Onboarding dashboard and methods and system thereof

• US 10,223,653 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2015
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elance Incorporation
• Original Assignee: Elance Incorporation
• Inventors: Song, Sunny SunMin, Poon, Yuet Ping, Diller, Jonathan Paul, Hahn, Anthony M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US14/628,095
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063118 Staff planning in a project environment

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to an onboarding dashboard and methods and system thereof for transitioning candidates into welcomed and engaged workers. In an online services exchange medium, clients find and hire freelancer candidates “on demand” to get projects done quickly and cost effectively. A client is able to use the onboarding dashboard to configure onboarding tasks for each individual or group of candidates the client hires. The candidates, once engaged with the client, are able use the onboarding dashboard to view the onboarding tasks established for them by the client. The onboarding dashboard provides complete visibility of the onboarding progress to both the client and the candidates, enforcement of step dependencies and management of documents.

Claims

1. A system for streamlining online work process, the system comprising:

a data store storing information relating to different job groups, wherein the information includes configuration data and progress data for each task in each of the job groups; and

a computer server at a services exchange medium and communicatively coupled with the data store, wherein the computer server is programmed to;

receive, via a first user interface on a first remote computing device used by a client;

instructions to create a plurality of onboarding dashboards, wherein each of the plurality of onboarding dashboards is associated with one of the job groups, wherein each of the plurality of onboarding dashboards presents all tasks for a respective job group in a presentation that is customizable; and

the configuration data for each task in each of the job groups;

provide a platform, wherein the platform receives a posting for a job submitted by the client, intelligently suggests to the client one of a plurality service providers in the services exchange medium in response to the posting and allows the client to select one of the job groups that is related to the posting to thereby assign the service provider to the selected job group;

automatically transition from the assignment to an onboarding process by retrieving the information from the data store to generate and transmit for rendering the onboarding dashboard relating to the selected job group in a second interface on a second remote computing device used by the service provider, wherein the onboarding dashboard displays each of the tasks in accordance with the presentation, visually identifies a status of the each of the tasks based on at least the progress data of the service provider and enforces task dependencies based on at least the configuration data, such that a second task cannot be started unless the status of a first task is completed;

generate a task summary for a respective task that can be reached directly from the onboarding dashboard, wherein the task summary is configured as a single access point to full visibility into activities of the respective task by displaying a list of contents for only the respective task, wherein each of the contents in the list being selectable to launch a respective document to be seen without fully obscuring the onboarding dashboard;

update the history of events for each of the tasks for the job group based on activities received from the onboarding dashboard, wherein the progress data includes the history of events; and

upon completion of at least a required portion of the onboarding process, provide the platform to capture progress of online completion of deliverables for the job being performed by the service provider within the services exchange medium.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the status is one of completed, started but not yet completed, not yet started, flagged, and past due.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the configuration data for the each task indicates that a specified user activity must be performed in order for the status to be changed to completed.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the specified user activity is uploading a document.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the specified user activity is viewing a video.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the configuration data for the each task indicates an owner of the each task.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the owner is the client.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the owner is the service provider.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the configuration data for the each task indicates that the completion of the each task is required or is optional.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the configuration data for the each task indicates that the each task is dependent on another task or is independent from other tasks.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer server is programmed to receive a signal activating one of the tasks displayed in the onboarding dashboard.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer server is programmed to, in response to the signal, automatically generate and transmit a window displaying the task summary.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing server is programmed to, in response to the signal, prevent the start of the activated task when one or more tasks that the activated task depends on are not yet completed.

14. A method of streamlining online work process, the method comprising:

storing by a computer server information relating to different job groups in a data store, wherein the information includes configuration data and progress data for each task in each of the job groups;

receiving by the computer server from a computing device used by a client;

instructions to create a plurality of onboarding dashboards, wherein each of the plurality of onboarding dashboards is associated with one of the job groups, wherein each of the plurality of onboarding dashboards presents all tasks for a respective job group in a presentation that is customizable via drag and drop actions; and

the configuration data for each task in each of the job groups;

providing by the computer server a platform that receives a posting for a job submitted by the client, intelligently suggests to the client one of a plurality service providers in a services exchange medium in response to a posting and allows the client to select one of the job groups that is related to the posting to thereby assign the service provider to the selected job group;

upon assignment, initiating an onboarding process by retrieving by the computer server the information from the data store to generate and transmit for rendering the onboarding dashboard relating to the selected job group in display of a second remote computing device used by the service provider, wherein the onboarding dashboard displays each of the tasks in accordance with the presentation, visually identifies a status of the each of the tasks based on at least the progress data of the service provider and enforces task dependencies based on at least the configuration data, such that a second task cannot be started unless the status of a first task is completed;

generating by the computer server a task summary for a respective task that can be reached directly from the onboarding dashboard, wherein the task summary is configured as a single access point to full visibility into activities of the respective task by displaying a list of contents for only the respective task, wherein each of the contents in the list being selectable to launch a respective document to be seen without fully obscuring the onboarding dashboard;

updating by the computer server the history of events for each of the tasks for the job group based on activities received from the onboarding dashboard, wherein the progress data includes the history of events; and

upon completion of at least a required portion of the onboarding process, enabling by the computer server the platform to capture progress of online completion of deliverables for the job being performed by the service provider within the services exchange medium.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration data includes a schedule of future tasks to be completed after the start of the online work and a schedule of reoccurring tasks to be completed after the start of the online work, wherein the schedules are configured by the client.

16. A method of streamlining online work process in a services exchange medium, wherein the services exchange medium includes a computing server and a data store in communication with the computing server, the method comprising:

receiving by the computing server from a first computing device that is remote from the services exchange medium a configurable onboarding process flow for each job group administered by a user of the first computing device;

storing in the data store the onboarding process flow for each job group;

providing a platform that receives a posting for a job submitted by the user, intelligently suggests to the user a service provider, wherein the platform allows the user to select an appropriate job group that is related to the posting and to assign the service provider to the appropriate job group;

automatically transitioning from the assignment to an onboarding process by retrieving from the data store by the computing server one of the onboarding process flows, wherein the retrieval is according to the job group the service provider is assigned to;

presenting on a second computing device that is remote from the services exchange medium the retrieved onboarding process flow;

generating a task summary for a respective task that can be reached directly from a user interface for the onboarding process flow, wherein the task summary is configured as a single access point to full visibility into activities of the respective task by displaying a list of contents for only the respective task, wherein each of the contents in the list being selectable to launch a respective document to be seen without fully obscuring the user interface; and

upon completion of at least a portion of the onboarding process flow, providing the platform to capture progress of online completion of deliverables for the job being performed on the second computing device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the retrieved onboarding process includes steps and rules.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the rules indicates that one of the steps can be completed in parallel with other steps in the retrieved onboarding process flow.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the rules indicates that one of the steps can only be started after other steps in the retrieved onboarding process flow are completed.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the rules enforce step dependencies.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the retrieved onboarding process flow is rendered in an onboarding dashboard, wherein the onboarding dashboard visually identifies a status of each step and is a single access point for retrieving all contents associated with the retrieved onboarding process flow.