request object into an issue hierarchy of issue objects, a task hierarchy of task objects and an activity hierarchy of activity objects, wherein each issue object represents a respective issue, each task object defines work needed to address a respective issue and each activity object tracks respective work performed, and wherein each change request object has an issue hierarchy object type, a task hierarchy object type and an activity hierarchy object type; and in response to a user accessing the repository, determining, by the processors, a user role of the user and generating a tabular user interface including a table representation of the respective issue hierarchy, task hierarchy and activity hierarchy of a change request object stored in the repository, the table representation serving as a to-do list of actions that the user is responsible for and displaying issue objects, task objects, and activity objects as a function of user role, wherein the processor uses the user role to select one of the issue hierarchy object type, task hierarchy object type and activity hierarchy object type in the change request object as primary for the user, and different ones of the issue hierarchy object type, task hierarchy object type and activity hierarchy object types serving according to user role as corresponding categories to the issue hierarchy of issue objects, task hierarchy of task objects and activity hierarchy of activity objects of the partitioning of the change request object; wherein the table representation is formed of a respective row for each change request object, one or more first columns in the respective row holding and displaying fields of an issue object, task object or activity object of the change request object as a primary object according to user role, and one or more second columns in the respective row holding and displaying information about issue objects in the issue hierarchy, task objects in the task hierarchy and activity objects in the activity hierarchy of the change request object and that are linked to the primary object as sub-objects, and wherein the information displayed by one or more of the second columns further includes summary values for a given row, each summary value resulting from a respective summary function of field values of corresponding sub-objects; in response to command by the user, expanding, by the processor, the given row, said expanding displaying a sub-table having constituent values of the summary values of the given row, the constituent values for a given summary value being contributing values from the field values of corresponding sub-objects used in the respective summary function that produced the given summary value, and wherein the sub-table has one or more rows, each row representing a respective sub-object linked to the primary object of the change request object according to user role; wherein the step of expanding is repeated upon user command for other rows of the table representation, expanding row by row and displaying respective sub-tables.