Patent ID: 7058588

Claim:
A computerized process for generating an integrated project work breakdown structure (WBS) and related work flows, comprising the steps of: (a) selecting an existing project WBS, said existing project WBS having related work flows; (b) selecting at least one desired outcome for synthesis, said at least one selected desired outcome having a first associated work flow comprising a network of interdependent activities; and (c) integrating said first associated work flow with said existing project WBS and its related work flows by: (c1) automatically identifying the most downstream activity in said first associated work flow; (c2) automatically determining whether each activity in said first associated work flow is already present in the project WBS and related work flows being generated by starting with the most downstream activity in said first associated work flow and working upstream until all activities in said first associated work flow have been compared to the activities of the project WBS and related work flows being generated; (c3) automatically adding any activity in said first associated work flow which is not already present in the project WBS and related work flows being generated; (c4) automatically adding activity dependencies which should exist between any of said added activities and any activity already present in the project WBS and related work flows being generated; and (c5) automatically introducing summary activities, when required, into the project WBS being generated when lowest-level activities from said first associated work flow are added.