Abstract: A scheduling application that provides decision support for program managers by interrelating activities across multiple product-development programs and by creating dependencies for such activities. The application is platform independent and uses Internet technologies to manage multiple dependent programs. The application manages dependent programs by graphically displaying an activity schedule, displaying real time status of activities, and displaying available resources. Changes to an activity in one dependent program will reschedule activities in other programs. Alternatively, a change to an activity in one dependent program sends an electronic notification to parties of programs affected by the change for ratification of the change.

Abstract: The Deliverable is a schedule entity, related to program management of new product development that also links a user to the intellectual property being developed in the course of a scheduled product development effort. The Deliverable has a due date, owner, and parent project. The Gate object signifies the end of a major Phase or sub-Phase of the Program and has links to all required Deliverables in a checklist-type display that includes the status of each required Deliverable. In many industries, such as aerospace, scoring is applied as an ongoing metric for Deliverables, which yields an overall score at each Gate to measure improvement in the creation of Deliverables as standard processes are reused.