US Patent 7478000 Method and system to develop a process improvement methodology

A method to create an instance of a defect-based production and testing process analysis machine (DPTPAM) provides continual process improvement based on foundational questions and classified defect data. The method includes the following steps: obtaining domain specific questions; developing a domain specific classification scheme that supports the answering of the foundational and domain specific questions; determining a method of using the domain specific classification scheme to answer both the foundational and domain specific questions; and creating a domain specific DPTPAM instance embodying the domain specific classification scheme and the method of answering the foundational and domain specific questions. The method can be implemented with a machine and a computer readable medium comprising logic for performing the method.