Patent ID: 8347236

Claim:
An interface method for a knowledge management system server, the method comprising: receiving a symbolic identification of an object classification from a first user system, the object classification describing an object on the first user system; retrieving a definition of the object classification from a database, the definition of the objection classification describing a collection of one or more data elements that have substantive technical data encoded therein; retrieving the data elements that are included within the definition of the object classification from the database, the data elements including one or more input parameters; transmitting an initial list of the input parameters to the first user system subsequent to the step of retrieving the data elements; receiving object parameters from the first user system subsequent to transmission of the initial list of input parameters, the object parameters further describing the object; transmitting an updated list of the input parameters in response to a change in the input parameters caused by at least one of a change to the definition of the object classification, a change to one or more of the data elements, or receipt of the object parameters from the first user system; identifying an evaluation procedure based on the object classification; determining whether the object parameters include all of a set of required input parameters for the evaluation procedure; performing the evaluation procedure using the object parameters if the object parameters include all of the required input parameters and transmitting a result to the first user system; adding the set of required input parameters for the evaluation procedure to the list of input parameters; and transmitting a status indicator to the first user system if the object parameters do not include all of the required input parameters, wherein the status indicator indicates that the evaluation procedure has not been completed.