Patent ID: 8381169

Claim:
A unified process system comprising: a unified process system comprising hardware and software configured to store, manage, organize, and present information and artifacts associated with a unified process, wherein said unified process is an extensible, iterative, and incremental software development process framework, wherein said unified process system comprises a placeholder defining tool configured to permit an authorized process engineer to associate placeholders with base methods of the unified process, wherein the placeholders act as an access point to content that extends the base methods, wherein unified process consumers are able to input content to the placeholders after the unified process is published, where the input content is thereafter automatically stored by the unified process system and is accessible to other unified process consumers having access to the unified process system; and wherein at least a portion of the placeholders comprise a collaborative content area and a dynamic content area, wherein said collaborative content area is configured to provide guidance on the associated base method, wherein the collaborative content is editable by the unified process consumers and by the process engineers, wherein said dynamic content area is automatically and dynamically built in response to received requests, and wherein said dynamic content area comprises items to assist unified process consumers to conduct at least one task for the associated base method.