Patent ID: 8266578

Claim:
A method for constructing and validating a software system for a data intensive activity, including the steps of: creating a user requirements specification for a first software system; developing a project specific validation plan for the first software system based on the user requirements specification; developing a functional specification based on the user requirements specification; selecting first set of software applications to carry out the functional specification and selecting virtual appliance support software to run the selected software applications; building the first software system by combining said software applications and said virtual appliance support software to form a virtual appliance; and validating said first software system by validating said virtual appliance; wherein the validating said software system by validating said virtual appliance comprises confirmation by examination and provision of objective evidence that the user requirements specification conforms to user needs and intended uses, and that requirements implemented by the software can be consistently fulfilled; creating a second user requirements specification for a second software system; developing a second project specific validation plan for the second software system based on the second user requirements specification; selecting a second set of software applications including the first set of software applications including the validated virtual appliance; building the second software system by combining said second set of software applications including the validated virtual appliance; and validating said second software system by validating said second set of software applications including the validated virtual appliance, using previously developed knowledge of components of first set of software applications in the validated virtual appliance.