Collaboration tool

Abstract

A method for enabling collaboration between individuals to design, construct and maintain a building. The method comprises providing a network based computer system including at least one server and multiple clients. The multiple clients allow respective individuals to interact with the server. The server includes a machine-readable storage, which is encoded with software for execution by a CPU for allowing individuals at the respective clients to create, execute and manage projects associated with at least one of a design phase, construction phase and maintenance phase of the building. Each project comprises one or more events that are related to time. The method also comprises storing in the machine-readable storage events as they occur during execution of each project to create a building project database spanning at least the design phase and the construction phase and optionally the maintenance phase of the building.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system cause the computer system to:
 a. provide an online marketplace to merchants of digital project templates that may be individually purchased to manage projects, each digital project template includes template data describing a succession of individual events that collectively define at least one timeline describing an order in which events of a project are to be performed by one or more people;   b. provide to a remote client computing device an interface for receiving input parameters conveying project criteria defining a project to be performed;   c. search a database storing digital project templates available for purchase at least in part on the basis of the input parameters to identify a subset of digital project templates that match the project criteria;   d. provide to the remote client computing device an interface for displaying the subset of digital project templates;   e. receive from the remote client computing device a selection of a digital project template from the subset of digital project templates;   f. receive a confirmation of payment for the selected project template;   g. enable use of the selected project template at the remote client computing device, in response to the confirmation of payment.   
     
     
         3 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 2 , wherein said template data further describing a plurality of roles for assignment to respective individuals for managing execution of respective events of the succession of events. 
     
     
         4 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 3 , wherein said template data further describing privileges associated with respective ones of the roles, the privileges defining levels of access to respective ones of the events. 
     
     
         5 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 2 , wherein said succession of individual events include a plurality of task events describing respective activities to be performed. 
     
     
         6 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 2 , wherein said succession of individual events include a plurality of document events describing respective documents associated with the project. 
     
     
         7 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 2 , wherein said project criteria defining said project to be performed includes at least one selected from the group consisting of:
 a. project type;   b. project deliverable;   c. general project approach; and   d. certification level.   
     
     
         8 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 2 , wherein said selection of the digital project template from the subset of digital project templates includes the option for the selection of a different version of the digital project template that differs in terms of comprehensiveness and/or level of support. 
     
     
         9 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 2 , wherein said remote client computing device is a first remote client computing device and said instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system cause the computer system further to:
 a. provide to a second remote client computing device an interface for creating a user-contributed project template;   b. receive input information being associated with the user-contributed project template from the second remote client computing device;   c. store in association with the user-contributed project template the received input information in at least one database.   
     
     
         10 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 9 , wherein said online marketplace of digital project templates includes the user-contributed project template. 
     
     
         11 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 10 , wherein said selection of a project template in the list of project templates available for purchase is a selection of the user-contributed project template. 
     
     
         12 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 9 , wherein said interface for creating a user-contributed project template allows for the creation of a blank project that is substantially devoid of predefined events and roles. 
     
     
         13 . A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in  claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of task events includes respective starting and ending times during which the respective activities are to be performed.