Patent ID: 7653688

Claim:
A method comprising: storing a plurality of resource files on a storage device coupled to a computer system. each of the resource files comprising an accessible resource that comprises one or more of applications and data that are relevant to completion of a project; storing a plurality of role data entries in an assigned role data file on the storage device coupled to the computer system, each role data entry corresponding to a role of a plurality of roles associated with the project, each role defining one or more of the resource files that are available for access through the computer system to an individual of a plurality of individuals working on the project if the individual is assigned to the role, two or more of the roles of the plurality of roles providing access to a common subset of the plurality of resource files; receiving, at the computer system, a resource request submitted via a role-based portal displayed on a computer to a project participant who is one of the plurality of individuals and who has been previously assigned a participant role among the plurality of roles, the resource request comprising selection by the project participant of one or more of the accessible project resources within the role-based portal; determining whether the one or more of the accessible project resources identified by the resource request is included in the set of accessible project resources corresponding to the participant role of the project participant; selectively permitting access to the one or more of the accessible project resources only if the one or more of the accessible project resources is the one or more of the resource files defined by participant role of the project participant; displaying a first role-based portal window on a user device of a project manager, the first role-based portal window comprising a launching area that includes a selectable collaboration option, a project selector display area that displays project progress information, and a project monitor area that displays information pertaining to all projects assigned to the project manager; displaying a project folder in response to selection by the project manager of the collaboration option; adding a new resource file representing an additional accessible resource to the plurality of resource files in response to dragging of an icon representing the additional accessible resource to the project folder; detecting a change to an item in the common subset of the plurality of resource files; and sending a message to the individuals to whom are assigned the two or more of the plurality of roles that provide access to a common subset to indicate the detected change.