Collaborative Planning System for Real-Time Version Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing planning systems are static and lack real-time collaboration capabilities, leading to version control issues, limited collaboration among geographically dispersed users, and an inability to maintain a universally accepted updated version of plans.
Innovation Solution
A collaborative planning system that allows geographically dispersed users to collaboratively create, edit, and approve plans in real-time, with a single version of the plan accessible to all users, and features such as programmable plans and dynamic data calculation and presentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple users work on separate local versions of plans, then each user can modify their own version independently, but version control problems arise and users cannot identify the most accurate and current version
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate local versions into a single centralized plan stored on a server. Users access and edit the same plan simultaneously through the network, eliminating version control problems by maintaining one source of truth that is automatically updated and synchronized for all users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between users and the plan. The server stores the centralized plan and manages all edits, acting as a mediator that coordinates changes from multiple users and ensures they all work on the most current version without direct peer-to-peer conflicts.
2Reliability
If single user restrictions are implemented, then each user can modify only their local version, but collaboration among geographically dispersed users is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the plan universally accessible to multiple users simultaneously through a networked system. The same plan can be viewed, edited, and reviewed by geographically dispersed users at the same time, eliminating the need for sequential handoffs and enabling real-time collaboration while maintaining data consistency through centralized storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static, sequential editing process into a dynamic, simultaneous collaboration process. Multiple users can edit the plan at the same time with changes automatically synchronized, allowing the system to adapt to concurrent editing needs while maintaining reliability through centralized coordination.
3Adaptability or versatility
If plans are exchanged via email or similar means, then users can share updates, but maintaining a universally accepted updated version accessible to all users is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes continuous real-time synchronization of the plan among all users through network connectivity. Instead of discrete email exchanges, the system maintains an ongoing, continuous state where all users always have access to the most current version, eliminating synchronization delays and ensuring everyone works from the same updated information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical email exchange system with an automated network-based synchronization system. The centralized server automatically manages plan distribution and updates, substituting manual email forwarding with automated digital synchronization that instantly propagates changes to all users without manual intervention.
4Device complexity
If brief decks are not captured systematically, then storage and retrieval are simple, but later users cannot search information associated with brief decks on a universal and standardized platform
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the plan into structured, searchable components and stores them in a standardized format on the server. By organizing plan data into discrete, taggable elements rather than monolithic files, the system enables powerful search capabilities while maintaining simple centralized storage, allowing users to quickly find specific information across all plans.
Data Source
AI summary
A collaborative planning system facilitates sharing of critical plans (e.g., a military mission plan) within an organization and managing authorizations of the plans from reviewers at multiple levels within the organization. Once the plans are approved, a data object representative of the plans is created and stored in an ontology of data objects (with objects of various types and associations between related data objects) so that the plans may be identified as associated with related data objects via searches of the data objects in the ontology.